An MBA (Masters of Business Administration) degree is a great way to upskill and advance your career to unlock new opportunities.
An MBA program is mostly meant for graduates with or without work experience who want to gain in-depth knowledge of best practices for managing businesses.
Time is a major challenge for those who want to pursue an MBA because it’s limited. Not everyone has the ability to study on a full-time basis. If you have a job and business commitments, studying as a full-time student can be a challenge. Also, trying to find a balance between work and classes is quite difficult. This is where online MBA programs and degrees come into play.
Online MBA programs have started gaining popularity in recent years. This has led to more business schools offering flexible MBA programs and degrees online. The programs provide a similar experience to those offered on campus but in an online format. They are more convenient and flexible.
In this guide, we’ll explore the top online MBA programs and degrees in 2024. This will help you decide on which program is most suitable for your career and professional goals.
Table of Contents
Best Online MBA Programs in 2024 – Top 12
Our list of best online MBA programs is curated based on employment outcomes, student interests and satisfaction, cost, course quality, technological accessibility, and performance. Without further ado, let’s get started.
1. Nexford University
Nexford University, accredited in the US by the DEAC, offers an online MBA program highly regarded for student satisfaction and rankings. The program features valuable networking opportunities, flexible schedules, and high-quality instruction from professionals who keep online students engaged.
Professors effectively blend theory with real-world practice through business examples and case studies, and they are known for providing strong academic and professional support.
The online MBA program includes six specializations:
- E-commerce
- Artificial Intelligence
- Fintech & Blockchain
- International Business
- Cybersecurity
- Sustainability
Tuition is tailored to each market, making the program globally accessible and affordable. With a cutting-edge curriculum, Nexford’s MBA prepares you for the career opportunities you seek.
Although the coursework may initially seem challenging, it’s designed to be manageable even with other commitments.
The average tuition and fees for a US learner: $5,040.
Ready to take your career to the next level? Explore how our Online MBA program can help you develop essential skills and boost your earning potential. Download our brochure or, book a call with our Nexford Advisors, or download our free report to learn about acquiring in-demand skills for a successful career!
2. University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill (Kenan-Flagler)
The University of North Carolina’s online MBA program stands out for its professional faculty, comprehensive curriculum, and flexible learning options. The program offers a concentration in entrepreneurship, ideal for students looking to start or expand their businesses.
The coursework focuses on leadership, analytical skills, and management, with both synchronous and asynchronous materials to balance flexibility with active engagement. Applicants typically need about 10 years of work experience. With an acceptance rate of 55%, strong letters of recommendation are essential to making your application competitive.
Average Starting Salary: $134,235
Average Undergrad GPA: 3.20
Acceptance Rate: 55%
Work Experience: 10 years
Total Tuition and Fees: $125,589
Average GMAT Score: 694
To enroll, you need around 10 years of working experience. The acceptance rate is 55%, so you need to ensure that your application stands out with letters of recommendation.
Average Starting Salary: $134,235
Average Undergrad GPA: 3.20
Acceptance Rate: 55%
Work Experience: 10 years
Total Tuition and Fees: $125,589
Average GMAT Score: 694
3. University of Florida (Hough)
The University of North Carolina’s online MBA program stands out for its professional faculty, comprehensive curriculum, and flexible learning options. The program offers a concentration in entrepreneurship, ideal for students looking to start or expand their businesses.
The coursework focuses on leadership, analytical skills, and management, with both synchronous and asynchronous materials to balance flexibility with active engagement. Applicants typically need about 10 years of work experience. With an acceptance rate of 55%, strong letters of recommendation are essential to making your application competitive.
Average Starting Salary: $150,505
Average Undergrad GPA: 3.31
Acceptance Rate: 46%
Work Experience: 6.6 years
Total Tuition and Fees: $59,807Average GMAT Score: 682
4. University of Pittsburgh (Katz)
The University of Pittsburgh (Katz) offers a part-time MBA program ideal for students who can’t submit a GRE or GMAT score, though these scores are optional.
The school holds a 92.4% acceptance rate, and you need at least 2 letters of recommendation to apply.
To apply, you can choose between fully online or hybrid learning models, allowing you to tailor the program to your schedule. This program’s academic rigor and flexibility have secured its place among the top-ranked online MBAs.
