Recently, the Ole Miss School of Business Administration was ranked seventh of the 30 most affordable top-ranked online MBA programs for 2016.
MBA graduate assistant Dana Hanley began the program in August and will finish next July. The affordable cost of the university’s MBA program played a crucial role in Hanley’s decision to continue her graduate education at the university.
Using tuition rates and rankings from Forbes magazine, The Princeton Review and U.S. News and World Report, GradSchoolHub.com examined approximately 230 institutions that offer accredited online master’s degree programs in business or business administration.
According to the Ole Miss Bursar’s Office, full- time enrollment in the MBA program typically costs $6,023.29 per semester. This cost is more affordable than universities such as Mississippi State University and Auburn University.
Furthermore, Hanley said she thought it made financial and practical sense to stay another year to complete her master’s, especially considering how the Ole Miss program allows students to enter without the requirement of professional experience.
“Through the John N. Palmer assistantship, I am able to finance 75 percent of my graduate education, which makes tuition affordable,” Hanley said. “The Ole Miss MBA program is an outstanding value with affordable tuition cost and plenty of scholarship and assistantship opportunities to help subsidize the costs.”
Hanley said in addition to classroom learning opportunities, the program also offers professional development activities, a mentorship program, networking events and other experience, which adds to the overall value of the program.
“In comparison to other SEC schools, you cannot beat the value of an Ole Miss MBA,” Hanley said.
Assistant Professor of Management John Berns joined the business school faculty this fall. Berns said he decided he wanted to teach at the UM business school last fall after he visited for the first time.
“I saw that students and faculty were doing great things inside and outside of the business classroom,” Berns said. “I was really impressed with the amount of support and opportunities that the School of Business Administration offers to both students and faculty to ensure that they get the most out of their time here.”
As a new member of the business school’s faculty, Berns said he will try to bring many examples from his own unique experiences in business into the classroom in order to compliment the book material.
“This includes examples from my time working for various employers, my own time as a student of business, and the research I am doing in the field of management,” Berns said.
(Photo by: Xinyi Song)
Dean Ken Cyree has served as dean of the business school for more than 8 years. Pleased with the recognition of the program, Cyree said he believes the ranking is evidence of the hard work accomplished by the faculty, staff and alumni board.
“We have very engaged alumni that help supplement our academics with mentoring and skills such as interview and resume preparation,” Cyree said. “Our faculty, likewise, make an effort to create the online experience to mimic the on-campus experience as much as possible.”
Cyree said the program is an excellent way for students to get additional valuable education without having to quit their jobs.
Outside of accreditation, cost and ranking, GradSchoolHub editors noted the course diversity offered at Ole Miss. Cyree said he attributes this diversity to several factors.
“Our program is broad-based to allow the student to gain a thorough understanding of business concepts, and then we apply these in several different course settings to enhance knowledge,” Cyree said. “We believe this allows the best opportunity for students to understand the necessary components of business through our course diversity to enhance their competitiveness in the marketplace.”
