B-School Search
With heavy hitters in the business world like Microsoft, Amazon, Starbucks, Nordstrom, Costco, and Boeing calling Washington home, the state is ripe for business. In fact, Washington is one of the top ten best states for business according to Forbes. Washington also made it onto the top five in the U.S. News and World Report’s 2018 Business Environment Rankings.
One of the reasons for Washington’s high ranking is the omnipresence of venture capital available—an estimated $4.6 billion flowed into the state between 2014 and 2016. What’s more, rising real estate costs in San Francisco have created a ripple effect where tech firms are moving to the Puget Sound area for its cheaper real-estate.
Tech isn’t the only industry that’s booming in Washington. Other significant industries include aerospace, military and defense, maritime, forestry, biotechnology, clean energy, and agriculture. Washington provides 70 percent of the country’s apples and is a leader in milk, potato, and cattle production.
Responding to the need for a flexible way for busy professionals to advance into management, many high-quality accredited universities in Washington offer MBA programs either completely online or in a hybrid on-campus and online format.
Online coursework is perfect for self-motivated students who wish to have control over the exact place, time, and pace for their learning. Most universities boast online programs with the same quality of their on-campus programs and are taught by the same esteemed faculty.
Keep reading to learn more about online MBA programs offered in Washington state and the inspiring faculty teaching in these programs.
Featured Online MBA Programs in Washington
Ranked in the top 5 percent of best online MBA programs by the U.S. News and World Report, WSU offers a 100 percent online MBA designed to help students achieve big-picture goals. Coursework includes strategic formation and organizational design, administrative control, financial management, and business analytics.
Students enrolled in the 36-credit program can choose a general MBA or concentrate in marketing, finance, international business, or hospitality business management. Each concentration is also offered as a nine-credit graduate certificate.
Applicants with seven years of management or more may want to consider the 100 percent online executive MBA, designed to help students develop a C-suite perspective on management. Applicants to the program must submit GMAT or GRE scores. They can qualify for a waiver if they have a graduate degree, five years of work experience and a 3.0 GPA (or higher), a STEM degree with a 3.0 degree, a business degree with a 3.0 GPA, or ten years work experience and a 2.79 GPA.
| Location: Pullman, WA |
| Accreditation: Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International) |
| Format: Online |
| Tuition: $813 per credit |
| Program length: 22 to 29 months |
The online MBA offered by the SU Albers School of Business and Economics prepares graduates to lead from a people-centered perspective using fair and holistic business practices that utilize the power of communication and collaboration. Coursework in the 54-credit program includes building internal and community stakeholder relationships, professional and interpersonal communications, creating value through marketing and operations, and managerial accounting for organizational leadership.
While all coursework is online, the program does require students to travel to Seattle for one on-campus retreat. Applicants must submit GMAT/GRE scores. Test score waivers may be available for those with a master’s in STEM, accounting, or finance and a 3.0 GPA; a terminal degree in any discipline; a qualifying professional certification (e.g., CPA, CFA, CMA); a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a 3.25 GPA; and other combinations of work experience and schooling.
| Location: Seattle, WA |
| Accreditation: AACSB International |
| Format: Online with one on-campus retreat |
| Tuition: $882 per credit |
| Program length: Two-and-a-half years |
Ranked as a top MBA program in Washington by Puget Sound Business, NU offers a relevant, practical, faith-based and schedule-flexible online MBA. Students enrolled in the online MBA program can choose between two concentrations: public safety administration or project management.
Coursework in the 39-credit program includes organizational management, legal and ethical responsibility, intermediate accounting for managers, and business innovation and research. GMAT and GRE scores are not required for students with a 3.2 undergraduate GPA and two years of work experience. Students of all undergraduate backgrounds can apply.
| Location: Kirkland, WA |
| Accreditation: Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) |
| Format: Online |
| Tuition: $780 per credit |
| Program length: Less than two years |
The online WGU College of Business offers affordable MBA tracks designed to help busy professionals advance their careers. The 34-credit general MBA trains students in management, strategy, and leadership of teams. The 35-credit MBA in internet technology management prepares students for higher-level information technology management. The 36-credit MBA in healthcare management helps students lead in private or public healthcare organizations.
Coursework across all of the programs include managing organizations and leading people, ethical leadership, financial management, and marketing. No GRE or GMAT scores are required for admission into any of the MBA programs. Students must have three years of significant experience in business, industry, or a nonprofit organization to apply to WGU.
| Location: Salt Lake City, UT |
| Accreditation: ACBSP |
| Format: Online |
| Tuition: $3,945 per six-month term |
| Program length: 13 to 24 months for the general MBA; six to 18 months for the IT management MBA; 11 to 24 months for the MBA healthcare management |
Hybrid MBA Programs in Washington
For Washington residents who live near a university campus, a hybrid online and on-campus MBA experience can blend the flexibility of online didactic learning with the networking benefits of experiences done on-campus and in-person. With most coursework available online asynchronously, hybrid programs typically have residencies, immersions, or certain courses that are expected to be completed in a face-to-face and real-time format. The University of Washington and the City University of Seattle offer hybrid or mixed-method MBA programs in Washington.
