The University of Delaware’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics Online MBA Program was ranked 24th among online MBA programs in the nation by Fortune magazine and as a Tier One program by CEO Magazine. 

In its first-ever ranking of online programs for earning a master’s degree in business administration (MBA), Fortune surveyed over 100 programs, along with companies, hiring managers and executives, to determine its rankings. The Lerner Online MBA was ranked 24th, based on four components including: Program Score, Fortune 1000 Score, Brand Score and Prestige Score.

CEO Magazine determines its Global MBA Rankings based on the return on investment (ROI) of each business school. The UD Lerner Online MBA was ranked 48th globally based on several factors including: quality of faculty, international diversity, class size, accreditation, faculty-to-student ratio, price, international exposure, work experience, professional exposure, gender parity and delivery methods.

“While a transformative, multi-disciplinary program such as the Lerner MBA cannot be boiled down to a single ranking number, we are pleased that the methodologies used by Fortune and CEO magazines capture the unique attributes of our program,” said Bruce Weber, dean of the Lerner College. “These include high academic standards, choice and flexibility, attractive class sizes, access to faculty and staff professionals and the size of the alumni network you join on graduation. Placing in the top tier shows prospective students and stakeholders that the Lerner Online MBA is a first-rate learning opportunity that opens rewarding career paths for its graduates.”

All five departments in the Lerner College contribute core and elective courses to the Online MBA program, which features intensive 7-week terms, access to personal career coaching, and five concentrations including finance, business analytics and healthcare.

The Lerner Online MBA is one component of the UD MBA program, which also offers on campus and hybrid models. Some 54% of Lerner MBA students changed careers, received a promotion or received a raise while pursuing their degree and the average salary of Lerner MBA graduates is $88,632 and the median salary is $79,500.

“Most of our students are mid-career and have busy jobs and an active family life making the fully online asynchronous modality of our online MBA program very appealing,” said Jack Baroudi, professor of management information systems (MIS) and senior associate dean of academic programs at the Lerner College.

“Recognizing this reality we have designed our online MBA to provide a high quality educational experience for the busy adult learner,” Baroudi said. “Our students can listen to a lecture, write papers, and take exams at 4 a.m. or 4 p.m., or whatever time works best for them. Having the ability to leave your profession and return to school full-time is just not an option for most adults anymore. We are very proud that our efforts to provide a quality online business education is being recognized by the top rankings our program is receiving.”