Online degree programs are skyrocketing in popularity, and if you’re looking for an online MBA or other graduate degree, then the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University is an excellent choice. For the second year in a row, U.S. News & World Report ranks the school No. 2 nationwide on its list of “Best Online Graduate Business Programs.”
“Increasingly, people want the convenience of an online degree, but they don’t want to sacrifice the high quality of a recognized, top university,” explains Amy Hillman, dean of the W. P. Carey School of Business. “With the W. P. Carey School, you get the best of both worlds: the flexibility of an online format and the same stellar faculty members who teach in our other highly ranked graduate programs. The W. P. Carey School was one of the first highly respected business schools to launch online degrees more than a decade ago, and we use in-house course designers specializing solely in business classes.”
U.S. News & World Report already ranks the W. P. Carey School’s undergraduate business, full-time MBA and evening MBA programs among the Top 30 in the nation in their categories. This new ranking covers both the W. P. Carey School’s popular online MBA program and its online Master of Science in Information Management (MSIM) program. The list is based on student engagement, admissions selectivity, peer reputation, faculty credentials and training, and student services and technology.
“Students serving in the military, starting their own businesses, and traveling extensively for their jobs are among those who have chosen our online graduate business programs,” says Stacey Whitecotton, senior associate dean for W. P. Carey School graduate programs. “Participants have a dedicated financial aid specialist and a career center for those who want help with job searches.”
Again, the W. P. Carey School’s online MBA program garnered a No. 2 ranking last year, too. Among those who have completed the program: NFL Pro Bowl kicker Billy Cundiff and Lt. Col. Scott Coulson — a recipient of the Bronze Star, a Purple Heart and a Combat Action Badge for his service in Iraq — who completed his degree while serving in the U.S. Army in Afghanistan.
The 21-month MBA program allows students to meet at a face-to-face orientation just once at the ASU campus, then complete the rest of the courses online. Students work in small, personalized teams with peers from other industries, focusing on one course at a time. This is also one of the few online MBA programs in which students can earn their degrees with an area of emphasis, such as finance, international business, marketing or supply chain management.
The 16-month online MSIM program just launched in 2012 and is already drawing praise from those in the fast-growing information technology (IT) field. The degree is designed to provide professionals in any career area with a well-rounded education in IT and explain how they can apply that knowledge to their companies overall. American Express, Intel Corporation, Mayo Clinic and US Airways are among the companies that send students to the school’s MSIM programs. The W. P. Carey School’s MSIM programs have an exceptionally high retention rate, thanks to efforts by the world-class faculty and collaborative-learning training for students during orientation.
The W. P. Carey School also offers a weekend/online hybrid MBA and will launch an online version of its master’s program in business analytics (“big data”) this fall. All of the school’s online programs include small class sizes and comprehensive online-learning technologies that are easy to use. For more information, visit wpcarey.asu.edu.
