The 10 Best Online MBA Programs
Students who complete an online MBA program rightly expect to increase their career options and earning potential. Graduates are able to use the experience, skills and networks gained during their MBA program to advance their careers, even in a tight job market. The practical business expertise that an MBA brings especially helps individuals looking to move up the career ladder at their current organization.According to the Harvard Business Review, a majority of MBA alumni find their degree professionally rewarding and, knowing what they know now, they would still pursue the degree.
What is an MBA?
An MBA provides a graduate education in foundational business practices. MBA programs typically include a strong business foundation in accounting, finance and management as well as advanced courses in business communications, marketing strategy, operations management, and quantitative analysis.Online MBA programs often feature group projects and case studies, allowing students to collaborate with others from varied backgrounds, giving them inspiration, ideas and a network to shape their future careers. Master of Business Administration programs focus on helping students hone their leadership, communication and analytical skills and applying them to the global business world. MBA programs often allow students to tailor the degree to their personal and professional goals with concentrations in a variety of areas such as entrepreneurship, marketing, supply chain management and health care administration.
MBA programs prepare graduates to take on new responsibilities, transition to management roles or pursue an entrepreneurial route. MBA graduates pursue careers as financial managers, market research analysts, logisticians and distribution managers. Graduates who seek careers as college professors also can further their education with doctoral studies in a business-related field.
MBA salaries
According to the 2015/16 QS TopMBA.com Jobs & Salary Trends Report, employees with an MBA degree in the United States have an average salary of $103,300 and an average bonus of $22,400.† The survey targeted individuals with responsibility for MBA recruiting for their company. Based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, workers in fields such as commodities, securities and financial services sales agents who also hold a master’s degree earn a wage nearly ninety percent higher than workers with a bachelor’s degree.
Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB) accreditation
The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International accredits business schools, providing graduate and undergraduate business programs. The association also accredits accounting programs. AACSB International accredited schools have received a positive evaluation of their mission, operation, programs, faculty qualifications and contributions and in other important areas.AACSB International accreditation is the most recognized form of specialized/professional accreditation an institution and its business programs can obtain.
Online MBA program ranking guidelines:
We selected the degree programs based on the quality of the program, types of courses provided, faculty strength as well as school awards, rankings, and reputation, including reputation for quality online programs. This ranking uses the same methodology as our well regarded ranking of the best online colleges, only applied specifically to MBA programs.
The Best Online MBA Degree Programs
1 University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Kenan-Flagler Business School(Chapel Hill, North Carolina)
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a public, co-educational research university established in 1789, enrolls more than 29,000 students from around the world. Among the oldest public universities in the nation, UNC Chapel Hill offers more than 250 programs leading to a variety of bachelor, master and doctoral degrees.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill offers an online MBA through its Kenan-Flagler Business School. The degree program helps students develop strong foundational business knowledge, while tailoring their degree to their personal and professional goals through a host of elective courses. The program also prepares graduates to network face-to-face with business leaders and to lead organizations.
Applicants with less than seven years of professional full-time work experience must submit GMAT or GRE scores. The online MBA program features weekly online classes in a cohort-based format with four start dates each year. The same professors teach the online and on-campus courses.
Online MBA students can choose from seven concentrations — Entrepreneurship, Corporate Finance, Marketing, Global Supply Chain Management, Sustainable Enterprise, Investment Management and Management Consulting.
All students must attend at least two Global Immersions during the program. They can choose an international or domestic location.
Students can complete the sixty-six-credit online MBA program in eighteen to thirty-six months. Courses include:
Analytical Tools
Business Communication
Business Strategy
Developing Management and Leadership Skills
Economics
Financial Accounting
Introductory Finance
Marketing Strategy
Accreditation:
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is regionally accredited by The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACS).
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School is accredited by The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB).
2 Indiana University, Kelley School of Business(Bloomington and Indianapolis, Indiana)
Indiana University, a multi-campus public university system established in 1820, enrolls more than 110,000 students across two core campuses – Bloomington and Indianapolis, seven smaller campuses and two extension centers. The university system offers more than nine hundred majors and programs leading to a host of undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees as well as professional degrees in medicine, dentistry and law.
