We Believe in the Power of Rigorous Discovery
We experiment and test business ideas from every angle. Our programs are intensely hands-on, innovation-focused, and inspired by the cutting-edge research of our faculty.
We use analytical tools to solve business problems, whether in management, strategy, or product development and marketing. We’ll take your quantitative and analytical skills to a new level, so you’ll become a leader with a better kind of business brain—ready to create the essential bridges between science, data, and innovation.
History of Rady
Founded in 2003, the Rady School of Management was created as a shared vision by local science and technology leaders with the goal of enhancing the vitality of the strong regional economy.
The Rady School was named after local businessman Ernest Rady thanks to a generous $100 million gift. Rady has been deeply involved in the San Diego community since moving to the city with his family in 1966. He is a member of UC San Diego’s Chancellor’s Associates; serves as a trustee of the Salk Institute for Biological Sciences and the Scripps Foundation for Medicine and Science; and is past chairman of the Children’s Hospital and Health Center of San Diego.
The Rady School’s first dean, Robert S. Sullivan, served for 16 years and recruited top-tier faculty from universities such as MIT, Princeton, Stanford and Yale, in addition to helping fund Rady through his leadership in generating strong philanthropic support.
Since 2019, Lisa Ordóñez, the first Latina dean at UC San Diego, has made her mark at Rady by creating successful new degree programs, formulating a visionary strategic plan for Rady’s future, hiring high-caliber faculty and appointing several endowed chairs.
As part of the prestigious UC San Diego campus, the Rady School is surrounded by premier research institutions, accelerators and other top-ranked schools of excellence.
The key to UC San Diego's successful development of innovative undergraduate, graduate, Ph.D., and executive education programs is the unique, collaborative environment cultivated by the region's top technology companies, research institutes and universities in the region. San Diego is home to more than 500 biomedical companies, over 1,400 software and computer services companies and is considered the high-tech capital of Southern California.
Rady students enjoy vibrant collaborations with other esteemed UC San Diego schools and institutions, including the Jacobs School of Engineering and the Scripps Institute of Oceanography. Joint projects include the Scripps-Rady Ocean Plastic Pollution Challenge, a six-month accelerator program focused on identifying effective ways to curb the flow of plastic into the ocean, with a focus on marine conservation and coastline preservation.
The Rady School is committed to attracting, welcoming and engaging all local and international populations. The San Diego community gains from the intellectual stimulation, cultural enrichment, social commitment and global understanding of diverse populations.
Learn more about Rady's five-year strategic plan