Average Starting Salary: $95,000
Average Undergrad GPA: 3.35
Acceptance Rate: 92.4%
Work Experience: 6 years
Total Tuition and Fees: $79,500Average GMAT Score: 589
5. University of Washington (Foster)
The University of Washington (Foster) offers an online MBA program with flexible application requirements. Submitting GRE and GMAT scores is optional, but students may be asked to submit if their work experience needs to demonstrate strong qualitative skills.
The program’s hybrid model allows working professionals to enhance their knowledge by upskilling and advancing their careers without compromising their work-life balance. Students benefit from the program’s flexibility while still having the opportunity to connect with peers and professors on campus.
The curriculum is like a full-time Foster MBA, ensuring students gain all foundational concepts and analytics.
The school’s acceptance rate is 80%, and it requires 3 letters of recommendation to enrol in this program.
Average Starting Salary: $130,407
Average Undergrad GPA: 3.45
Acceptance Rate: 80%
Work Experience: 3 years
Total Tuition and Fees: $78,000Average GMAT Score: 615
6. University of Massachusetts–Amherst (Isenberg)
The University of Massachusetts’ online MBA program perfectly balances academic rigor and flexibility, making it ideal for professionals with full-time jobs.
Unlike other online programs, which often encounter technical issues, this program features an intuitive and reliable interface. The professors are experienced in online teaching and use their professional backgrounds to incorporate real-life scenarios into their lessons.
The program fosters an active community where students discuss with peers and faculty. With a 92% acceptance rate, applicants must submit GRE or GMAT scores for consideration.
scores for consideration.
Average Starting Salary: $90,573
Average Undergrad GPA: 3.40
Acceptance Rate: 92%
Work Experience: 12 years
Total Tuition and Fees: $35,983Average GMAT Score: 640
The acceptance rate for this MBA program is 92%, but you must submit GRE or GMAT scores to be considered in the application process.
Average Starting Salary: $90,573
Average Undergrad GPA: 3.40
Acceptance Rate: 92%
Work Experience: 12 years
Total Tuition and Fees: $35,983
Average GMAT Score: 640
7. University of Arizona (Eller)
The University of Arizona’s MBA programs offer flexibility by allowing students to choose their course load and providing six start dates throughout the year. This makes them ideal for working professionals seeking an online MBA.
The program offers six concentrations: entrepreneurship, health care, finance, management and organizations, management information systems, and marketing. You can select the concentration that best aligns with your career goals.
Designed for mid-career professionals with 8-10 years of experience, the program also provides 24/7 library access and daily communication with staff and students.
Average Starting Salary: $88,501
Average Undergrad GPA: 3.45
Acceptance Rate: 86%
Work Experience: 9.3 years
Total Tuition and Fees: $51,525Average GMAT Score: 605
8. University of South Florida
The University of South Florida’s asynchronous MBA program is designed for flexibility. It allows you to fit coursework around your schedule and complete assignments at your own pace, making it easier to balance your full-time job and personal commitments.
For those new to online learning, the program offers an introductory guide on how to navigate virtual classes.
Additionally, professors customize learning paths based on each student’s background, work experience, and academic strengths.
The platform also includes various tools to facilitate communication and help you build strong professional relationships with peers.
Average Starting Salary: $105,057
Average Undergrad GPA: 3.40
Acceptance Rate: 53%
Work Experience: 5.2 years
Total Tuition and Fees: $24,750Average GMAT Score: 513
9. Arizona State University – W. P. Carey School of Business
The W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University offers a reputable online MBA program designed for working professionals. With high-quality faculty and a flexible curriculum, the program allows students to tailor their studies through optional concentration in finance, marketing, international business, and supply chain management.
The program is carefully structured to optimize course delivery, utilizing top-tier tools and a robust feedback system. Faculty members are experienced in remote learning and are committed to supporting their students.
The program has an acceptance rate of 59% and requires at least six years of work experience for admission.
Average Starting Salary: $103,771
Average Undergrad GPA: 3.34
Acceptance Rate: 59%
Work Experience: 6 years
Total Tuition and Fees: $61,545Average GMAT Score: 680
10. Carnegie Mellon University – Tepper School of Business
The part-time online MBA program from Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School of Business offers the same quality and support as the full-time, on-campus program, with a nearly identical curriculum. The program is flexible, blending online learning with on-campus “Access Weekends” every two months, providing valuable in-person interactions with peers and professors.
