OSU online MBA honored as one of nation’s best

Tuesday, January 25, 2022

Media Contact: Terry Tush | Director, Marketing and Communications | 405-744-2703 | terry.tush@okstate.edu

Spears Business earns top 30 ranking for first time in recent history

Oklahoma State University’s online MBA program is recognized as one of the nation’s finest in the "U.S. News and World Report" 2022 Best Online Programs ranking released Tuesday.

The online MBA at the Spears School of Business is tied for No. 28 in the 2022 rankings, earning a top 30 ranking for the first time in recent program history.

“Our online MBA program has steadily risen in the rankings which is a direct result of the dedicated efforts of our faculty and staff,” said Dr. Ken Eastman, dean of Spears Business. “We have a high quality and affordable program and these two aspects have led to a significant increase in our MBA enrollment. We believe we have one of the best online programs in the country and we continue to strive to make it the best program possible.”

In addition to the online MBA program receiving this outstanding recognition, the overall online business master’s degree options at Spears Business and the online MBA programs for veterans were honored as the nation’s best by "U.S. News & World Report." The rankings consider quality of faculty and teaching practices as well as the value students receive.

The Spears Business online MBA program is tied for No. 28 in the 2022 rankings of more than 350 colleges and universities surveyed and is the third best among Big 12 Conference schools. The online MBA program continues to move up in the rankings after tying for No. 32 (2021) and No. 40 (2020) the past two years.

For services to veterans, OSU was tied at No. 19 for online MBA programs for veterans. In online graduate business programs, excluding the MBA, OSU was tied for No. 38.

“We are proud of our continued and steady rise in rankings for the online MBA program,” said Dr. Ramesh Sharda, vice dean for research and graduate programs. “The pandemic has made things difficult, but our MBA faculty, working with MBA Director Dr. Matt Bowler, the staffs in the Michael and Anne Greenwood Center for Online Excellence and the Watson Graduate School of Management, continue to deliver their very best education and services to the students.

“We are increasing our engagement activities for the online MBA students in the near future to deliver an even higher quality educational experience while keeping this outstanding program affordable for online students from all over.”

"U.S. News & World Report" annually ranks online programs that allow students to complete degrees using online learning technologies. The rankings are based on school surveys and include information such as faculty credentials, graduation rates, instructional best practices and technology, admission data and program reputation among accredited business schools.

At OSU, the MBA at Spears Business continues to see unprecedented growth as combined the three options — the on-campus program in Stillwater, Professional MBA in Tulsa and the online program — have experienced a 50 percent increase in enrollment since 2020.

To learn more about online graduate business education at OSU, including the MBA, visit https://business.okstate.edu/departments_programs/watson/.

To see the "U.S. News and World Report" 2022 Best Online MBA Programs rankings, go to https://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/mba/rankings.