Why Questrom’s $24K Online MBA Is Groundbreaking

In 2019, Boston University launched its $24K online MBA program, an innovative lower-priced online graduate program that has been making a lot of noise—and for good reason too.

Inside Higher Ed recently spoke to a BU $24K MBA student who gave insider insight into why the program is one of a kind.

FLEXIBILITY & RIGOR

One of the main reasons why Kaitlin Dumont, who enrolled in the $24K MBA program in 2021, chose BU was because its new online program is just the right amount of challenge.

“The balance of flexibility and rigor—the program is not only designed to fit into my life, but also blends leading-edge asynchronous learning with live sessions and teaming to create a rigorous and holistic learning experience (and I don’t claim to be an expert learning designer by any means, but I’ve been in close enough proximity to some world-class instructional designers to know that this is the real deal),” Dumont tells Inside Higher Ed.

LOW COST, HIGH QUALITY

BU’s $24K online MBA program is almost half the cost of its in-person program, which costs more than $56K. For some, the value of an in-person MBA is worth the higher cost. However, Dumont says, BU’s $24K online MBA is just as valuable as its in-person counterpart.

“This fallacy may have been true a decade ago, but with the advance of modern technological capabilities and superior online learning instructional design, I don’t think this argument can hold water any longer,” Dumont tells Inside Higher Ed. “I suppose in a higher-priced M.B.A. program, especially an in-person degree with a smaller cohort, I may be able to grab a cup of coffee with a faculty member and pick their brain like I did in undergrad—however, I was pleasantly surprised by how accessible the faculty are, hosting virtual office hours and always willing to answer questions (and if you can’t get in touch with a faculty member, there is a wonderful team of learning facilitators to support students).”

Sources: Inside Higher Ed, P&Q