The faculty is approachable, knowledgeable, and skilled at delivering course material clearly and effectively. No significant work experience is required for admission—recent graduates are welcome to apply. However, the acceptance rate is competitive, with only 56% of applicants being admitted in recent years.
Average Undergrad GPA: 3.36
Work Experience: 0.5 years
Acceptance Rate: 56%
Total Tuition and Fees: $141,320
Average GMAT Score: 687Average Starting Salary: $134,000
11. West Texas A&M University
The MBA online from the College of Business West Texas A&M University is affordable and competitive in price while covering all aspects and assembling great instructors. It offers flexibility whereby you can take 2 classes for a semester or 3 if one can spare the time. One learns much from the professors and administration in this program which boasts of academic and technical support. Having received accreditation from AACSB, the program has an acceptance rate of 84% and is ideal for those learners who meet the requirement of having three years of work experience in the field.
Average Undergrad GPA: 3.45
Work Experience: 3 years
Acceptance Rate: 84%
Total Tuition and Fees: $20,000
Average GMAT Score: 550Average Starting Salary: $72,500
11. Syracuse University (Whitman)
One of the prestigious MBA programs developed with the accreditation of the AACSB is offered at the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, part of Syracuse University. Its postgraduate MBA program delivers academic and professional preparation, flexible hours of learning, and a great network.
The curriculum addresses the top issues of concern in business, together with state-of-the-art solutions and practices.
It gives one the opportunity to choose the days and hours of the day to complete that will least affect one’s work and personal calendar. Moreover, there are synchronous and asynchronous classes; therefore, the classes are perfectly balanced between the extent of freedom that can be enjoyed and the interaction with peers and faculty members.
The institution has a relatively open door policy to candidates, with an admission rate of 82%, so you would not have to worry much about getting admission once you apply. Please do remember that this program is designed for candidates who are at least 10 years into their respective careers.
Average Undergrad GPA: 3.05
Work Experience: 10 years
Acceptance Rate: 82%
Total Tuition and Fees: $93,636
Average GMAT Score: 635Average Starting Salary: $73,092
These are some of the factors that you need to consider when comparing different online MBA programs:
How to Choose the Best Online MBA Program for Your Professional Goals
These are some of the factors that you need to take into consideration when comparing different online MBA programs:
Accreditation
The first thing that you should be concerned about when you are planning to get an MBA degree online is its accreditation. As earlier stated, MBA programs that have been accredited are more valuable and will offer more to your professional training than non-accredited programs.
Information on the accreditation status is available in the accreditation forums that include the Accreditation of Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International), the International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE), and the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP).
Accreditation bodies assess the services, students, teaching, and faculty of the program and compare these with the benchmarks they set.
Employment Outcomes
If you decide to study an online MBA program and earn a business degree, you do it to gain from it in your working life. Of course, it is difficult to judge in advance whether an online MBA program will be enough to get a dream job. Still, at least you can roughly evaluate the relevance of the program and its readiness to prepare students for work by asking previous graduates.
Interacting with an MBA school’s alumni will give one a good feel of whether the particular online MBA program that one is considering will deliver the expected employment opportunities.
Cost
The cost of tuition for Online MBA degree programs also varies, though none of the programs can be described as ‘cheap’. Thus, one should compare different MBA programs and decide whether a particular program is valuable at the extra cost.
Except, of course, where your budget has to be tweaked somewhere. If you can hardly scrape through to fund a particular online MBA program, you better go for cheaper ones.
It may also be useful to look at the financial help available for MBA schools on the Internet. Among the methods of financing the tuition fees are scholarships, loans, and fellowships.
If one is currently working, one might want to check with the company’s HR department to see if the company has a tuition reimbursement policy for specific MBA programs.
Academic Support
You need all the academic assistance you can get to excel in your classes and earn a good grade point average. However, as easy as it is to get academic support on campus, it becomes a little more complicated if the MBA program is fully online.
The good programs offer students the means to contact faculties for academic and technical assistance online MBA programs.
Coursework and Curriculum
Before enrolling in an MBA online program, one should verify the curriculum of other more conventional MBA programs and compare it to that of the online ones. If the subjects offered match those of the campus program, then an MBA pursued online is as effective as the on-campus MBA.
