UCSB's Master of Technology Management sits between an MBA and an engineering master's: business leadership taught through technology, no coding or prior background in tech required. The MTM program is a versatile and ever-relevant investment in your professional journey. Learn more about what makes MTM an essential business degree for a tech-driven future.
1. What kind of master's program is UCSB's Master of Technology Management?
There are two ends of the spectrum for anyone interested in technology, management, and/or business graduate programs. MBA programs sit at one end; engineering or engineering management master's programs, which are heavy on technical content with minor business emphasis, sit at the other. The MTM is a deliberate mix of both, with technology as the focus. Many MTM graduates enter project and product management roles after graduation; others accept job offers in operations, marketing, business development, customer success, analytics, and consulting. MTM alumni enjoy a robust return on investment as well, with competitive starting salaries combined with an accelerated job market entry after just nine months.
2. How is UCSB's MTM program different from an MBA? How is it similar?
An MBA might cover strategy and marketing in general terms. In an MTM program, every course has a technology element, so you learn management through the lens of technical industries rather than in the abstract. MTM is not just a program relegated to the classroom: students earn real-world work experience through consulting field projects and incorporate their learning across a variety of applicable projects over the course of nine months.
3. How is MTM different from an engineering or engineering management master's? How is it similar?
In engineering programs, about half the coursework is spent developing specific technologies, such as materials science or software, with only a few management classes. MTM flips that balance, with a focus on leading innovation, managing technology teams, and commercialization.
4. Do I need a technical background or prior work experience to apply?
No. Students with deep technical backgrounds are welcome, but it is not mandatory. MBA technology management degrees are for applicants with at least several years of work experience and have a broader curriculum covering a variety of business topics and industries, but in MTM, both early- and mid-career professionals are invited to learn the essential technology skills, business acumen, and entrepreneurial mindset to accelerate their careers and lead in today’s rapidly evolving AI and technology landscape.
5. What kind of technology and business skills will I gain in the MTM program?
The unique position of the UC Santa Barbara Master of Technology Management degree is that all of the curriculum is focused on the technology business context and application. You’ll learn the business skills of an MBA, but with the focus needed to excel in technology-driven industries. Moreover, our graduates are able to pursue a range of careers beyond technical and support specialist roles. One of the top skills needed to lead in an increasingly diverse and global workforce is experience managing diverse teams. In UCSB’s MTM, working within our diverse cohorts with students of STEM and non-STEM backgrounds, from a range of work experience, and from different localities, will hone your skills in leading teams and managing clients and stakeholders.
6. If management basics are the same everywhere, why focus on technology?
Some issues are similar in any setting; in today's tech- and AI-driven economy, focusing on technology gives students a deep appreciation of how it changes traditional management ideas and how to spark organizational change through successful technological innovation and adoption.
7. Why pursue a degree in Technology Management instead of AI Management?
Technologies come and go; the ability to lead, innovate, and build organizations in a world shaped by technology does not. A degree in Technology Management teaches students how to use AI, build businesses with AI, and lead organizations through AI-driven change, but, more importantly, how to manage in a world where technology never stops changing. MTM students learn how to identify opportunities created by emerging technologies, build businesses around them, redesign work and organizations to capture their value, and lead people through the transformations that follow. A degree in AI prepares you for today's technology. A degree in Technology Management prepares you for tomorrow's.
8. Why study business and technology in Santa Barbara?
A thriving tech industry meets natural beauty in coastal Santa Barbara, California, with startups and major companies alike calling the city home. Santa Barbara is home to divisions of major tech companies such as Amazon's Alexa Knowledge team and Google's Quantum AI campus, both of which are a part of the MTM networking and site visit experience. Also based in the city are many startups such as Inogen, CrossnoKaye, Appfolio, HG Insights, and more. Beyond academics, Santa Barbara remains a sought-after location to live and work, thanks to its vibrant cultural landscape and picturesque coastal scenery.
9. How long is the MTM program, and what format is it?
Nine months over three quarters, full-time, and in person. It's a cohort-based, STEM-designated professional degree that has run since 2015–16 and welcomed 300+ graduates to its robust and expanding global alumni network. The in-person setting allows direct exposure and real-world experience within Santa Barbara's thriving tech industry, through the consulting field project and site visit opportunities, and the chance to study at a top research university and live in one of the nation's premiere coastal destinations.
10. What college is the MTM program a part of? Does UCSB have a business school?
UCSB does not have a traditional business school–MTM is housed in the world-renowned Robert Mehrabian College of Engineering, at the center of cutting-edge research and innovation powered by the college’s world-class faculty and students. The MTM program offers a unique opportunity to study business principals and technical skills in an environment not typically seen in traditional business schools.
11. What is the Field Project?
The MTM Field Project is a required consulting project across the winter and spring quarters, giving students the chance to not only gain real-world work experience, but directly apply the skills they learn throughout the program to real-life scenarios almost immediately. A student team works with a faculty mentor and real tech-driven companies located in Santa Barbara or greater California on problems such as market entry, operations, growth, and AI adoption Alongside valuable work experience, the Field Project is a great way to gain exposure to the tech industry network in Santa Barbara and beyond.
12. Which courses stand out?
Build essential AI skills with the program's quarterly AI intensive workshops, while exploring a variety of business + technology courses offered through UCSB's MTM program, including Business Communication, Data & Decision Analytics, Digital Leadership, Digital Marketing, Innovation, Technology Entrepreneurship, , and more. Students interested in starting a company can also enter the New Venture Program & Competition, UCSB's premiere entrepreneurial experience.
Get to know MTM's entire curriculum, and the skills you'll learn in each class here.
13. How much does it cost, and can I earn pay while studying?
For 2026–27, tuition and fees are $62,093 for California residents and $75,224 for international students. To estimate your full cost to attend, including housing, health insurance, and personal expenses, visit the UCSB Office of Financial Aid for a cost of attendance calculator.
Each year, the program awards over $2 million in financial aid. Unlike many other business-focused graduate programs, the MTM program gives students the opportunity for scholarships, TA positions, and on-campus jobs. Many students hold part-time, on-campus employment during MTM. International students are able to work up to 20 hours a week on campus.
14. What are the career outcomes for MTM graduates?
89% of graduates receive job offers within six months of graduating. MTM alumni work at major global tech companies including Amazon, Apple, Google and Meta, a range of mid-sized companies, and smaller tech start-ups. Many grads find employment in the San Francisco Bay Area economy while others contribute to Santa Barbara's own thriving tech industry at companies such as Yardi, AppFolio, CrossnoKaye, and Teledyne FLIR. A dedicated career team features one-on-one personalized career coaching and a network-first job search. The MTM alumni network has 350+ members, many of which continue to stay involved and give back to the program by sharing their industry expertise, job postings, and mentorship during field projects.
15. Who teaches in the program?
Learn business skills and how to lead technological innovation with the MTM program's world-class faculty, who have taught at institutions such as Harvard Business School, Imperial College London, NYU Stern School of Management, Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management, and more. Faculty include Department Chair Dr. Paul Leonardi, whose research centers how implementing new technologies and harnessing the power of informal social networks helps companies create innovative products and services; Dr. Christine Beckman, who has published over 20 articles in peer-reviewed journals and is known for her research on entrepreneurship, organizational learning, gender inequality, technology and innovation, and interorganizational networks; Dr. Nelson Phillips, who serves on the editorial boards of the Academy of Management Journal, the Academy of Management Perspectives, and Research in the Sociology of Organizations; and Dr. Mary Tripsas, a leading management scholar whose research and teaching focus on technological innovation and entrepreneurship.
Meet the faculty of UCSB MTM here.