A Master's in Business Administration (MBA) is one of the most well-known and recognizable graduate degrees in the world. People with these degrees help to manage large teams of people that work together to operate some of the largest influential companies in America. In this ranking, we are looking at degree programs that combine convenient learning with environments ripe with business potential. The recent energy boom, thanks to shale gas technology, makes Oklahoma a friendly place for businesses and entrepreneurs. Online programs offer convenience and affordability that helps students receive the best bang for their buck! Combining the two creates the 10 Best Online MBAs in Oklahoma!
FINDING AN MBA DEGREE
Many people are familiar with MBA degrees, but did you know that there are many different concentrations and specialties within MBA programs? Students can focus on leadership aspects through concentrations in Business Management or Human Resources Management. Or students can pursue topics such as Accounting, Economics, or Finance, which are based around the quantitative and financial facets of an MBA. This versatility allows students to pursue a myriad of different careers including Financial Management, or more executive positions such as a Chief Technology Officer. In these roles, graduates apply their training to devise and apply strategies that will help companies to grow and meet their goals. These positions also command salaries of more than $100,000 per year according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics!
It's important for students to consider which path to the MBA that they would like to pursue. Some students choose to gain work experience in the business field before pursuing their graduate education, which can give them real-world perspective as well as allowing them to save money and reduce their student loan requirements. Some MBA programs even require anywhere between 2-5 years of relevant work experience before students are eligible to apply. Students who gain even further experience might even qualify for an Executive MBA program, which is a program designed for highly experienced and management-oriented employees in the business field. Applicants to these programs often have around 10 years of experience in their given field and plan to pursue business executive positions upon receiving their MBA.
RANKING THE 10 BEST ONLINE MBAs IN OKLAHOMA
Online MBA Today uses eight metrics to grade each school: Quality of Online Programs from U.S. News, Mid Career Pay from Payscale, Student Review Score from Rate My Professor, aggregate reputation score from other ranking sites, and Percentage of Online Programs, SAT Scores, Average Net Price, and Retention Rate from the National Center for Education Statistics.
#1. UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA
The University of Oklahoma often referred to as OU, is a public university located in Norman, Oklahoma. The program is an online Executive Masters in Business Administration program in Energy. It is a 15-month program that requires students to complete 36 credit hours of coursework. OU's program focuses on hybridity, giving students blended experiences that diversify the knowledge they gain. The faculty is drawn from a mixture of leaders in academic research and from leaders within the energy field itself. Students take 14 of the 22 courses online, which gives them the flexibility of online learning, while also ensuring that they are able to grow the networking and interactive skills required in the business world.
Today's business market requires students to be able to grow their business in diverse markets, especially when it comes to international opportunities. Students in the program gain exposure to this critical business element through a week-long international experience in London. Students applying to the program are expected to bring significant work experience with them, including a minimum of eight years of progressive work experience (at least 3 years of which must be within the energy field. OU's program then supplements this experience with resources including an Executive Career Coach, who helps students address their most pressing needs personally and professionally. This ensures that students are ready to succeed in the business market as soon as they graduate.
Format: Online
#2. CAMERON UNIVERSITY
Cameron University is a public university located in Lawton. It offers a Master's in Business Administration program that is designed for professionals already working in the business field or recent graduates who want a leg up when they enter the job market. Students are required to complete 45 credit hours of study, which includes leveling courses, core courses, and electives. Cameron offers the program in both online and on-campus formats. Some courses are also available through ITV and can be broadcast to locations throughout Oklahoma. In addition to the core listing of courses, students choose 9 credit hours of courses focused on a chosen area of interest. Courses cover specializations including economics, organizational administration, or international business management. The program finishes with a written comprehensive exam, for which the department provides study guides.
Cameron is a smaller university, enrolling a student population a little over 5,500, the large majority of which are undergraduate students. They recently began a program known as the "Centennial Campaign," which focused on improvements including endowed faculty positions, student scholarships, and a student activities complex. The campaign began at the beginning of the last decade and reached its $9 million total goal within its first two years. Cameron hosts an annual Academic Festival that hosts renowned speakers and lecturers; past speakers at the event have included Richard Leakey and Cornel West. Cameron's athletic teams compete under the name Cameron Aggies, who compete at the Division II level of NCAA sports.
Format: Online
#3. OKLAHOMA CITY UNIVERSITY
Oklahoma City University is a private university located in Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City offers an online Professional Masters in Business Administration. It is a 36 credit-hour program that includes twelve courses. Students complete most of the coursework on their own schedule, but the learning is also supplemented with occasional scheduled live classes or group work sessions conducted via webcam. Their program emphasizes "individual leadership development and creativity," which is intended to develop practical interpersonal and business skills that will drive student success in the job market after graduation. OCU also tries to provide students with global perspectives and develop professional networks to provide students with a wealth of resources during their program.
