The University of Mississippi’s Online Master of Business Administration program has been named as one of the best in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. The rankings, released today (Jan. 10), place Ole Miss at No. 22 nationally.

“We are excited for the recognition of the outstanding education received in the online MBA program,” said Ken Cyree, dean of the UM School of Business Administration. “We strive to provide similarities of the on-campus experience, but with the flexibility of the courses needed while working or living in another location.

“We are grateful for the opportunities this program provides our graduates, and that we are receiving this type of recognition. We look forward to the continued success of the online MBA program.”

According to U.S. News & World Report’s briefing, “Master’s degree programs in business administration have greater enrollment, by far, than any other type of graduate business degree program. The 2017 ‘Best Online MBA Programs’ rankings evaluate schools based on data related to their distance education MBA programs.”

For the 2017 edition, U.S. News & World Report ranked online MBA programs using five criteria: student engagement, admissions selectivity, peer reputation, faculty credentials and training, and student services and technology.

“Our online program includes a 36-hour, challenging and comprehensive curriculum that allows professionals to further their education while maintaining ‘real life’ responsibilities, such as work and family,” said Ashley Jones, director of the university’s MBA program. “You can keep your job, stay where you are and earn a quality degree from Ole Miss.”

“Our faculty work very hard to provide an online experience that includes frequent, high-quality interaction between students and instructors,” said Walter Davis, faculty director of the online MBA program.

“We strive to provide opportunities for students to interact with one another, sharing their experiences from a variety of professional contexts. This is a vital part of the learning process and a strength of the program.”

UM placed ahead of several respected online programs, including Northeastern University and George Washington University. The program ranked third in the Southeastern Conference (tied with Mississippi State) behind the Hough Graduate School of Business at the University of Florida and the Harbert School of Business at Auburn University.

“Accreditation, reputation and name recognition led me to choose Ole Miss over the other schools,” said Ray Mathew, of Westchester County, New York, who received his degree in 2016.

“Other than talented faculty, the flexibility to complete the degree at my own pace while working full-time was the greatest strength of the online program.”

U.S. News & World Report collected the data between August and October 2016. Two hundred and fifty-five schools indicated they would be offering online MBAs, up from 228 in 2015.

The UM on-campus MBA program ranked No. 36 among American public universities and No. 68 overall by Bloomberg Business Week News Service in November.

The Ole Miss School of Business Administration was established in 1917 and awarded its first MBA degree in 1946.

The program is fully accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International, the premier and world’s largest accreditation organization for business schools.

–Stella Connell