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UNC's Online MBA, MBA@UNC Graduates First Class: MBA News

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By Pavel Kantorek Updated Apr 30, 2016
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UNC's Online MBA, MBA@UNC Graduates First Class: MBA News main image

The University of North Carolina's Kenan-Flagler Business School graduated its first class from the MBA@UNC program on Saturday.

When it was launched, the MBA@UNC program was widely considered to have been a trendsetter in the online MBA space, with the school's standing as a top business school, higher tuition fees than other online MBA offerings at the time, and its strict on-campus requirements.

Saturday saw 18 of the UNC online MBA students graduate, 17 of which commenced the MBA@UNC program at the time of launch in July 2011.

“We are extremely proud of the members of the inaugural class, who have been both pioneers and our partners in shaping the future of global business education,” said Doug Shackelford, MBA@UNC associate dean and the Meade H Willis Distinguished Professor of Taxation at UNC Kenan-Flagler. “They are an impressive group and the very best evidence of our program’s strength. They have exceeded our expectations, and now we welcome them to the UNC Kenan-Flagler alumni community of more than 82,000 graduates living in 81 countries.”

The UNC Online MBA Career Record

So far, since commencing the MBA@UNC program, 61% of the class have earned themselves promotions. According to the schools, others have successfully made career switches, with one student entering a Fortune 500 organisation after a military career.

However, due to the ability for online MBA students to continue work while studying, it's perhaps unsurprising that the majority of the class have remained within the companies they originally worked for.

“The students apply what they learn immediately in their jobs, and their companies value the growth they see,” said Susan Cates, MBA@UNC's executive director. “To date, MBA@UNC students have attributed over 100 promotions or career changes to the impact of their program.”

Though TopMBA.com produces an online MBA ranking, the UNC online MBA program was unable to be considered, as at the time of publication, no MBA graduates had been produced. However, with its first class now fully graduated, it will be interesting to see the MBA@UNC's positioning come the online MBA ranking's next publication.

 

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Written by
Pavel Kantorek

Mansoor is a contributor to and former editor of TopMBA.com. He is a higher and business education specialist, who has been published in media outlets around the world. He studied English literature at BA and MA level and has a background in consumer journalism.