UC Berkeley will begin enrolling for its first four-year undergraduate business program starting 2024, the university announced Tuesday.
The four-year program will replace the existing two-year program through the Haas School of Business, and was made possible by a $30 million donation from Haas alumnus Warren “Ned” Spieker and his wife Carol Spieker. Ned Spieker is the founder and former CEO of Spieker Properties, one of the largest commercial property owners in the U.S.
In honor of Spieker, the university is naming the four-year program the Spieker Undergraduate Business Program.
In the past, undergraduates would enroll in the business program as sophomores. Starting 2024, students can enroll directly to the Haas Business School as freshmen, which university officials said will “give them an additional two years for deeper learning, including career development, study abroad opportunities, entrepreneurship programs, capstone projects, mentorship engagements and internships.”