This year’s Top Online MBA Programs ranking is constructed using a combination of survey results from both institutions and students. data, including the career outcomes technology infrastructure and academic rigor, as well as cost and affordability, among other things. Learn more about our methodological approach .
Indiana University
“Perennially ranked at the top for online MBA programs,” Indiana University Bloomington Kelly School of Business is “the only top tier program that was affordable and value-adding.” The top-ranked program provides flexible scheduling, “a number of networking opportunities,” and dedicated instructors that “get it.” Professors employ “quality materials,” give “personalized attention,” and can keep students online as active as they would be inside the class. One student said, “The fact that the online faculty are the same professors who teach the in-person MBA courses is a huge plus, as the online program directly mirrors the physical program.” Online MBA students are of the opinion that IU faculty members are “anything less than exceptional.” “There are occasions that I’m overwhelmed by how well-organized my professors are.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The distinctive characteristics of the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill’s Kenan Flagger Business School MBA online program are flexibility, a solid core curriculum, and skilled faculty and students. The curriculum by the school will be “heavily invested in analytical skills” and “also very big on leadership and management.” Students can earn the MBA with a focus on entrepreneurial endeavors, “which is not offered at most schools.” The program’s structure includes both synchronous and non-synchronous materials which “holds students accountable,” because they “reinforces learning” and “makes students to engage with each other.” “What the student learns from the material is on the student.”
University of Southern California
“Convenient, prestigious, and cutting-edge” are just a few of the phrases students use to refer to the on-line MBA program offered by USC’s University of Southern Cal’s Marshall School of Business. The USC’s academic support for its MBA course has been described as “outstanding.” Although most students are enrolled on the internet, it creates the impression which “feels very intimate and catered to the student.” The program has been described as “streamlined, organized, and helpful.” Students in the program online “have never met a more talented group of professors.” They are “incredibly engaged” and make them accessible “to meet or have a phone call at any time to discuss coursework.” They respond quickly on “requests, questions, or concerns,” “provide candid feedback,” and “are flexible with deadlines and scheduling conflicts.”
University of Denver
This Online MBA available through the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business offers “a flexible schedule, reasonable price ,…and a GMAT waiver,” which gives professionals working in the field to complete their degree within just 21 months (with the option of having four beginning dates per year). The 60-credit course is taught on four different areas of study offering an “right balance of independent study and interaction with peers” due to a combination of self-paced online courses, online learning, and interactive activities (which comprises two live in-person, domestic or global immersions). The faculty “are very engaged with their materials and well-connected to the synchronous and asynchronous coursework” and “have been easy to contact and are always willing to help or engage in further discussion if you ask.” The amount of “face-to-face class time is reasonable,” there “are multiple evening times (early evening and later evening) to accommodate those in the Pacific time zone,” as well as the teamwork and participation demands “force you to get out of your comfort zone.”
