For the sixth straight year, U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in education rankings, has included the University of Baltimore's Online MBA program in its 2017 Best Online Programs rankings. The program, delivered through the Merrick School of Business, is among the best in the nation, according to the magazine. It is the only online program of its kind among Maryland institutions to receive the accolade for six years in a row.
"What is astounding is that most of the faculty who spearheaded the Online MBA program 18 years ago are still here teaching in our program today," said Murray Dalziel, dean of the Merrick School of Business. "They continue to help our new faculty learn the 'UB way' of teaching online and delivering an excellent master's-level education. I can only imagine the impact we have had on all of the MBA students who have had full-time careers and were simultaneously earning their degree online."
The methodology for the online rankings for master's of business administration program was weighted in areas focused on student engagement (28 percent), admissions selectivity (25 percent), peer reputation (25 percent), faculty credentials and training (11 percent) and student services and technology (11 percent).
Launched in 1999, the Merrick School of Business was the first AACSB accredited MBA program in the world to be offered fully online. At its inception, there was only one other program, at Duke University, that used a hybrid online/residency model. Many other colleges and universities have since created an online presence for their MBA offerings; thus the start of U.S. News' rankings in 2011.
UB's program was launched after a team of business school faculty members identified that online and AACSB accredited business programs were nonexistent. The institution knew that it could provide working professionals with a high-quality MBA program online, exactly like the one offered in the classroom, Dalziel explained.
"It's simply been a matter of implementing for growth since then," he said.
In 2016, the Online MBA was modified to offer a new tuition and fee structure, allowing students from outside the state to have the same tuition rates as those living in Maryland.
The University of Baltimore was the sole Baltimore-area school ranked. The University of Maryland's Smith School of Business was the only school in Maryland ahead of UB in the rankings.