Business & Economy

Whitman School Online MBA Program Highly Ranked in 2024 Princeton Review

Friday, July 19, 2024, By Dawn McWilliams

The Martin J. Whitman School of Management was prominently featured in The Princeton Review’s Top 50 Online MBA Programs for 2024, and the program is ranked No. 21 among the Top 50 schools. In 2023, Whitman’s online MBA program was ranked No. 40.

The ranking is based on a combination of institutional and student survey data, including career outcomes, technological infrastructure, academic rigor, cost and affordability, among others. The survey also incorporates student opinions that The Princeton Review collected through its online MBA student survey and institutional data reported by administrators at the business schools. This year, the data reflects surveys of administrators at 165 business schools offering online MBAs and more than 10,700 online MBA students.

According to The Princeton Review, online MBA programs have become as rigorous as their on-campus counterparts. For many business school candidates, an online degree might even be the smarter choice. Online programs offer flexibility, affordability, access to innovative technologies, students from a diverse career backgrounds and global opportunities.

Here are some of the highlights of what Whitman students said:

  • The online MBA program provides “a solid educational and professional core,” “online interaction with classmates and the professor” and “flexibility of an online format instead of going part time attending classroom lectures.”
  • The school also offers immersion events “so that online students still have the opportunity to network with their peers.” This makes them feel as though they are “a part of the institution and not just a number.”
  • The majority of topics cover “current business practices and can be applied to current business problems.” While the amount of work can be “a lot to manage,” according to many students, “the way the classes are laid out makes it very easy for students to access, since there are many different days and hours students are able to choose from to accommodate their own work schedules.”
  • The asynchronous and synchronous classes “are often taught by two different people.” This often “helps students hear the same information in two different ways.” Supplementary “resources and videos” are also provided as extra support.
  • Discussions in class are “always thought-provoking” due to classmates who are “driven, intelligent and strive for excellence.”

“We are very happy to once again have validation of our programs from an outside rankings organization. This continues our school’s upward trajectory for being recognized as providing a highly valuable educational experience,” says Alex McKelvie, interim dean of the Whitman School. “We also appreciate the comments on the student-focused part of our program. Whitman has continuously concentrated on the online students’ experience, and we appreciate them highlighting this aspect.”

“This is the second ranking survey where students have highlighted the academic experience we provide. Whitman achieved an overall ranking of No. 29 this fall in the Poets&Quants ranking of online MBA programs. Recent alumni ranked us No. 15 overall on academic experience. Of particular note was alumni satisfaction with live synchronous classes (ranked No. 10 nationally) and professor quality (ranked No. 7 nationally),” says Amy McHale, assistant dean for graduate programs at Whitman.

Learn more about Whitman’s online MBA program.