The degree program finishes with a Capstone Experience course which challenges students through simulations, cases, and live case-client projects. The faculty for the MBA program includes a diverse cross-section of experienced industry professionals and leading academic researchers. One such instructor is Carol Howard, who is the Associate Professor of International Business. Her research interests focus on global business operations; she received her Ph.D. from Indiana University Bloomington and her MBA from California State University, Long Beach. OCU is historically affiliated with the United Methodist Church and maintains the motto" "Truth, Church, and Knowledge." Noted alumni from the university include the founder and senior pastor of Life Church, Craig Groeschel, as well as a number of celebrated musical theater and operatic performers.
Format: Online
#4. ORAL ROBERTS UNIVERSITY
Oral Roberts University is a private Evangelical liberal arts university located in Tulsa. Oral Roberts offers a Master's in Business administration program. The MBA program requires 38.5 credit hours of study, which is divided between 13 different courses. The business core courses include Management in a Globalized Era, Managerial Economics, and Business Analytics. In addition to the management and business courses, Oral Roberts also requires courses that focus on the students personal and physical development. These include courses such as Holy Spirit Empowerment in Life & Ministry, Graduate Health Fitness, and a Health Fitness Activity Course. Students who are admitted provisionally or who lack certain admissions requirements may also be required to complete leveling or proficiency courses before beginning the MBA core.
ORU is specifically affiliated with the Charismatic Evangelicalism school. Students are required to attend weekly chapel services in the on-campus chapel known as Christ's Chapel. Chapel generally includes sermons from President Dr. William Wilson, or in some cases from well-known pastors visiting the school. The degree plans offered by the school recommend that the program be completed on either a 21-month schedule or a 17-month degree schedule. The 17-month plan includes 4-5 classes per semester, while the 21-month degree plan has students complete 3-4 classes per semester. The school recently relaxed its traditional dress code which had required business casual clothing from all on-campus students. Male students may now maintain neatly kept facial hair and students are allowed to wear jeans to class.
Format: Residential
#5. THE UNIVERSITY OF TULSA
The University of Tulsa often referred to as TU, is a private research university in Tulsa, OK. Tulsa's Collins College of Business offers a Master's in Business Administration program. The full-time program can be completed in 16 months, while the part-time program can be completed in around 24 months. Full-time students engage with a consulting project that challenges them to solve a current corporate issue in consultation with fellow students and local business leaders. The students then complete the program with a Multidisciplinary Business Applications capstone course which pairs students with local businesses or nonprofits to solve real issues facing these community leaders. In addition to their coursework, students must fulfill a number of professional development requirements as a part of the program; these can include resume reviews, mock interviews, and a resume-building summer internship.
Students are assigned a local business leader in their first year, who acts as their mentor through the program. TU has a historic affiliation with the Presbyterian Church, though they maintain a tradition of religious diversity within their student body. In 2002, they became the first American university to have a mosque built on their campus. In 2016, the university acquired The Bob Dylan Archive, which they are working on turning into a museum in downtown Tulsa. Tulsa has a number of successful corporate alumni, including current Walmart CEO Doug McMillon and Kuwait Petroleum Company CEO Hanzi Abdulaziz Al Hussein. Four out of five graduate business students receive some form of financial assistance, including scholarships, graduate assistantships, or tuition reimbursement.
Format: Online
#6. NORTHEASTERN STATE UNIVERSITY
Northeastern State University, often abbreviated as NSU, is a public university located in Tahlequah. NSU offers a Master's in Business Administration program which includes 36 credit hours of coursework. The program is designed for working professionals and can be completed in two years or less. The curriculum was designed to include both qualitative and quantitative experience relevant to business problem-solving. There are eight core courses and some examples include Managerial Accounting, Strategic Management, and Marketing Strategy. In addition to these courses students then choose a specialization which determines their four elective courses. Specialization options include Healthcare Administration, Long Term Care, Healthcare Informatics, or Business Analytics, among others.
Northeastern State University's online MBA program was recently rated as one of the "Best Value Accredited Online MBA Programs of 2019-20" by OnlineMBAPage.com. The MBA program can be taken either online or in a blended format that mixes on-campus experience with the convenience of distance learning. Students with at least three years of professional work experience may also qualify for the Professional MBA program. Tahlequah is capital of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and around one-quarter of the student body identifies as American Indian. NSU, therefore, offers a number of Cherokee language and Native American linguistics courses, as well as course offerings specifically taught in Cherokee. NSU also has campuses located in Muskogee and Broken Arrow; the Muskogee campus hosts the on-campus MBA program.
