SU’s online MBA program is named in top 100 by U.S. News

Shippensburg University’s online master’s degree program in business administration was named this week by U.S. News & World Report as one of the top 100 distance education MBA programs in the country.

The “2015 Best Online MBA Programs” ranking, published Jan. 7, lists Shippensburg’s program in the John L. Grove College of Business as 97th in the nation. This is the first time U.S. News conducted a ranking of distance education MBA programs.

“Being listed in the top 100 online MBA programs in the country by U.S. News & World Report is another testament to our commitment to provide a high-quality, high-value MBA program,” said Dr. John Kooti, dean of the Grove College of Business. “The online MBA program is the most recently added track in the college, and its success illustrates our commitment to excellence in providing the best and most flexible graduate program to serve the needs of our constituents.”

U.S. News noted that it previously combined all online business master’s programs, including MBAs, in one ranking. This year, the publication evaluated online MBA programs separately from other programs such as finance and management.

“Master’s degree programs in business administration have a greater enrollment by far than any other type of graduate business degree program. Prospective students often narrow their research exclusively to programs that award MBAs,” U.S. News said in announcing the ranking. “To aid their efforts, U.S. News has published its first ranking of distance education MBA programs.”

In addition, “the scoring for the new ranking places greater weight on reputation and admissions selectivity because online MBA programs are collectively more likely than non-MBA business degree programs to emphasize the importance of those two factors,” U.S. News said.

Schools’ ranks are based on five general categories: student engagement, admissions selectivity, peer reputation, faculty credentials and training, and student services and technology. The first three carry more importance than the others.

SU launched its online MBA program in fall 2012. Students can complete it on either a full-time or part-time basis. Students also have the option of pursuing an MBA full time or part time by taking classes on campus, at the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg, in York and in East Stroudsburg.

01/08/15