Michigan State To Launch Professional Online MBA In 2026

Michigan State University’s Broad College of Business is adding an online professional MBA to its portfolio. Early action application deadline is October 13 with a Round 1 deadline of January 5, 2026. 

Total cost will be $63,000, pending board approval, and the first cohort will begin next fall. GMAT/GRE are not required for admission.

The move is a response to rising student requests for flexible degrees, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic.

MEETING STUDENTS WHERE THEY ARE

Broad already offers a 21-month full-time MBA with a STEM option on its East Lansing campus. It ranked No. 37 in Poets&Quants’ latest composite ranking for the best U.S. MBA programs. The full-time program landed at No. 41 in US News’ latest ranking and No. 27 in the Financial Times’. 

It also offers an Executive MBA in both in-person and hybrid formats, ranking No. 34 in P&Q’s 2024 composite ranking of US EMBAs.

Discussions for an online MBA began even before COVID-19, says Ayalla Ruvio, associate dean for MBA and MS programs and associate professor of marketing. Then, Broad students valued the in-person experience, and it was something that Broad faculty felt they did particularly well. But then the pandemic came, underscoring both the demand and capability for an online option for those who wanted to continue working. 

“During COVID, we all got forced into online. Now we do have the knowledge. We understand what online teaching means, and how to maintain a good student experience,” says Ruvio. 

ENTERING CROWDED OMBA MARKET

Broad’s Professional Online MBA will launch at a time when more students are choosing online programs over traditional, on-campus MBAs. According to the Validated Insights MBA report released early this year, online enrollments overtook on-campus enrollments during the pandemic and have only widened the gap since. In 2018, about 150,000 students enrolled in on-campus programs compared to 120,000 online. By 2020, online enrollments had surged to nearly 200,000 while on-campus dipped well below 100,000.

Preference for fully online MBAs has also doubled in just five years, from 22% in 2018 to 44% in 2023. As of fall 2023, nearly 6 in 10 MBA students were enrolled in online programs.

That growth, however, has attracted more competitors. Between 2018 and 2023, the number of online MBA programs jumped from 555 to 732. With more options on the table, average enrollment per program has fallen.

Ruvio sees that not as a threat, but as evidence of a growing category. Think about the iPad. When the device first came out, the few takers were early adopters. As other tablets were introduced at different prices, ranges, and quality, the tablet market grew. Customers followed. In terms of the online MBA, it’s not necessarily that students are growing thin, it’s that the category is growing. 

Where Broad aims to stand out is in flexibility, affordability, and serving Michigan’s workforce. 

“MSU is a land grant university. We are supposed to provide education to our students and meet them where they are,” Ruvio says. “It is no longer the case that students will rearrange everything else in their lives in order to get that education. We have to provide them the flexibility of education that will fit their lives.”

BUILT AFTER THE BROAD EMBA

Broad’s Professional Online MBA will be built upon the curricular foundations of its existing Executive MBA. The program, in turn, is designed after the vision of the college’s brand: Broad Spartans work hard, work smart, and work together to cultivate excellence in the next generation of global business leaders through boundary-pushing research, participative learning experiences, and meaningful community engagement.

“I think that is exactly what we’re doing. Our MBA students are very well known for working hard, having a great work ethic, and being loyal to their company,” Ruvio says.

“It is really a solid reputation. They’re not afraid of change. They adjust. And that’s the type of employee that you want.”

Like the EMBA, students will complete a set of core classes, then choose electives and concentrations. Students will have the option to complete the weeklong Global Marketplace residency which typically occurs in late February, but it will not be required. The course offers first-hand experience with the business environment in an emerging market. 

Students will also get the chance to complete the Broad Enterprise Leadership Academy, a 16-hour program designed to develop leadership skills for impact.

As for the all important career and networking opportunities that students seek in a quality MBA, the same social, networking, and development events open to EMBA students will be open to the professional OMBAs. Career services through Broad’s Russell Palmer Career Management Center will also be available, including executive training options and one-on-one coaching.

The degree requires 42 credits with courses delivered in focused, 7-week modules. It can be completed in as little as 19 months by taking three courses at once, or spread out to 28 months by taking two courses. Students can also design a custom pace depending on work and personal schedules.  

Learn more about Broad’s Professional Online MBA curriculum and admissions here. 

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