Flexible Online MBA Programs
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In today’s business world, a master of business administration (MBA) degree can prove a valuable tool to help professionals advance into executive, leadership, or managerial roles. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,many top executives often have an MBA. Because of the knowledge and enterprising skills students earn in an MBA program, commiting to earning an MBA can be time-consuming. The traditional on-campus, full-time MBA program requiring students to attend a classroom at set times during business hours may be a commitment impossible for the working professional, or an unattractive option for those who understand the importance of continuing to cultivate real-world experience. Fortunately, flexible MBA programs are making it so that working professionals hoping to advance professionally need not sacrifice their current occupation in order to advance their career.
Flexible MBA programs are designed and scheduled specifically to fit around the life a student has already built. According to an article in New Jersey Business (March 2017), the range of options provided by flexible MBAs include evening and online courses; alternate admissions deadlines; and the capacity to complete coursework one class at a time instead of having to complete multiple courses simultaneously. In addition, flexible MBA programs are not a rare occurrence, and high-quality institutions across the country are beginning to translate on-campus MBA programs into more flexible MBA offerings. This translation often means that students can choose to pursue 100 percent online degrees, as well as hybrid degrees that combine on-campus and online requirements Additionally, out-of-state students can enroll in reputable programs without relocating.
Flexible MBA programs provide a variety of delivery options based on individual learning styles. Asynchronous, fully online programs are appropriate for students with advanced time management skills whose main priority is the capacity to learn completely on their own schedule. Hybrid programs or synchronous online flexible MBA programs have more rigid schedules and students are required to log in at a certain times or visit campus for certain courses. In flexible MBA programs, these requirements are often built so that these times are during non-business or weekend hours. Hybrid or synchronous programs may be best-suited to the student who does their best learning through interpersonal interaction and excel with more frequent deadlines.
Anyone who doesn’t want to fully sacrifice the life they’ve built to gain the knowledge necessary to advance their business career can consider a flexible online MBA program. The following highlights eight outstanding flexible MBA programs across the country, as well as highly-respected educators teaching classes at these institutions.
Featured Online Flexible MBA Programs
Fortunately for aspiring students, a number of reputable institutions currently offer online flexible MBA programs, including the following:
The W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University was ranked among the best business graduate schools in the country in 2018 by U.S. News & World Report. The flexible MBA program offered by ASU allows students the choice to study in a hybrid format, or to take classes entirely online. The MBA can be completed in as few as 21 months, but students have the freedom to earn the degree more slowly in order to accommodate their own professional schedules. Course offerings include organizational theory and behavior, managerial economics, managerial finance, global business environment, and strategic management. While all coursework can be completed online, every student is required to visit campus at the start of the program for a mandatory orientation session with their classmates.
| Location: Tempe, AZ |
| Accreditation: AACSB |
| Expected Time to Completion: 21 months or more |
| Estimated Tuition: $56,400 |
The Carey Business School at Johns Hopkins University offers an online flexible MBA program through one of the most respected academic institutions in the world. This 54-credit-hour program takes an average of 2.5 years to complete, and allows students to focus on different concentrations, including financial businesses, healthcare management, and leading organizations, among others. Most of the courses are delivered asynchronously, although some do involve real-time learning activities. While much of the coursework is delivered online, students in certain concentrations will be required to attend an in-person residency at the Baltimore campus in order to complete their degree, lasting between 1.5 and three days.
| Location: Washington DC |
| Accreditation: AACSB |
| Expected Time to Completion: 2.5 years |
| Estimated Tuition: $71,820 |
Established in 2017, the McColl School of Business at the Queens University of Charlotte is now offering students the opportunity to complete an online flexible MBA. Most of this accredited program can be completed entirely online, although students are required to visit the campus for two different residencies, one at the beginning of the program and one at the midpoint. Students must complete between 36 and 39 credits, depending on whether or not they choose a specific track of study. Available areas of concentration include leadership and change, healthcare management, finance, and executive coaching. This online flexible MBA program can be completed in just 24 months.
