The Graduate School of the Ateneo de Manila was first established in 1948, with Master of Arts programs in Education and English as its initial offerings. Over time, other fields of study were introduced, among them Sociology, Economics, Philosophy, and Business Administration.

As its offerings grew in size and complexity, the Graduate School eventually found it necessary to split into two separate entities, and in 1960 the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and the Graduate School of Economics and Business Administration were born.

The Graduate School of Economics and Business Administration initially offered only two part-time evening programs: a Master of Arts in Economics, and a Master in Business Administration. A full-time MBA was added to its program portfolio in 1964. Two years later, the Master of Arts in Economics was transferred to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and the school was reorganized into the present-day Ateneo Graduate School of Business, or AGSB.

The 1990s was a period of rapid growth and revitalization for AGSB. The period was characterized by the introduction of many innovative new degree as well as non-degree programs, and a boom in student enrollment.

Many new non-degree programs were launched, including the award-winning Leaders for Health program. Under the Leaders for Health Program, the degree of Master in Community Health Management was developed and granted to participating doctors.

In 1998, the Ateneo Professional Schools, made up of AGSB and the Ateneo Law School, moved to its new state-of-the-art campus at the Rockwell Center, in Makati City. The Ateneo-Regis MBA program was launched that same year, in partnership with Regis University (Denver, Colorado), a pioneer and leader in adult and workplace-based learning.

In 2021, AGSB renewed the School’s Vision and Mission, to commit to developing responsible business leaders in the Jesuit tradition of excellence in service to others.