Online MBA Program Ranks Among Top 10 in Nation

By Stella Connell

UM School of Business Administration

The University of Mississippi‘s online Master of Business Administration program has been named as one of the best in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. The rankings, released today, place Ole Miss in a five-way tie for No. 7 among public universities and No. 10 overall.

UM is tied with the universities of Arizona, Maryland and Washington and the University of Wisconsin MBA Consortium for the No. 7 spot. The University of Florida, at No. 3 among public universities, and Auburn University, at No. 15, were the only other Southeastern Conference schools included in the top 25 of the 2021 rankings.

This is the third consecutive year the Ole Miss program has ranked in the Top 10.

We are pleased that our efforts to provide an outstanding educational experience for our students is recognized externally,” said Ken Cyree, dean of the UM School of Business Administration. “Our faculty, staff and alumni are dedicated to providing the skills our graduates will need to be successful and compete.

“This year has been challenging with COVID-19, but our experience in the online MBA program for more than a decade has allowed us to successfully meet these challenges. Our students are highly qualified and engaged, and their efforts in partnership with our faculty, staff and alumni have paid dividends, as this ranking reflects. We are thrilled to be in the top 10 with this ranking, and thankful that potential students recognize the incredible value in obtaining an MBA degree from Ole Miss.”

MBA programs have a greater enrollment than any other type of graduate business degree program in the country, the U.S. News release noted. Prospective students often narrow their research exclusively to programs that award MBAs.

To aid their efforts, the publication compiles annual rankings of distance education MBA programs. This year’s rankings include 329 schools nationally.

“Our program emphasizes excellent instruction and innovative learning opportunities,” said Walter Davis, faculty adviser to the program. “Our ranking reflects not only the exceptional faculty but also a diverse and highly qualified group of students.”

For the 2021 edition, U.S. News ranked online MBA programs using five categories: student engagement, expert opinion, faculty credentials and training, student excellence, and student services and technologies.

The publication selects factors, called ranking indicators, to assess each program in the five categories. A program’s score for each ranking indicator is calculated using data that the program reported to U.S. News in a statistical survey and from data collected in a separate peer-reputation survey.

“We feel that it’s important to ask incoming students why they chose to pursue their MBA at Ole Miss,” said Ashley McGee, the program’s director. “They recognize the flexibility of our online program, the content of the curriculum, the national ranking and reputation, and the competitive tuition. All of these aspects play an important role in their decision. 

“With every class, we are energized and inspired. From biochemistry to business backgrounds, to students across the country from New York to California, the resumes of our online MBAs are impressive. They are a very smart, talented group of professionals. It is a true pleasure to see our university continue to attract high-caliber students.”

Other SEC schools included in the ranking of public universities were Mississippi State University (43) and LSU (61).