| Location: Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Accreditation: AACSB |
| Expected Time to Completion: 24 months |
| Estimated Tuition: $43,905 for students with a concentration |
The Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University offers an online flexible MBA program that was ranked second in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Throughout the program, students are required to attend access weekends between each mini-semester, where they can connect with faculty, classmates, and alumni. Outside of this requirement, courses can be completed online, in both a synchronous and asynchronous format. The program generally takes three years to finish for online, part-time students, and includes courses on subjects such as probability and statistics, managing people and teams, managerial economics, and leadership and communication coaching.
| Location: Pittsburgh, PA |
| Accreditation: AACSB |
| Expected Time to Completion: Two-to-six years |
| Estimated Tuition: $38,700 |
The UCLA Anderson School of Managementoffers an online flexible MBA program that can be completed in as few as 27 months, but that many students complete three years in order to accommodate their professional schedule. While much of the coursework can be completed online, this 80-credit-hour program is actually more of a hybrid option as on-campus participation is required throughout much of the experience. Assignments are delivered both in person and online, and students will be required to attend both a core course at the beginning of the program and a global access capstone project, as well. Students must complete 44 core classes and 36 elective courses in order to complete the degree.
| Location: Los Angeles, CA |
| Accreditation:AACSB |
| Expected Time to Completion: 27 months or more |
| Estimated Tuition: $40,530 per year (up to $121,590 for three years) |
University of Massachusetts Amherst Isenberg School of Management
Arizona State University, W.P. Carey School of Business At the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst, students are able to complete an online flexible MBA program with a focus in one of six different areas of study, including business analytics, entrepreneurship, finance, healthcare administration, marketing, and sports management. The program can be completed 100 percent online, meaning students are never required to set foot on campus in order to complete their degree. In addition, this program was ranked the best part-time MBA program in Massachusetts and 12th in the nation in 2017 byU.S. New & World Report. The program requires students to take 39 credits of core courses and various electives within their chosen specialty.
| Location: Amherst, MA |
| Accreditation: AACSB |
| Expected Time to Completion: Up to five years, although it can be completed in less time |
| Estimated Tuition: $35,100 |
University of Utah David Eccles School of Business
Students at the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah are able to participate in an online flexible MBA that was ranked 14th in the world in 2017 by the Princeton Review. Students can finish in 24 months by taking two classes at a time, and can complete all coursework at a distance. If desired, students also have the opportunity to study in a hybrid format by taking some classes online and on-campus. All online students are required to participate in a three day on-campus residency at the beginning of the first year. In this program, online MBA students are also given the opportunity to pursue an additional graduate certificate in information systems, or earn a dual degree MBA/MS in information systems.
| Location: Salt Lake City, UT |
| Accreditation: AACSB |
| Expected Time to Completion: 24 months |
| Estimated Tuition: $58,800 |
Professors to Know in Online Flexible MBA Programs
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Carla Hayn, PhD
Dr. Carla Hayn is a professor of accounting at the UCLA Anderson School of Management, where she also serves as the senior associate dean and the director of the executive MBA and global executive MBA programs, as well as the faculty director of the international Initiatives. Dr. Hayn also works as the faculty co-director of the corporate governance program as part of the school’s executive education, which is aimed at educating and updating directors of public and private companies’ boards. Her research focuses on financial reporting and disclosures, the effect of accounting numbers on stock prices, forecasts of analysts, the economic consequences of tax reporting and taxes, mergers and acquisitions, and the information content of accounting information
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Kathryn Barraclough, PhD
Dr. Kathryn Barraclough is a distinguished service professor of finance within the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University, where she also serves as the head of the MBA program. She has a wide array of authorship credits to her name, including in publications such as the Journal of Finance, the Journal of Financial Markets, and ?the Journal of Investment Management. As of this writing, Dr. Barraclough has two working articles currently underway on the subjects of treasury stock, as well as PIPEs and firm performance.
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Agha Iqbal Ali, PhD
Dr. Agha Iqbal Ali is a professor of operations and information management at the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst, where he also serves as the department chair. Dr. Ali’s areas of research include data analytics and performance evaluation, supply chain management, applications of mathematical programming models, design and implementation of mathematical programming algorithms, combinatorial and network optimization, and data envelopment analysis. His work has also been featured in an array of peer-reviewed publications, including the European Journal of Operational Research and Empirica.