Among Indiana University’s degree options is an online MBA, offered through its Kelley School of Business. Through technology-mediated global teamwork, students gain a deeper understanding of the global nature of business. The online MBA curriculum includes study in business law and ethics, operations, project management and information technology.
The fifty-one-credit-hour MBA online program includes the following courses:
Economics
Business Planning and project Management
Strategic Marketing Management
Global Business
The US in Global Economy
Topics in Directed Business Integration
Quantitative Analysis
Information Technology
Students also must complete an Integrative Team Capstone course. The flexible online program features discussion forums and web-based meetings. Students can earn their degree in two to five years. Online MBA students can earn a dual online Master of Science degree in a host of topics with about twelve additional credit hours.
Students can take part in the Washington Campus program to learn how to navigate governmental policy or study abroad through the AGILE – Accelerating Global Immersion Leadership Education program.
Students must attend two Kelley Connect Weeks on the Bloomington campus – one at the beginning of the program and the other at the beginning of their second year.
Applicants must submit GMAT or GRE scores.
Accreditation:
Indiana University is regionally accredited by The Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business is accredited by The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB).
3 University of Maryland, Robert H. Smith School of Business(College Park, Maryland)
The University of Maryland, College Park, a public land-grant, space-grant, sea-grant, research university founded in 1856, enrolls more than thirty-seven thousand students. The flagship of the University System of Maryland, the university offers more than 220 programs leading to a host of undergraduate and graduate degrees.
The University of Maryland, College Park, offers an online MBA through its Robert H. Smith School of Business. The program helps students develop high-level analytical and communication skills, explore financial and ethical challenges of doing business in the global marketplace, and gain expertise in marketing, accounting, finance, information systems and management. The program prepares graduates for careers in local, regional or international enterprise.
Students can complete the program in as little as twenty-one months. Students can choose from four specializations — Information Systems and Business Analytics, Finance, Marketing, or Accounting — or pursue the general track. The online program features mostly asynchronous coursework with some live online classes. The MBA online program includes the following courses:
Managerial Accounting
Data Models and Decisions
Leadership and Human Capital
The Global Economic Environment
Operations Management
Entrepreneurship
Applicants must submit GMAT or GRE scores, and students must complete a three-day on-campus experience at the start of the program as well as a Capstone Business Experience.
Accreditation:
The University of Maryland, College Park is regionally accredited by The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE).
The University of Maryland, College Park’s Robert H. Smith School of Business is accredited by The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB).
4 Arizona State University, W.P. Carey School of Business, ASU Online(Phoenix, Arizona)
Arizona State University, a public, metropolitan, research university founded in 1885, enrolls about eighty-three thousand students across five campuses and online. Among the largest public universities in the nation, ASU offers more than 350 programs leading to a host of undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees, such as those in engineering, education, law and nursing.
Arizona State University offers an online Master of Business Administration degree through its W.P. Carey School of Business and ASU Online. Designed for career professionals who need convenience and flexibility, the online degree program features a comprehensive business curriculum. With areas of emphasis, students also can customize the degree program to meet their personal and professional goals.
The Carey School of Business offers two starts dates each year. Students must attend an on-campus orientation before the start of the program. Students take one five-week course at a time. Online MBA students choose from concentrations in Finance, Marketing, International Business, and Supply Chain Management. ASU also allows MBA students to combine the degree with an online master’s degree in legal studies, industrial engineering, or electrical engineering. The university’s online courses feature the same faculty and the same curriculum as its traditional on-campus courses. The online MBA program includes the following courses:
Statistics for Managers
Managerial Accounting
Financial Accounting
Managerial Finance
Organizational Theory and Behavior
Operations and Supply Chain Management
Marketing Management
Online students have access to a host of services such as technical support, career resources and MBA Ambassadors. Arizona State University’s W.P. Carey School of Business requires applicants to submit GMAT or GRE scores.
Accreditation:
Arizona State University is regionally accredited by The Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
Arizona State University’s W.P. Carey School of Business is accredited by The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB).
5 Penn State World Campus(State College, Pennsylvania)
Penn State World Campus, launched in 1998 as the online campus of The Pennsylvania State University, a land-grant, space-grant, sun-grant and sea-grant university founded in 1855. Penn State World Campus offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs as well as certificate programs.
