Top Online MBA Programs in Utah

Joining the Union on January 4, 1896 as the 45^th state, Utah’s state capitol building is located in Salt Lake City. Known as the Beehive State, the “beehive became the official state emblem on March 4, 1959. Utahans relate the beehive symbol to industry and the pioneer virtues of thrift and perseverance. The beehive was chosen as the emblem for the provisional State of Deseret in 1848 and was maintained on the seal of the State of Utah when Utah became a state in 1896.” Utah is the 33rd-most populated state with just over 3.1 million residents calling the state home. The word “Utah” is believed to be derived from the Native American term meaning “people of the mountains.”

Besides being the birth-state of actor Maude Adams and more-recently, Roseanne Barr and James Woods, Utah offers some of the best online MBA programs in the nation. Widely known as the standard for higher education in business, the Master’s of Business Administration is an excellent program when delivered through an online format. Before online education, professionals with work experience would have to sacrifice positions within organizations and move to other cities or states in order to receive training at the nation’s best business schools.

The online MBA allows working professionals the chance to receive an excellent degree while still being in control of their professional and personal schedules. Students seeking an accelerated degree may be able to graduate in a year or less while others who have a busier schedule may have the opportunity to complete all the requirements for their degrees within six or seven years or more.

While many business schools deliver the same excellent curriculum to distance learners that classroom students enjoy, there is no compromise for the distance learner in the area of high-quality content. Business accreditation, program reputation, tuition cost, and national ranking are just a few of the factors to consider when researching and comparing online Master’s of Business Administration programs. With many of these factors in mind, we have compiled the top-three online Master’s of Business Administration programs in the state of Utah. While these programs vary in characteristics, each of these programs is backed by their business school’s stellar business accreditation through the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business or the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs. Let this ranking of Utah’s best online MBAs 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 Utah can be found at the end of the ranking.

#1 University of Utah David Eccles School of Business – Salt Lake City, Utah

Photo creditThe David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah delivers Utah’s best online Master’s of Business Administration. The business school has recently been recognized by U.S. News & World Report as offering the 25^th best online MBA in the nation, the Princeton Review as having the 14^th best in the country, and Quacquarelli Symonds for offering the 48^th best program on the planet. This 48-credit hour program is classified as expensive with a total tuition range of $50,000 to $99,999. According to the U.S. News and World Report Best Business Schools Ranking, graduates from the business school report an average base salary of $88,143 after graduation, which shows excellent potential for a healthy return on investment of education. This online MBA is delivered through an asynchronous curriculum and students are offered three start times each year. Besides access to on-campus support staff, the business school also equips its students with one-on-one executive career coaching. The David Eccles School of Business receives its excellent business accreditation through the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. As the majority of this degree is offered as a fully-online experience, students are required to visit the University of Utah campus for one three-day residency in August in order to meet faculty and network with other students.

Home of the Utes, the athletic department at the University of Utah supports men’s and women’s varsity sports teams that compete at the NCAA Division I level as members of the Pac-12. Founded in 1850 by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret as the University of Deseret, the school stands today as the oldest institution of higher education in the state of Utah. The university took on its current name just four years before Utah became a state and the campus was established in its current location of Salt Lake City in 1900. Utah receives its regional accreditation through the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. This four-year public university currently maintains a student enrollment of 32,800 seeking degrees at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels.

Affordability Score: Expensive
OMBAT Ranking Score: 100.00

#2 Western Governors University College of Business – Salt Lake City, Utah

Photo creditThe College of Business at Western Governors University offers one of Utah’s best online Master’s of Business Administration degrees. This degree has been designed “for experienced business professionals focused on advancing their careers. It can also benefit anyone who wants to further develop their knowledge of business, management, and strategy. The curriculum emphasizes the principles of effective management and leadership that maximize performance and improve the bottom line.” Most students complete all requirements for the program in 13 months to two years. Consisting of 11 courses, this excellent program is classified as affordable with a total tuition price between $15,000 and $19,999. The business school receives its excellent business accreditation through the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs. The courses included in this program are Managing Organizations and Leading People, Managing Human Capital, Management Communication, Operations Management, Global Economics for Managers, Marketing, Accounting for Decision Makers, Ethical Leadership, Financial Management, and Data-Driven Decision Making. This program does conclude with a capstone, which includes a business simulation component.

Established in 1997, Western Governors University receives its regional accreditation through the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Operating under the motto of “A New Kind of U,” the school was founded by a group of 19 U.S. governors after governor Mike Leavitt proposed the university at the Western Governors Association meeting of 1995. Today, this four-year, private not for profit institution of higher learning features a main campus in Salt Lake City, Utah. WGU offers undergraduate and graduate degrees to 98,627 students currently enrolled there. Offering all coursework through online education, the school’s official colors are navy and gold.

Affordability Score: Affordable
OMBAT Ranking Score: 59.73

#3 Southern Utah University School of Business – Cedar City, Utah

Photo creditAn online Master’s of Business Administration is delivered by the School of Business at Southern Utah University. This 30-credit hour program is classified as above average in affordability with a total tuition price between $30,000 and $49,999. The business school has recently been recognized by U.S. News & World Report as offering the 83^rd best online MBA in the nation. The School of Business has designed this program to produce “capable business leaders who are prepared with the necessary knowledge and skills to make high quality business decisions in either an entrepreneurial or staff capacity. Small class sizes and a highly qualified faculty, with both academic and professional experience, ensure our students obtain a solid foundation of people and technical skills.” The business school receives its excellent business accreditation through the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Distance learners within this program have the option of taking one to five courses each term and may take summer courses or choose not to. Courses for this program may be taken 100% online, in the classroom, or as a combination of the two as a hybrid experience. Core courses within this degree include Accounting for Decision Making, Managerial Economics, Managing Organizations & People, Managerial Finance, Marketing Management, and Strategic Management.

Southern Utah University was originally founded as Branch Normal School in 1897. The school was the first teacher training school in the region. The university would later become an agricultural college before being rebranded as Southern Utah College in 1969. The school received its university status in 1990. Receiving its regional accreditation through the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, the university exists today as a four-year, public institution of higher learning with a main campus in Cedar Hill, Utah. Delivering degrees at the associate, undergraduate, and graduate levels, Southern Utah oversees a student body of 9,468. Home of the Thunderbirds, the official school colors of the university are red and white. The athletic department at SUU consists of men’s and women’s varsity sports teams that compete at the NCAA Division I-AA as members of the Big Sky Conference.

Affordability Score: Above Average
OMBAT Ranking Score: 58.29

Methodology

To find the top Online MBA programs in Utah, a list of over 490 online MBA programs was collected, and each program was evaluated first for a location in the state of Utah, and then ranked on the following factors:

Estimated Tuition Cost (25%): Each online MBA degree was analyzed to find the estimated total base tuition cost. Information was gathered from the most recent tuition data on each program or school website. The base tuition was calculated for the whole degree, but does not included fees, books, or room and board; with the exception of programs that use all-inclusive figures. For colleges that offer a lower in-state tuition, 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, because it attests to which school has attained high national and global standards in its research and delivered education. Each online MBA program in this ranking list 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.

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

Average Base Salary (25%): The average base salary data is highlighted in this top online MBA ranking list because it allows prospective students to explore the affect an online MBA degree can have on a graduate’s salary. This data is collected from the 2018 Best Business School Ranking by US News and World Report. Programs without a recorded average base salary from this list 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 degree program is calculated by evaluating lists 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 ranking lists included their program. Twenty-five percent of the final ranking score is calculated from this figure.

All of this criteria 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 Utah.