Your Guide to the Online MBA

Top Online MBA Programs

Choosing an online master’s in business administration can seem like a daunting decision, but OnlineMBA.com’s ranking of the top business programs in the country makes it easy to select the right program for you. This page offers a quick overview of some of the top-rated online programs available to aspiring business leaders. Students can also review the full ranking to see how MBA programs compare based on characteristics like tuition, admission and graduation rates, class size, the diversity of concentrations offered, and the availability of distance learning opportunities.

To qualify for this ranking, schools must hold accreditation as a nonprofit college or university, offer an online MBA, and submit an annual report to the National Center for Education Statistics. OnlineMBA.com organizes its ranking based primarily on academic quality, though affordability and the number of online programs and students are factored in as well.

Rank	School	Business School	Toggle	School Image	Logo	Location	Accreditation	GMAT Requirement	Tuition	Description
1	University of Florida	Business School Warrington College of Business				Location Gainesville, FL	Accreditation AACSB	GMAT Requirement Yes	Tuition	The MBA at the University of Florida is offered in online and hybrid formats. Online courses are delivered asynchronously, so students can integrate the workload into their schedules easily. The five-week class structure allows students to complete the in 16 to 24 months, with a special accelerated track for students who have graduated recently with their bachelor's in business. View School Profile
2	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	Business School Kenan-Flagler Business School				Location Chapel Hill, NC	Accreditation AACSB	GMAT Requirement Yes	Tuition	The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill offers an MBA with flexible coursework. Students choose from five tracks -- marketing, data analytics and decision making, finance, strategy and consulting, and entrepreneurship -- to align their education with their professional goals. The program requires in-person immersion experiences at the UNC Chapel Hill campus. View School Profile
3	Johns Hopkins University	Business School Johns Hopkins Carey Business School				Location Baltimore, MD	Accreditation AACSB	GMAT Requirement Yes	Tuition	Johns Hopkins University's MBA allows students to specialize in organizational leadership, financial business, or healthcare management. The program offers online and hybrid courses, some of which require synchronous virtual learning sessions or on-campus residencies in Baltimore or Washington, D.C. Students can complete the degree in two and a half years. View School Profile
4	Carnegie Mellon University	Business School Tepper Business School				Location Pittsburgh, PA	Accreditation AACSB	GMAT Requirement Yes	Tuition	The online MBA at Carnegie Mellon University teaches students about leadership development and strategic analysis through a hybrid format. Students attend virtual night classes twice weekly with business school faculty and complete other course requirements asynchronously. Diverse electives allow students to pursue multiple concentrations during their time in the program. View School Profile
5	George Washington University	Business School George Washington University School of Business				Location Washington, DC	Accreditation AACSB	GMAT Requirement Yes	Tuition	The three-year online MBA at George Washington University offers concentrations in management, finance, information systems and technology management, government contracts, project management, and consulting. Students participate in one weekly virtual classroom and can attend four-day campus residencies in Washington, D.C. with organizations like the World Bank and the Federal Reserve. GWU also offers a healthcare-specific MBA. View School Profile
COMPLETE LIST OF RANKED SCHOOLS

Online MBA Rankings

Many factors come into play when searching for the right MBA program, including costs and admission requirements. Our MBA rankings library explores these topics and offers resources to help prospective students identify school programs that fit their unique criteria.

Why Consider an Online MBA?

Harvard University first designed the MBA as a means of providing students with a broad set of business and management skills. Today, it serves as one of the world’s most popular graduate degrees. Pursuing an MBA can help entrepreneurs and innovators find employment in a variety of fields by giving them a competitive edge over others in their industry.

Online MBA programs offer a flexible format to students who need to work while they attend school. The online degree format gives students the ability to earn a respected degree, regardless of location. Online MBAs cater to students with professional responsibilities and personal obligations, as well as those who live in rural areas.