Penn State World Campus offers an online MBA, an intercollegiate degree through four of Penn State’s business schools – The Black School of Business, the Smeal College of Business, the School of Graduate Professional Studies and the School of Business Administration.
The degree program focuses on business themes such as process management, strategic planning, customers and markets, information analysis and leadership. Students work in virtual teams, allowing them to gain insight from their classmates’ experiences as well as how high-performance organizations function. The program also helps students develop strong communication, problem-solving and analytical skills.
Courses feature weekly assignments, and students complete the cohort-based program in two years. Online MBA students must complete two residencies – a one-week study at a prominent U.S. firm and a team business simulation at Penn State University Park. After the second residency, students can walk at commencement.
The forty-eight-credit online MBA program includes the following courses:
Markets, Industry Analysis, and Business Strategy
Accounting for External Reporting
Financial and Accounting Tools
Data Analysis Resource Module
Corporate Governance
Accounting for Internal Decision Making
Corporate Innovative Strategies
Strategic Financial Decisions
The same faculty create and deliver the university’s online and on-campus courses. Penn State World Campus students receive the same degree as students on the University Park campus. Online students have access to a program adviser, career services and library resources.
Penn State World Campus requires applicants to submit GMAT or GRE scores.
Accreditation:
Penn State World Campus is regionally accredited by The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE).
The Penn State World Campus online MBA program is accredited by The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB).
6 Temple University, Fox School of Business(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Temple University, a state-related, research-intensive university founded in 1884, enrolls more than 37,000 students worldwide. Temple University offers more than 400 academic programs leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees such as those in business, education, law, podiatry and architecture.
Temple University’s Fox School of Business’ online MBA features a collaborative and integrated curriculum with the same rigorous content as the traditional on-campus program. Designed for professionals, the online program prepares students to solve real-world business problems. The program also allows students to share professional and personal experiences as they pertain to businesses practices.
Courses include on-demand video content, asynchronous study tools and weekly live class sessions. Students take one four-week course at a time and can complete the forty-eight-credit program in twenty months to six years. The program begins with a week-long residency at the university’s main campus and ends with an immersive capstone experience. The online Master of Business Administration program includes courses such as:
Operations Management
Legal and Ethical Foundations in Business
Marketing Management & Strategy
Financial Analysis & Strategy
Healthcare Economics, Finance & Payments
Product Management
Global Business Strategy
Industrial Organizations in Business
Students also choose from concentrations in Marketing Management or Human Resource Management.
Applicants must submit GMAT or GRE scores.
Accreditation:
Temple University is regionally accredited by The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE).
Temple University’s Fox School of Business is accredited by The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB).
7 University of Florida, Warrington College of Business, Hough Graduate School of Business(Gainesville, Florida)
The University of Florida, a public, space-grant, land-grant and sea-grant research university founded in 1853, enrolls more than 49,000 students. A member of the State University System of Florida, the University of Florida offers hundreds of programs leading to a host of undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and professional degrees as well as certificate programs.
Offered through the Warrington College of Business and Hough Graduate School of Business, the University of Florida’s online MBA program helps students develop strong critical-thinking, communication and decision-making skills. Students also learn to apply core business principles to evaluate problems and implement business solutions. The MBA online program also prepares graduates to use appropriate leadership styles and skills to collaborate with others and effectively structure team work.
The University of Florida offers two online MBA options – a twenty-seven-month option for students who hold an undergraduate degree in any major or undergraduate business majors who have more than seven years work experience or an accelerated sixteen-month option for students who hold undergraduate business degrees and graduated within the last seven years.
Students must complete forty-eight credits in the two-year program and thirty-two credits in the accelerated program. Students in either program choose from four focus areas — Finance, Entrepreneurship, International and Marketing. With asynchronous online lectures, students can view coursework on their schedule. The online MBA program includes courses such as:
Entrepreneurial Marketing
Corporate Finance
Global Strategic Management
Entrepreneurship & Venture Finance
International Finance
International Logistics
Product Development and Management
Business to Business Marketing
Students enter the program as a cohort. The program requires an on-campus orientation and weekend residencies every four months.
Applicants must have two years of full-time, professional work experience. Applicants also must submit GMAT scores or GRE scores.
Accreditation:
The University of Florida is regionally accredited by The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACS).
The University of Florida’s Warrington College of Business is accredited by The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB).