Format: Online
#7. OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY
Oklahoma State University, also known as OSU, is a public university located in Stillwater. OSU offers an online Masters of Business Administration programs which students complete part-time. Students complete 42 credit hours of study with students self-pacing their way through the program. The program begins with an accounting, economics, and financial reporting course before moving into upper-level courses in management and analytics. Overall students will take 14 courses during the program which, given its part-time nature, means that students can complete their degree in around three years. During the program students also choose an MBA concentration which they pursue through their elective course options. Concentrations available through the online program include Data Science, Business Sustainability, and Nonprofit Management, among others.
OSU prefers applicants to have work experience but it is not required for admission. Students must also possess a minimum GPA of 3.0 and competitive scores on the GMAT or GRE. Graduates from the program report a 98.4% employment rate (defined as the percent of graduates who had employment, job offers, or other professional plans within 3 months of graduating). One of the keys to success cited by the program is their team-oriented model that encourages students to get to know one another throughout the program. This enables students to develop a team-oriented perspective that employers find valuable. Oklahoma State is one of the larger universities in the state of Oklahoma with a student population of more than 25,000 total students.
Format: Online
#8. OKLAHOMA BAPTIST UNIVERSITY
Oklahoma Baptist University, often abbreviated OBU, is a private liberal arts university located in Shawnee. OBU offers a Master's in Business Administration program, which requires 33 credit hours of study and can be completed in as few as two years. Oklahoma Baptist emphasizes that their curriculum is taught from a Biblical perspective, which underscores the values of ethics and integrity in business practices. In addition to the fundamental MBA coursework, OBU also offers a number of graduate certificate programs that can give graduates practical expertise in fields such as business operations, corporate innovation, or energy management. These certificates require the completion of 9-12 credit hours of study, depending on which program a student chooses to pursue.
Oklahoma Baptist's program does not require applicants to have work experience or an undergraduate degree in a business field. Students with degrees from outside of the business field are encouraged to apply and must only demonstrate basic competency in general business knowledge to be eligible for pursuing the MBA degree. It is preferred that students have a minimum of two years of work experience and that they possess a strong desire to develop their leadership abilities. OBU is owned by the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma. They have been recognized as the highest ranked regional university in Oklahoma for the 20th consecutive year by U.S. World & News Report.
Format: Online
#9. SOUTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY
Southeastern Oklahoma State University, commonly shortened to Southeastern or SE, is a public university located in Durant. Southeastern offers a Master's in Business Administration program, which requires 36 credit hours of study to complete. The program can be completed in as few as 12 months. 30 credit hours come from core courses within the program including strategic management, accounting for managers, and marketing management. The final six credits are devoted to a student's chosen concentration in the program. Southeastern offers 13 different MBA concentrations, all of which are available through the online degree program. Concentrations cover everything from Marketing and Finance to Safety and Native American Leadership. Students also have the option of simply completing a general emphasis.
Admissions requirements for the program vary depending on the education and experience that a candidate has. Students meeting a 3.0 GPA requirement may apply without professional supplements, but students within the 2.5-2.99 GPA range are required to have either professional work experience or professional letters of recommendation, depending on the level of their academic record. SE is a smaller university, with a student population of around 5,200 total students. The school has a number of notable athletic alumni including Hall of Fame NBA player Dennis Rodman and Chicago Bears receiver Randall Burks. In addition to its more traditional academic offerings, Southeastern also has an aviation program which has been authorized by the FAA to streamline their degree programs to help students keep educational experiences more affordable.
Format: Online
#10. SOUTHERN NAZARENE UNIVERSITY
Southern Nazarene University, or SNU, is a private liberal arts university located in Bethany. SNU offers a Master's of Business Administration program which requires the completion of 40 credit hours to graduate. SNU's program is specifically focused on the management aspect of business administration with ten courses in the program designed to address leadership and management in a certain capacity or business area. Core courses include the Economic Environment, Organization Communication, and Marketing Management. Later courses focus on the management aspect of the MBA program, honing students' skills as leaders in the business world and preparing them to enter managerial positions after graduating. The final capstone course is a Strategic Management course, which includes a management simulation component.
In addition to the regular MBA program, Southern Nazarene University also offers an MBA-Health Care Certificate program. The certificate includes 13 credit hours of study, divided between 12 hours of MBA-HC courses focused on healthcare issues and problems and a one-credit Leadership in Healthcare course. SNU is affiliated with the Church of the Nazarene. In addition to their main campus in Bethany, Southern Nazarene has also maintained a presence in Tulsa through adult and professional programs. Students may transfer in a maximum of 9 graduate credit hours or waive up to 6 credit hours based on coursework completed in their undergraduate studies.
Format: Online
