U.S. News’ 2017 Ranking Of The Best Online MBAs

U.S. News’ 2017 Ranking Of The Best Online MBAs

Temple University’s Fox School of Business in Philadelphia

For the third consecutive year, the University of Temple's Fox Business School (January 10) MBA online program won first place in the ranking of the best MBA in the United States. To claim the title, Fox's $ 59,760 program again surpassed several prestigious business schools, with programs that cost much more, including Carnegie Mellon, Indiana University, University of North Carolina and University of South California. 

Most of those schools were not far from Fox in the new ranking. The Carnegie Mellon $ 122,880 online program came in second, climbing four times from sixth place a year ago, while the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University ranked third, the Kenan-Flagler Business School Of UNC was fourth and the Hough Business School of the University of Florida took the No. 5 spot. 

Among the top 24 ranked schools, there are some notable changes. The University of Maryland's online MBA program, which had been removed from the 2016 rankings based on "communications between the school and the US news," made a comeback to the ninth place ranking. The USC online program, unclassified last year, came in 12th in a tie with three other schools. Otherwise, the biggest winner near the top was the online program on the University of Wisconsin campus in Whitewater, increasing 11 places to finish 16 of 29 a year earlier.

IN MOST HIGHER SCHOOLS, REGISTRATION IS GROWING

Among the greatest depressions? Cleveland State University saw its online MBA drop 27 places year after year to a 47th rank from the 20th in 2016. Lehigh University online offer fell 16 places to finish with a 21, below eighth rank in 2016. As is typical of all rankings, the lower on the list one goes, the more dramatic are the gains and losses. The Brock Business School at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, jumped 85 places to take 72nd place at 157, while the Louisiana State School of Business jumped 58 places to finish 47th from 105th.

Online MBA, at least in most of the best schools, are gaining more traction. At UNC's Kenan-Flager business school, tuition jumped to 1,047 this year from 782 the previous year. At the University of Texas at Dallas, enrollment increased to 325 students from 272, while the acceptance rate of their online MBA program dropped to 39% from 50% in the past year. Schools ranked with the top 11 now have a combined enrollment of 4,354 students, while the 26 schools ranked with 263 students work toward their online MBAs.

A COUP FOR THE TEMPLE IN A TIME WHEN THE SPACE OF THE ONLINE MBA HAS BEEN FOUND

Darin Kapanjie, managing director of online
and digital learning at Fox

This is the fifth time the United States has classified MBA online, having debuted its classification in 2013. When Temple first entered in 2015, the school was in a dead tie with Kelley and UNC. Fox has claimed for the first time on his own for two consecutive years in the most viewed ranking when the field of online options has become increasingly crowded. "Being recognized as No. 1 for three consecutive years is truly an honor given the competition," says Darin Kapanjie, managing director of online and digital learning at Fox.

Despite the inevitable arguments about its graduation methodology, US News boasts one of only two credible rankings of online MBA options. The other list that the Financial Times can defend is much more limited with only 15 ranked schools. In total, U.S. News now ranks 180 online MBA programs, although the magazine lists no other numerical range of 75 business schools with online options in the United States.

At a time when competition for online students has warmed up, with several schools now offering discount classes to applicants through scholarships, the new ranking is destined to get more attention. Like the emergence of "fake news" in the recent political campaign, a number of "fake rankings" in the online field have emerged in recent years. Many of these are efforts by hurriedly assembled web site builders to get a referral commission for students leading to certain school programs. They mix highly credible programs with third-level offers in the hopes of convincing applicants to go to schools with lower quality programs (see Why a Goat Farmer Ranks Business Schools).

WHAT USES NEWS TRY TO MEASURE IN YOUR RANKING

The US news ranking. (28% of the weight), selectivity of admissions (25%), reputation of peers (25%), 11% ), And student technology and services (11%). In each category, several metrics are taken into account. In admission selectivity, for example, assigns a 40% weight to the average GMAT and GRE scores of the incoming students, 20% of the average class average, 20% of the acceptance and finally 20% experience."

This last metric is based on three equally weighted parts: The degree to which work experience and undergraduate business courses are required; If applicants are required to submit three letters of recommendation, including one from a professional contact; And the percentage of new participants sponsored by an employer. In effect, US news arbitrarily penalizes schools that require only two recommendation letters or schools whose students are not sponsored.

Despite what may seem a large number of rigorous metrics, the ups and downs of the schools in the ranking are considerable. Almost half (45) of the 104 best schools experienced double digit increases or decreases, many of them moving for 20 or more places in a single year, a sign that the differences between programs are so small that they are Insignificant And many of the ranked schools are tied in their positions, with half a dozen schools in a tie for 21st place and eight closed schools in 47th place.

The big winners in the top 100

There were some dramatic gains year after year gained by some online business school programs in this year's US ranking, including an 85-point jump by Sanford University to finish 72nd since 157th. These are some of the biggest winners, not including schools that did not even reach a year earlier.