Full-Time Online MBA Programs
A master of business administration (MBA) degree is designed for aspiring and working professionals who wish to gain a better understanding of business functions and leadership. Students interested in earning an MBA would be wise to consider whether they would like to enroll in a general MBA degree program or one that allows a specialty area of focus. Common examples of the latter include an MBA in consultancy, finance, information technology, and information management.
Most full-time MBA programs take an average of two years to complete, and more schools than ever before offer the option to complete the entire degree online.
An MBA is a significant investment but graduates more often than not get an excellent return on their investment. Online MBA graduates have an average salary rise of about 30 percent and can expect to almost double their salaries within three years of their degree, according to The Financial Times.
Outside of the opportunity for increased pay and job promotions, earning an MBA also introduces students to a broad learning community as they become part of a thriving alumni network. For some business professionals and students, the personal satisfaction that comes with earning a graduate degree is the most critical aspect of all.
Read on to discover eight online MBA programs which can be completed full-time, including information about coursework and tuition.
Professors to Know in Full-Time MBA Programs
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Sara Adams, Southern Oregon University
Sara Adams is an accounting instructor at Southern Oregon University. She earned her master's degree in taxation at Golden Gate University and her bachelor's degree in public accounting from Southern Oregon University. Previously, Adams worked full-time as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) before making a career change to teaching at her alma mater in 2013. She made this career change because her undergraduate accounting professors positively impacted her career and she wants to have the same impact on current students. She still works part-time as a CPA and has experience in multiple industries, including banking, construction, healthcare, and manufacturing.
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Lisa Burke-Smalley, PhD, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Dr. Burke-Smalley is a Guerry professor of business management and human resources. She earned her doctoral degree in organizational behavior and human resources from Indiana State University. She also received her bachelor's degree in public sector management with a business minor from the same college. Some of Dr. Burke-Smalley’s career highlights include obtaining the Guerry Professorship in 2017, being inducted into the University of Tennessee Council of Scholars, and establishing a scholarship in her name from the Society for Human Resource Management. Dr. Burke-Smalley feels that the most pressing concerns for today’s HR professionals include regulatory compliance, technology integration, and efficient sourcing. Students of Dr. Burke-Smalley will benefit from her many years of experience as they learn how to create their unique solutions to these and other career challenges.
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Benjamin Shao, PhD, Arizona State University
Dr. Shao teaches information systems at the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. He earned his doctoral degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 2000, and his master's and bachelor's degrees at National Chiao University in Taiwan in 1991 and 1989 respectively. He has many areas of interest, including business analytics, healthcare IT, ICT services, the impact of information technology, IS security, IT supply chain interface, and software project management. Dr. Shao has received numerous teaching awards, including the Outstanding Teaching Award for the Department of Information Systems Master’s Programs, and his work has been included in multiple high-level publications. He served as senior and associate editor for Decision Support Systems and Journal for the Association for Information Systems.
Featured Full-Time MBA Online Degree Programs
Prospective MBA candidates have many things to consider before they choose the school in which they wish to enroll. Below are prominent features and critical information for eight full-time online MBA degree programs.
"Where business is personal," the registered slogan of W.P. Carey School of Business, highlights the school’s close-knit learning community, individualized attention, small class size, and team-based learning. The online MBA degree program offers students eight unique experiences, including traditional courses, internships, and executive connections, to bring about the process of self-transformation. Some of the classes students can expect to complete in this program include financial performance reporting and analysis, organizational theory, and managerial finance. Students looking to specialize can consider enrolling in one of these full-time online MBA concentrations: business analytics, entrepreneurship, finance, health care management, information management, marketing, sports business, or supply chain management.
| Location: Tempe, Arizona |
| Accreditation: Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) |
| Tuition: $58,400 for residents of Arizona or $98,800 for international students and residents of other states |
| Program length: 21 months |
Each of the eight profiled schools has a lot to offer someone seeking to complete their MBA online while working and meeting other responsibilities. Students should contact all schools that they are considering directly to get additional information for comparative purposes.
