Top Online MBA Programmes You May Not Have Heard Of

While online MBA programmes have existed since the 1990s, the past year has caused a significant increase in applicants’ interest for digital learning offerings.

In fact, business schools across the globe have reported a boom in applications for their online MBAs compared to previous years. This is a clear sign that this type of programme is not only a more convenient option for busy professionals who can’t afford to take time out of their careers to attend business school full-time, but also a highly valued degree in the eyes of employers.

The QS Online MBA Rankings 2021, released last week, analysed the online MBA offerings at 57 business schools worldwide – making it the most extensive of its kind ever since the first launch in 2012.

Here are three brand-new top online MBA programmes featured in this year’s rankings that should be on your radar.

Naveen Jindal School of Management – UT Dallas

First we have the Global Leadership MBA from Naveen Jindal School of Management, which ranked fifth in North America and 16^th worldwide – an impressive feat for a new-entry.

The 21-month programme has a small cohort of 75 and scored high for class experience. The class profile is diverse compared to other North American online MBA degrees: 43 percent of students are women, while 17 percent are international.

The course has three yearly intakes in August, January or May. Classes have an average duration of eight weeks, which students can mix and match with electives to customise the curriculum to their specific professional needs.

Professor Monica Powell, Senior Associate Dean at Naveen Jindal School of Management, told TopMBA: “At UT Dallas, we have been in the online environment since 1999 and by being an early-entry school, we have had the experience and the opportunity to refine our delivery and our technology to match the unique needs of our students.

“After over 20 years in online programmes, we have nuanced the student experience, creating a nice blend between the technologies used to deliver the courses and the engagement formats between faculty and students. We have also figured out the formula to engage students in co-curricular opportunities, helping them balance their busy jobs, their personal lives, and the MBA at the same time. In our programme, we blend both the synchronous and asynchronous learning environments to maximise student engagement and learning. We are finding that students prefer a blend as opposed to all synchronous or asynchronous.”

Macquarie Business School

Next is the 19^th best in the world: the online MBA programme from Macquarie Business School, one of the few Australian and Asia-Pacific schools featured in the rankings.

The course is not only one of the shortest on the list with an average length of 20 months, it’s also one of the cheapest with a tuition of US$25,387. Macquarie’s online MBA also received a perfect score of 100 for class experience.

Professor Lan Snell, Course Director of the Global MBA at the school, said: “A popular criticism of online MBAs is the lack of networking opportunities and student isolation – I am particularly proud that the Global MBA achieved a high score for class experience as it demonstrates how a quality MBA programme can deliver highly interactive and engaged student experiences which dispels this criticism head on.

“We designed an infrastructure of synchronous and asynchronous touchpoints including live class webinars with faculty during term, regular course catch-ups with all students, in-country meetups (travel permitting), and a range of collaboration tools like Slack for group work. The applied nature of the programme integrates our industry partners. For example, we partner with SAS in co-creating curriculum through one of the data analytics units in the programme. Employability is an important component of the curriculum and offering access to global organisations through our extensive industry partners is central to our ability to deliver this.”

This year’s cohort of 206 is highly diverse, with 41 percent of students identifying as female and 76 percent international candidates.

Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland

Last on our list is the online MBA programme from Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, which ranked seventh in North America and 21^st worldwide.

The programme has an average length of 24 months and received a high score for class experience. The curriculum takes place fully live and is built in seven phases, which can be enhanced with seminars, networking events and coaching initiatives. Additional activities include an Advanced LinkedIn seminar, alumni mock interviews and career-specific Super Days with employers within the Smith network.

Tuition is US$88,776.