Top 3 Online MBA Programs in Hawaii

Formed thousands of years ago by erupted volcanoes, the state of Hawaii consist of the eight main islands of Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe and the Big Island of Hawaii. A favorite of vacationers across the globe, the little island of Hawaii is “the most isolated population center on the face of the earth. Hawaii is 2,390 miles from California; 3,850 miles from Japan; 4,900 miles from China; and 5,280 miles from the Philippines.” Admitted into the union in 1959, the state was the 50^th state to join the United States. Hawaii is also a state with multiple highly-respected and high-quality online MBA programs. Island lovers will especially enjoy some of the island-specific concentrations and courses that many of the state’s top business schools offer traditional and online MBA students.

There has never been a better time to pursue an online MBA program in Hawaii as many of the state’s top business schools feature easy-to-access admissions advisors. The business schools allow students to submit past academic and professional experience records in order to get the process started. While most schools require just a few years of professional experience and an undergraduate degree awarded by an accredited college or university from MBA applicants, some schools even waive all GMAT or GRE requirements. Students looking for a convenient 100% online MBA will have several to choose from while those desiring short on-campus residencies for face-to-face networking can also find those in Hawaii.

The top online MBA programs in Hawaii compiled in this list offer a variety of course lengths and tuition rates as well. Some of these programs are bolstered by their business school’s being accredited through organizations like the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education (IACBE) and the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). Let this ranking of the best online MBA programs in Hawaii help guide you in the important decision of finding a degree that is the right fit for you.

For more information about other online MBA programs, check out our article on the top MBA specializations and explore our other Online MBA Rankings.

Note: A detailed explanation of the methodology we used to determine the best online MBA programs in Hawaii can be found at the end of the ranking.

#1 Chaminade University School of Business & Communication – Honolulu, Hawaii

Photo creditThe School of Business & Communication at Chaminade University delivers Hawaii’s best online MBA program with a general, Not-for-Profit, Accounting, or Island Business focus. This 36-credit hour program is classified as above average in affordability with a total tuition price between $30,000 and $49,999. The School of Business & Communication receives its excellent business accreditation through the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education. The business school has designed this program to prepare “graduates to have the skills needed to achieve results: working with others, problem solving, and managing change. The program’s emphasis on using theory for taking action empowers graduates to effectively lead people, projects, and organizations in virtually any kind of business.” Students can take classes completely online or in the classroom during evening sessions. With four start times each year, semesters are 10 weeks in length allowing students to graduate in just 18 months. Courses within this program include Leading People in Organizations, Economic Analysis for managers, Managerial Ethics and Decision Making, Managerial Marketing, and Strategic Management.

Home of the Silverswords who wear the school colors of blue, white, and silver, the athletic department at Chaminade University supports men’s and women’s varsity sports teams which compete at the NCAA Division II level as members of the PacWest Conference. Chaminade is a four-year, private, not-for-profit institution of higher learning with a main campus located in Honolulu, Hawaii. The university delivers degrees at the associate, undergraduate, and graduate levels to the 2,277 students currently enrolled there. The university was founded in 1955 as St. Louis Junior College by the Roman Catholic group, the Society of Mary. Chaminade University receives its regional accreditation through the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Senior College and University Commission and features Vita In Verbo “Life in the Word” as its official school motto.

Affordability Score: Above Average
OMBAT Ranking Score: 100.00

#2 University of Hawaii Manoa Shidler College of Business – Honolulu, Hawaii

Photo creditThe University of Hawaii Manoa offers an online Executive MBA program at the Shidler College of Business. This 48-credit hour program is classified as above average in affordability with a total tuition price between $30,000 and $49,999. The Shidler College of Business receives its excellent business accreditation through the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. The AACSB is the gold standard for accrediting bodies in higher education. This degree has been designed with “an intensive resident module at the UH Manoa campus with state-of-the-art, faculty-directed, distance education technology. The highly interactive program will fully engage students in their courses and provide business theory with practical applications. The program’s format offers an immersive learning community with the flexibility of distance learning. Its design allows students on the neighbor islands to pursue a graduate degree while continuing to live and work in their place of residence.” Structured to be completed in just 22 months, the courses included in this program are Data Analytics and Statistics for Business, Micro- and Macro-economic Foundations for Managers, Marketing Management, Accounting for Decision-Making, Digital Transformation with Information Systems and Technology, Leadership and Organizational Behavior, Managerial Finance, and Business Policy and Strategy.

Established in 1907, the University of Hawaii Manoa is a four-year, public institution of higher learning with a main campus located in Honolulu, Hawaii. Operating under the school motto of Ma luna a’e o na lahui a pau ke ola o ke kanaka (“Above All Nations is Humanity”), the university was originally founded as an agriculture and mechanical arts land-grant college. Receiving its regional accreditation through the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Senior College and University Commission, the university delivers degrees at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels to the student body of 18,056 currently enrolled. Home of the Rainbow Warriors and Rainbow Wahine, the athletic department at UH Manoa supports men’s and women’s varsity sports teams which compete at the NCAA Division I level as members of the Big West Conference. The school’s official colors are green and white.

