Top Online MBAs With The Lowest Average Work Experience

The online MBA cohorts at the Kogod School of Business and the University of Memphis’ Fogelman College of Business and Economics have the fewest years of work experience on average among the global 2021 cohorts.

Released today, the QS Online MBA Rankings 2021 assess the online MBA offerings of 57 business schools worldwide. You can find out more about the methodology used to produce the rankings here.

Read on to find out more about the 10 business schools across the globe that allow MBA candidates with less than seven years of experience in the job market to upskill online.

=9) West Texas A&M University

In joint ninth place for lowest average years’ work experience is the online MBA from West Texas A&M University. Students from the 2021 cohort averaged seven years’ work experience in the job market.

The programme usually takes 24 months to complete, combining electives, specialisations, and remote group activities.

The class profile includes 49 percent female students and 7 percent international students. The course is also the second cheapest among those ranked in the QS Online MBA Rankings, with a total cost of US$9,900.

=9) Chapman Graduate School of Business – FIU

Next we have the third-best online MBA from a US business school: the Professional MBA (PMBA) Online from the Chapman Graduate School of Business at the Florida International University, which scored particularly high for class profile and employability. The 2021 cohort has an average seven years’ work experience.

The course is highly customisable: students can choose from three different pacing tracks (33 months, 21 months and 18 months), five term starts (January, March, May/June, August and October) and eight specialisations. It also includes a two-day in-campus residency, seminars, industry nights, virtual meetings, and business career management opportunities.

Tuition for the entire programme is US$42,000 for both in-state and out-of-state students.

8) Hough Graduate School of Business

In eighth place is the online MBA at Hough Graduate School of Business, which takes 21 months to complete and is ranked fourth among programmes provided by US schools.

The programme’s 2021 cohort of 378 students has an average of 6.42 years’ work experience. 37 percent of students identify as female, while four percent are international, accounting for 11 nationalities represented.

Fees are US$58,000.

7) University of Michigan-Dearborn College of Business

In seventh place with a 6.23 average work experience rate is the online MBA from the University of Michigan-Dearborn College of Business.

The programme can be taken on campus, online or through a combination of the two. Students can also choose whether to enrol on a full or part-time basis in September or January.

The course includes nine core courses, four Applied Integrated Management (AIM) focus areas and three elective courses and optional concentrations. Out of the 215 students in the 2021 cohort, 42 percent are women. Tuition is US$49,680.

=3) GBSB Global Business School

In joint third place is the fifth-shortest programme in the world – the 10-month online MBA from GBSB Global Business School. The 2021 cohort of 32 students – the smallest in this top 10 – has an average six years' work experience.

The course has three annual intakes in September, January and April, and a flexible approach to learning, with classes pre-recorded and available to students at all times.

Tuition is US$17,919.

=3) Amity Directorate of Distance & Online Education (EDDOE), Amity University

Next, we have the most affordable programme in the world, the online MBA from Amity University, which boasts high scores for class experience and class profile.

Amity’s online MBA offers systematic and structured PCP (personal contact point), live interactive lectures, virtual recorded sessions, books, and study material received via courier. The average length is 24 months.

This year’s cohort is the largest of all the online MBA programmes available in our global ranking with 28,110 students. It includes 61 nationalities – accounting for 31 percent international students – and 41 percent women. Tuition is US$3,300.

=2) Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland

In joint second place is the online MBA from the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, whose cohort of 360 students has an average 5.6 years’ work experience.

The programme – which scored high for class experience – is built in seven phases, which can be enhanced with seminars, networking events and coaching initiatives. The course has an average length of 24 months and is conducted fully live.

Fees are US$88,776.

=2) Sawyer Business School

Next, we have Sawyer Business School at Suffolk University, whose 2021 cohort includes the highest percentage of women on this list: 64 percent.

The programme can be taken part-time and completed in as little as 20 months. It includes 14 to 20 courses – depending on whether students choose to take electives or not – which take place fully online and are enhanced by a series of interactive and collaborative sessions with other candidates and local companies.

Tuition is US$43,668.

=1) University of Memphis – Fogelman College of Business and Economics

In joint first place – with an average of 5.5 years work experience within its cohort – is  the online MBA from the University of Memphis.

The programme – which is the 10th cheapest in the world – offers students the opportunity to take all 36 credit hours either synchronously or asynchronously. The course is characterised by small cohorts with high percentages of female students (53 percent).

Fees are US$24,552.

=1) Kogod School of Business

Also reigning supreme in this top 10 is the online MBA from Kogod School of Business at the American University, which scored high for class experience.

The Kogod online MBA has a standard course duration of 24 months, but can also be completed on a 12, 15 or 18-month track. The curriculum features two in-person immersions, 13 core courses and two elective courses.

The programme has the second highest percentage – 51 percent – of female students in the US top 10. Tuition is US$86,976.