An online MBA, or something more specific like an online healthcare MBA, offers many advantages to distance learners, including affordability, flexibility, and accessibility. Not only do online MBAs typically cost less than traditional degrees, they also offer many of the same resources and amenities as on-campus programs. Some schools offer discounted tuition for online courses, regardless of state residency, and some schools offer an online MBA with no GMAT requirements. Other online MBA programs with no GMAT requirements allow students to complete coursework on their own schedule while receiving the same instruction as their on-campus peers. Students can select from among several options.

• Earning Potential: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, top executives at large corporations earn more than $100,000 per year and often hold a master’s in business administration. Pursuing an MBA online can boost your earnings potential and allow you to stay in your current job while earning your degree.
• Flexibility: Many online MBA programs serving working professionals feature asynchronous coursework, meaning that you can watch lectures and complete assignments entirely on your own schedule and at home.
• Diversity: By attending an online program, you can learn alongside classmates from multiple industries and from countries around the world. An online MBA can also expose you to new perspectives and new business opportunities.
• Professional Networking: A strong professional network can help you advance in your career and solve challenges encountered at work. Pursuing an online MBA offers an unparalleled opportunity to expand the scope of your network.
• Professional Development: Online MBA programs combine theory and practice to prepare you for leadership roles in the private sector. Whether you hope to climb the ladder at your current company or apply to a management position at another firm, an MBA can position you for success.
• Change of Career: The flexibility of an online MBA means you can start working towards a new career without quitting your current job. Even without substantial professional experience in the business world, an MBA can signal to future employers that you have the expertise and skills to succeed.

The knowledge gained from an MBA can help you advance your career, make a change to a new industry or occupation, or start a business. Coursework emphasizes general business, management, and leadership skills.

Through available concentrations, you can develop expertise in your chosen field. Whether you hope to receive a comprehensive foundation in business concepts or work through a unique concentration in an emerging sector, programs can match your individual needs. Some MBA specializations, like global business, offer students the opportunity to travel while still completing courses online. For students considering the MBA, explore our online MBA resources to help guide you through the process of finding the right program.

Online MBA by State

Applying to an in-state online MBA close to home allows you to use campus facilities and meet with advisers in person. State residents can maximize their networking skills by forming relationships with professors and peers. Some schools offer discounts on tuition for online, in-state students, while others offer the same tuition to all distance learners.

Those considering earning an MBA in their home state should look at our state pages. There, you can discover everything you need to know to compare online MBAs in your state, including the available concentration options. Students learn how a program prepares them for local employment and how to apply to schools. Our MBA state pages also include information that covers each state’s economic and employment outlook for MBA graduates.

Choose Your State
Click on a state to learn more about its campus and online college options.

Online MBA Concentrations

MBA concentrations combine the advanced business management education of an MBA curriculum with graduate-level courses across a wide array of subjects, yielding MBA graduates primed for leadership roles in their desired field. Top online MBAs typically require students to complete the same core coursework in fundamental business administration concepts, followed by elective courses, which generally comprise 30-50% of the program’s total credit hours. Concentrations offer students the chance to sharpen their skills in a specific area through a defined elective path.

This resource provides students with an in-depth profile of over 30 concentrations, including salary and career information, curriculum requirements, and much more. These guides include an interactive database of all accredited online MBA programs that offer each concentration, making it easy to explore potential MBA concentrations before making a commitment to one emphasis area.

• General MBA
• Online Executive MBA
• Accounting
• Acquisitions
• Business Intelligence
• Criminal Justice
• Economics
• Entrepreneurship
• Environmental Management
• Finance
• Financial Planning
• Global Management
• Healthcare Administration
• Healthcare Management
• Hospitality Management
• Human Resources
• Information Security
• Information Systems
• Information Technology
• International Business
• Internet Marketing
• Leadership
• Management
• Marketing
• Nonprofit Management
• Operations Management
• Organizational Leadership
• Project Management
• Public Administration
• Public Relations
• Risk Management
• Sports Management
• Supply Chain Management
• Technology