Mississippi State University’s Online MBA

Ranked #18 by U.S. News for online MBA programs, the Distance MBA at Mississippi State University is affordable and flexible. For just over $20,000, the program offers courses that are delivered 100% online and that emphasize management, marketing, finance, economics, information systems, and quantitative analysis. Students can choose a general MBA track or, for six credits more, select the school’s one concentration offering to earn the Distance MBA in Project Management

“BEST FOR VETS” AND OTHER MILITARY-FRIENDLY DESIGNATIONS
The program, which was launched in 2005, has its roots in the military dating back to 1998 when Mississippi State first offered interactive video classrooms to military personnel. Today, it is a self-described “military friendly” program. First, it doesn’t require any on-campus visits, making things easier for military members to continue their education while deployed or after changing stations. Secondly, the school is a Servicemembers Opportunity College (SOCS) and it follows the Institutional Operating Guidelines to facilitate graduate program admissions, enrollment, and degree completion by service members.

The program’s military roots have served the school well as seen by the Distance MBA’s frequent recognition as a leading option for military veterans. U.S. News ranks it the 10th best and in 2015 the College of Business was named a “Best for Vets” business school by Military Times.

Aside from its catering to military service members, Mississippi State goes by the tagline “Your MBA. Your Way.” Differences from other programs include its rolling admissions practices and high level of convenience.

EARN YOUR DEGREE IN TWO YEARS
Mississippi State’s Distance MBA consists of 30…

Ranked #18 by U.S. News for online MBA programs, the Distance MBA at Mississippi State University is affordable and flexible. For just over $20,000, the program offers courses that are delivered 100% online and that emphasize management, marketing, finance, economics, information systems, and quantitative analysis. Students can choose a general MBA track or, for six credits more, select the school’s one concentration offering to earn the Distance MBA in Project Management

“BEST FOR VETS” AND OTHER MILITARY-FRIENDLY DESIGNATIONS
The program, which was launched in 2005, has its roots in the military dating back to 1998 when Mississippi State first offered interactive video classrooms to military personnel. Today, it is a self-described “military friendly” program. First, it doesn’t require any on-campus visits, making things easier for military members to continue their education while deployed or after changing stations. Secondly, the school is a Servicemembers Opportunity College (SOCS) and it follows the Institutional Operating Guidelines to facilitate graduate program admissions, enrollment, and degree completion by service members.

The program’s military roots have served the school well as seen by the Distance MBA’s frequent recognition as a leading option for military veterans. U.S. News ranks it the 10th best and in 2015 the College of Business was named a “Best for Vets” business school by Military Times.

Aside from its catering to military service members, Mississippi State goes by the tagline “Your MBA. Your Way.” Differences from other programs include its rolling admissions practices and high level of convenience.

EARN YOUR DEGREE IN TWO YEARS
Mississippi State’s Distance MBA consists of 30 credit hours and it is most commonly completed in two to two and a half years.

Students take nine core classes covering Leadership Skills, Strategic Marketing Management, Economics for Managers, Corporate Finance, Financial & Accounting Report Analysis, Management Information Technology & Systems, Law, Ethics, and Dispute Resolution, Quantitative Analysis & Business Research, and Strategic Business Consulting followed by their choice of one elective class.
Eleven business electives are listed for students to choose from and they include topics such as data analytics, entrepreneur law, real estate law, entrepreneur law, and internet marketing. The school also allows students to choose from non-business courses at MSU to satisfy their three-hour elective.

If interested in pursuing a concentration, students can choose to do Mississippi State’s MBA in Project Management for just six more credits than the regular Distance MBA.

GUT CHECK: IS ASYNCHRONOUS LEARNING RIGHT FOR YOU?
All of the MSU Distance MBA courses are delivered asynchronously, utilizing recorded videos, discussion boards, some conferencing tools, and audio lectures. According to students, course content and delivery are very diverse and there are occasions when they’ll be asked to log on at a specific time for chat discussion.

“I’ve been in some classes where students do have to log in at the same time for chats. I’ve also been in classes where the learning is asynchronous and truly at your own pace. So much of that is dependant on the type of material being taught and the instructional style of the faculty member who is teaching the course,” says David Garraway, a graduate of the program.

As far as assignments, “I’ve had everything from multiple choice, to full out writing assignments, to group projects and the beauty of it is that the online portal at Mississippi State really accommodates all of those different types of assignments so they can all be done within the portal itself,” he says.

To help applicants determine whether online, distance learning is the right format for them and to prepare students for the realities of a distance learning program, MSU offers an assessment tool called SmartMeasure. This indicator tool aids students in assessing whether distance learning and/or learning in a tech-heavy environment will be a good fit for them.

COMPETITIVE GMAT SCORES AND PREREQUISITES
On average, students entering the MSU Distance MBA program are 28 years old with approximately five years of experience working in their field. Mississippi State doesn’t impose a minimum work experience requirement on applicants, nor does it impose a minimum GPA and GMAT score. It does, however, look for students to be competitive. Entrance exams are one area the school looks for competitive scores.

Finally, there are there prerequisite courses in accounting, finance, and statistics that have to be completed by students who did not complete an undergraduate degree in business and/or for those who may have taken the foundational courses during their undergraduate work, but finished with a grade lower than a “B.” These courses are offered in online format for students to complete.

Looking to the future of the Distance MBA at MSU and where the program is headed, the school reports that a review of its offerings is currently underway.