Affordability Score: Above Average
OMBAT Ranking Score: 94.07

#3 Hawaii Pacific University College of Business – Honolulu, Hawaii

Photo creditThe College of Business at Hawaii Pacific University offers an online MBA program with concentrations in Accounting, Human Resource Management, Information Systems, International Business, Management, Marketing, and Organizational Change and Development. This 42-credit hour program is classified as above average in affordability with a total tuition price between $30,000 and $49,999. With four different formats of full-time MBA, online MBA, hybrid on-base MBA, and part-time MBA, students in this program enjoy convenience and flexibility. The business school has designed this degree to allow students the chance to “gain hands-on experience working with Honolulu’s global business community.” Candidates interested in this program are encouraged to submit proof of an undergraduate degree from an accredited university, two letters of recommendation, a statement of purpose, and current GRE/GMAT score, resume, and $50 application fee into the admissions office in order to begin the acceptance process. Students seeking the 12-month MBA should have a 3.5 GPA and 550 GMAT score.

Hawaii Pacific University was originally founded as Hawaii Pacific College in 1965 by Paul C.T. Loo, Eureka Forbes, Elizabeth W. Kellerman, and Reverend Edmond Walker who partnered together to establish a private liberal arts college in Hawaii. The school received its university status in 1990. Receiving its regional accreditation through the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Senior College and University Commission, the university exists today as a four-year, private, not-for-profit institution of higher learning with a main campus in Honolulu, Hawaii. Delivering degrees at the associate, undergraduate, graduate and doctoral levels, HPU oversees a student body of 4,081. Home of the Sharks and featuring the mascot Sharky the Shark, the official school colors of Hawaii Pacific University are blue and gray. The athletic department at HPU consists of men’s and women’s varsity sports teams which compete at the NCAA Division II level as members of the PacWest Conference.

Affordability Score: Above Average
OMBAT Ranking Score: 84.87

Methodology

To find the top Online MBA programs in Hawaii, a list of over 470 online and hybrid MBA degree programs was gathered, and each program was evaluated first for a location in the state of Hawaii, and then ranked on the following factors:

Estimated Tuition Cost (25%): Each online MBA program is evaluated to find the estimated total base tuition cost. All financial data was taken from the most recent information given on each program or school website. The base tuition was calculated for the entirety of the degree, but does not included fees, books, or room and board; with the exception of MBA programs that use all-inclusive figures. For colleges that offer a lower in-state tuition rate, the in-state pricing is used. Twenty-five percent of the final ranking score is calculated from this figure.

Based on this base tuition data, each program is given an Affordability Score:

Very Expensive = $100,000+
Expensive = $50,000-$99,999
Above Average = $30,000-$49,999
Average = $20,000-$29,999
Affordable = $15,000-$19,999
Very Affordable = $0-$14,999

Accreditation (25%): Accreditation plays an important role in education. It helps prospective students identify which school has gone to extensive measures to reach high national and global standards in its research and delivered education. Each program in this top online MBA ranking is evaluated on whether it holds a regional accreditation from one of the six institutions that are recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Additionally, business school accreditations affect an MBA’s brand and prestige, which can thus affect a graduate’s competitive advantage in the job market. Each school is ranked on if the online MBA program is accredited from one of the top business accrediting institutions: ACBSP, IACBE, or AACSB. AACSB is widely regarded as the highest standard of business accreditation in the world, and thus schools that hold this accreditation are given the highest marks. Twenty-five percent of the final ranking score is calculated from this figure.

Average Base Salary (25%): The salary data is highlighted in this top online MBA ranking in order for prospective students to explore the affect an online MBA degree can have on a professional’s salary. The average base salary is collected from the 2018 Best Business School Ranking by US News and World Report. Programs without a recorded average base salary from US News and World Report was calculated at zero because of no available third-party data. Twenty-five percent of the final ranking score is calculated from this figure.

Prestige (25%): The prestige for each program is calculated by evaluating rankings from some of the most prestigious educational rankings systems for online MBA programs: US News and World Report’s Online MBA Ranking, the Princeton Review’s Online MBA Ranking, the Financial Times’ Global Online MBA Ranking, and Quacquarelli Symonds’ Distance Online MBA Ranking. Each online MBA was evaluated on how many rankings included their program. Twenty-five percent of the final ranking score is calculated from this figure.

All of the data was weighted equally, averaged, and then calculated on a 100-point scale. This score is the OMBAT Ranking Score, which provides the ranking order for this list. By evaluating the tuition cost, accreditation, average base salary, and prestige, this ranking helps prospective students find the highest quality online MBA programs in Hawaii.