Founded in 1920, the Martin J. Whitman School of Management was just the 16th business school in the United States to receive accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). The Financial Times ranked it #11 Best Online MBA in the world and The Military Times ranked the program #5 Best Business School for Veterans. Online MBA students will complete 36 core business credits, 15 specialty-focus credits, and three credits of U.S. and global residencies. Typical core courses include accounting, data analysis, economics, finance, and organizational leadership. Specialization options include accounting, business analytics, entrepreneurship, finance, marketing management, and supply chain management.
| Location: Syracuse, New York |
| Accreditation: Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) |
| Tuition: $9,000 per 12-week quarter |
| Program length: Two years |
This program offers four MBA concentrations, including accounting, business analytics, general, and marketing. The accounting concentration provides students with the necessary skills for a career as an accounting consultant, budget analyst, corporate accountant, senior auditor, or Chief Financial Officer. In the business analytics concentration, the curriculum includes business analysis modeling, dashboard development and design, and data storytelling. The general track provides broad knowledge in significant practices and functions of a business such as accounting, finance, marketing, operations management, and organizational behavior. Finally, the marketing concentration exposes students to a variety of marketing practices to prepare them for a role as a brand manager, marketing manager, market research analyst, media planner, or sales manager.
| Location: Ashland, Oregon |
| Accreditation:Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) |
| Tuition: $18,945 |
| Program length:16 months |
When students enroll in the full-time online MBA program at Graziadio School of Business and Management, they can choose from one of four elective concentrations. These include finance, general management, leadership and managing organizational change, and marketing. The online MBA program is designed for working professionals and offers a collaborative, experience-driven, and values-centered program. Typical examples of coursework include accounting, human behavior, law, and quantitative analysis. The program takes a global perspective and addresses issues such as competition, ethics in the workplace, and the impact of globalization. The U.S. News and World Report ranks the online MBA program at Pepperdine University in the Top 25 for 2017.
| Location: Malibu, California |
| Accreditation: Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) |
| Tuition: $89,180 |
| Program length: Six trimesters for the general track, seven trimesters for the finance, leadership, and marketing concentrations |
This 30-credit MBA program arms students with the skills and knowledge they need to advance in a corporate environment. Students can also choose a 42-credit program with a specialization in accounting, business analytics, cybersecurity, finance, information and technology management, or global business. The generalist program requires the completion of ten courses while each of the specialty programs requires students to complete 14 courses as well as a capstone project. Some of the classes students can expect to take regardless of specialty area include accounting for managers, business analytics, global strategy, managerial finance, and managing complex organizations.
| Location: Dallas, Texas |
| Accreditation: Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) |
| Tuition: $1,250 per credit-hour |
| Program length: 24 to 30 months |
The Warrington College of Business was one of the first business colleges in the country to offer an entirely online MBA degree in 1999. It is also regarded as one of the world's best programs by The Financial Times—ranked #7 Best Online MBA Program—and U.S. News & World Report—ranked #6 Best Online MBA. Each three-credit course takes five weeks to complete, and the school has divided the 48-credit degree program into three modules that relate to the same topic and run concurrently. For example, one block of classes includes managerial accounting, introduction to managerial statistics, and economics of business decisions for a total of three modules. Potential elective courses include art and negotiation, business plan formation, and introduction to real estate.
| Location: Gainesville, Florida |
| Accreditation: Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) |
| Tuition: $1,255 per credit |
| Program length: Two years |
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has earned recognition from several publications, including #1 Best Value and #15 for Best Online MBA from The Financial Times, and #17 Top Online MBA Programs by Poets & Quants in 2018. Some of the first courses students will complete in this program include an introduction to business strategy, financial accounting, and managerial accounting, while toward the end of the program, courses include supply chain management strategies, strategic human resource development, and strategic management and business policy. The entire program runs 48 credit-hours.
| Location: Lincoln, Nebraska |
| Accreditation: Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) |
| Tuition: $387.50 per credit-hour for residents of Nebraska or $1,180.25 for non-residents |
| Program length: 18 months |
Students can choose general studies or a specialization in this program. Concentration tracks include business analytics and healthcare administration. All programs require students to complete seven core courses as well as a capstone project. The core curriculum includes accounting, decision analysis, economics and entrepreneurship, finance, information systems, and organizational behavior. The school emphasizes leadership, public service, strong community involvement, and applied research for all students. In the business analytics concentration, students can expect a focus on data warehouses and databases as well as different forms of analytics. The healthcare administration concentration teaches students critical decision-making skills that enable them to influence future healthcare policy.
| Location: Chattanooga, Tennessee |
| Accreditation: Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) |
| Tuition: $2,412 per three-credit course |
| Program length: Two years |