Student Life
Presidio students are a vibrant and inclusive community devoted to creating a flourishing future for all.
We believe that diversity, creativity, and commitment are the foundations of a successful and inclusive organization. These are the guiding principles of Presidio Graduate School, and underlie our dedication to cultivating lasting communities that enable individual development. Our school stands on the premise that an academic community must empower and nurture students of all races, sexual orientations, gender identities, and socio-economic backgrounds to provide a truly constructive and transformative education. Furthermore, we commit that freedom of thought and the open exchange of ideas are paramount for building a productive and inclusive academic environment, which can only thrive with the practice of compassion and mutual respect.
Our MBA/MPA Dual Degree program attracts a truly extraordinary and impact-minded student body. Energized by the growing attention on cross-sector, intersectional methodologies, the typical dual degree student is looking to extend the boundaries of a traditional education to advance a more nuanced and cohesive vision of our world’s systemic challenges. We built the MBA/MPA Dual Degree at Presidio to help you expand your knowledge of multi-sector approaches and empower you to innovate solutions to our most complex challenges.
MBA/MPA Dual Degree candidate Heather Openshaw shares insight on the spirit of connection and collaboration that she sees as a defining aspect of the Presidio experience. The special quality of a Presidio student, Heather writes, is the awareness that “it is through a shared effort that we not only survive but thrive.”
Join a Supportive Online Community
As a relatively small institution we are uniquely positioned to offer individualized support, the value of which is clearly reflected in our student success rates. Our student services team is deeply committed to supporting your academic journey through the following offerings:
Advising and coaching
We provide advising and coaching services to offer mentorship, accountability, and guidance, through each step of your academic experience, connecting you with the right resources to ensure your continued success.
Career Shadowing
As a Presidio student, you’ll benefit from a unique education that incorporates real-world practice. Through our expert management consultant agency, PGS Consults, you’ll have the opportunity to shadow sustainability consultants working at the cutting edge of CSR and ESG across industries ranging mining, winemaking, wildfire response, and more. Through this program, you can begin to impact a positive change on the world and participate in paid client projects while still in school, gaining a wide breadth of professional experience well before graduating.
Office hours
Your TAs and professors are ready to support your individual learning experience, offering career advice, guidance on experiential learning projects, tips on time management, and more.
Peer mentors
Benefit from the guidance of seasoned students who can offer coaching, support, and insider tips on life at Presidio.
Slack channels
Engage with your peers and the Presidio team through Slack channels like #events, #pets, #student-to-student, and #student-to-staff to stay connected with updates and opportunities from our community.
Student-led and staff-led events
To supplement your coursework, we offer a rich calendar of social and educational activities like open forums, cohort check-ins, game nights, alumni mingle, social justice dialogues, state of the school addresses, and panels hosting industry leaders. These virtual events can help deepen your knowledge of new verticals, strengthen your connections within our community, and stay current on Presidio’s latest news.
A Collaborative, Hybrid Format
We integrate in-person, synchronous, and asynchronous learning methods to offer a dynamic, interactive educational experience that unites the convenience of remote instruction with the benefits of engaging with and learning alongside a community of mission-driven peers.
Housing options for in-person residencies
Our hybrid teaching modality only requires our students to meet for in-person residencies once a month for between one and four consecutive days (depending on your course load). Over half of our hybrid students are considered commuter students.
We host our residencies at Oakstop in downtown Oakland, California. When planned in advance, Oakstop’s central location offers ample opportunities for commuter students to organize affordable, well-located housing during residency. Students may also wish to take advantage of their stay by connecting with their classmates in person and exploring the renowned cultural and natural sites in the San Francisco Bay area. Here are a number of hotel options located in walking distance from Oakstop:
Commit to a brighter future for yourself and the planet.