8 The George Washington University, GW School of Business(Washington, District of Columbia)
The George Washington University, a private, co-educational research university founded in 1821, enrolls more than 21,000 students and boasts more than 270,000 alumni worldwide. Through ten colleges and schools, the university offers thousands of course options leading to a host of undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees as well as certificate programs.
Among the George Washington University’s degree options is an online MBA, offered through its GW School of Business. The program helps students develop global awareness as well as problem-solving, critical-thinking, leadership and communication skills. GW School of Business students gain insight to the inner workings of institutions with access to relationships with State and Treasury departments, and the World Bank.
The distance-learning MBA students can participate in an optional four-day residency course in Washington DC, class projects, live learning opportunities, digital course materials, and co-curricular experiences. The school also offers monthly online career development and digital networking sessions to connect with students and alumni worldwide.
The same faculty teach the online and on-campus courses. Students choose from three start dates each year. The School of Business offers online MBA courses in fourteen-week semesters; most students take two classes per module. The 55.5-credit online MBA program includes lectures, group activities and case discussions. Students also can target the degree to their personal and professional goals through adding up to two concentrations, including: Consulting, Global Management, Project Management, Finance, Information Systems and Technology Management, or Government Contracts.
Applicants must submit GMAT or GRE scores.
Accreditation:
The George Washington University is regionally accredited by The Middle States Commission of Higher Education (MSCHE).
The George Washington University’s GW School of Business is accredited by The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB).
9 North Carolina State University, Poole College of Management(Raleigh, North Carolina)
North Carolina State University, a public, co-educational, land-grant, sea-grant and space-grant research university founded in 1887, offers more than 270 programs leading to a host of bachelor, master and doctoral degrees as well as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. Part of the University of North Carolina system, North Carolina State University is among the largest universities in the state with more than 34,000 students enrolled.
Offered through the Poole College of Management, North Carolina State University’s professional online MBA features an integrated core curriculum focused on business process, technology and practical applications. Through relationships with the corporate community, experiential education, coaching and resources, graduates gain skills, and experience to enter the marketplace.
The college offers two start dates each year. Students choose from an Accelerated or Flexible program and graduate intwenty-one months to six years. The same faculty teach the university’s online and traditional on-campus courses. Online students have access to the same resources such as career services and technical support as do traditional on-campus students. Online students must attend a virtual orientation and a three-day residency on the university’s main campus.
Courses follow a mostly asynchronous format but do include team-based projects and virtual simulations. The 39-credit-hour Professional online MBA includes the following courses:
Marketing Management and Strategy
Survey of Accounting
Critical Analytical Thinking
Managerial Finance
Statistics
Managing People
The school also offers online MBA students several areas of emphasis — BioSciences Management, Financial Management, Marketing Management, Innovation Management, Entrepreneurship & Technology Commercialization, and Supply Chain Management. Online students can opt to attend an International Residency, a seven-day to eight-day study abroad trip.
Applicants must submit GMAT or GRE test scores.
Accreditation:
North Carolina State University is regionally accredited by The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACS).
North Carolina State University’s Poole College of Management is accredited by The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB).
10 The University of Texas at Dallas, Naveen Jindal School of Management(Richardson, Texas)
The University of Texas at Dallas, a public research university founded in 1961, enrolls more than 25,500 students. Part of the University of Texas System, the University of Texas at Dallas offers more than 130 programs leading to baccalaureate, master and doctoral degrees as well as more than two dozen certificate programs.
The University of Texas at Dallas offers an online Professional MBA through its Naveen Jindal School of Management. Designed for working professionals, the degree program helps students develop strong analytical problem-solving skills as well as team-oriented approaches to business problems.
The university offers three start dates each year for the online MBA program. Most students complete the program on a part-time basis and take two courses each semester. The fifty-three-semester-hour program consists of twenty-nine core credits and twenty-four elective credits. The online Professional MBA program’s core courses include:
Managerial Accounting
Strategic Management
Introduction to Organization Behavior
Business Economics
Global Economy
Information Technology and MIS Fundamentals
Operations Management
Marketing Management
Students also can complete a concentration in several areas such as accounting, finance, internal audit or supply chain management.
The university requires applicants to submit GMAT or GRE scores.
Source : https://thebestschools.org