However, if the online MBA program is accredited, you probably do not have to worry about the courses offered. It is still sometimes useful to review it, particularly if you’re studying for content relevant to your profession. Indeed, most of the online MBA programs provided concentrations that enable each learner to choose the course they would like to follow. Such programmes include the Advanced AI, E-Commerce, International Business and all the other specializations that we have had a chance to add after some time in operation.
However, if the online MBA program is accredited, may you have any issues about the course curriculum offered by the online university? Nevertheless, it is still useful when appropriately checked, though if you are studying material for your work, it is better to use it obtain the necessary knowledge. Indeed, it is possible to state that most online MBA programs are organized in a way that allows each learner to choose a set of concentrations that will shape his or her learning trajectory. These are Advanced AI, supply chain management, and entrepreneurship.
Community
Despite having many advantages, online MBA programs may make you feel isolated since they lack the engaging feel of in-person classrooms. Nevertheless, many online MBA programs compensate for that by integrating an online learning community to help students discuss the curriculum and share their thoughts.
So, before enrolling in an online MBA program, make sure that the community is active and insightful and that the overall MBA experience is positive.
Top-Ranked Online MBA Programs
Listings are useful to view the best MBA online programs in the world. The choice of benchmarks is vast; there is the Financial Times Global MBA ranking and Forbes’s list of the best business schools. However, in general, such global tables are often limited to only the top and most costly schools. So, if you decide to embrace the cheaper options in an online MBA program, you will be compelled to search further afield.
Online MBA reviews
This is one of the most effective techniques for assessing whether or not it will be worth your while taking your MBA online. Generally, what they will mostly tell you is the raw truth about the program. Read as many reviews as you can because individual experiences are different and will not provide a complete picture.
Looking at the reviews, one is in a position to develop a perception of the program in question.
Frequently Asked Questions: Online MBA Programs
Is an online MBA respected?
An online MBA is a respected degree that can open many doors for career advancement. It is becoming increasingly popular as more and more people are looking to further their education without having to take time away from their current jobs or family commitments. An online MBA provides the same quality of education as a traditional MBA but with the added convenience of being able to study from home. Employers recognize the value of an online MBA and respect the dedication it takes to complete such a rigorous program.
Do employers take online MBAs seriously?
Yes, employers do take online MBAs seriously. In today’s digital world, employers increasingly recognize the value of an online degree and the skills they provide. An online master of business administration program offers a flexible way to gain an advanced degree while still working full-time, which is attractive to many employers. Additionally, MBA programs typically focus on or specialize in specific business areas that can benefit employers. For example, an online MBA in finance may give a potential employee the knowledge and skills needed to help manage a company’s finances more effectively. Employers also recognize that online MBAs have rigorous curriculums and require dedication and hard work, making them just as valuable as traditional MBAs.
Is Online MBA Worth It in the USA?
Yes, an online MBA is undoubtedly worth it in the USA. Similar to on-campus MBA programs, online MBA programs provide more or less the same curriculum. This can help you expand your job opportunities, get promoted, or increase your current Salary.
Does Stanford Offer an Online MBA?
No. As of April 2022, Stanford University’s MBA program is limited to on-campus tuition only.
Can You Complete an MBA in 1 Year?
Yes, it’s possible to complete an MBA in 1 year. While it requires more effort, you can graduate from an online MBA program in less than 1 year. Nevertheless, not all universities offer such fast-paced programs, but they’re increasing in popularity to meet the demand of busy professionals who need to earn their degrees quickly.
Is it worth it to get an MBA at 50?
Yes, it’s worth it to get an MBA at 50. Acquiring an MBA online will increase your chances of getting promoted to managerial positions, either at your current company or a new one.
However, the earlier you get your MBA degree, the higher the return on tuition investment will be.
Wrapping Up: The top global online MBA programs.
Alright, so that was an in-depth overview of the top online MBA programs you can pursue
Currently, there is no single online MBA program that will be perfect for most students. Look at the requirements, what the school offers, and the cost and determine whether it is a good school for you, or you can simply go for the next one.
MBAs are helpful, and if you do not earn yours from top-flight business schools, then so what? Boiling it all down – it’s all about one’s talents and how a person can use the things he or she learned in real life.
And let me remind you that it’s much wiser to select an MBA program with a particular focus because such programs are more effective in comparison with general ones.
Ready to take the next step and pursue an MBA? Download our brochure or book a call with our Nexford Advisors!
