This month, the online MBA program at Rice Business celebrates five years since matriculating its first cohort of students. The online MBA has become the fastest growing program at the business school since its launch in 2018.
Ranked No. 12 for online programs by U.S. News and top 5 for online programs by Princeton Review and Poets & Quants, the online MBA is recognized for its rigor and service to students – which includes a large portion of veterans.
“The online MBA has grown enrollment and contributed to the culture of the school through student government and club roles,” said Rice Business Dean Peter Rodriguez. “And alumni from this program are contributing, too. The newest alumni board president, for instance, hails from Boston via the online MBA program. It shows that having an online MBA serving working professionals who may not have the option to study on campus allows us to broaden our reach and impact.”
Of the currently enrolled students, 25% are outside of Texas, the average age is 38 and 24% are veterans. Of the graduates, 24% were from outside of Texas, the average age is 36 and 15% were veterans. The program’s success has also allowed Rice Business to grow its tenure-track faculty by 40%.
To learn more about Rice Business’ online programming, click here.
Rice Business earned five top 10 rankings in The Princeton Review's 2027 business school rankings, highlighted by its first-ever recognition for Best Campus Environment (No. 9), a return to the top 10 for Best MBA for Consulting (No. 8), Best MBA for Finance (No. 7) and Greatest Resources for Minority Students (No. 6). The school also landed the No. 6 national ranking for MBA@Rice, placing it among the nation's best online MBA programs.
"This new pathway enables us to support exceptional early-career talent with a dedicated classroom experience and intentional programming," said Barbara Bennett, director of MBA@Rice and professor of finance.
Long known for its demanding academics, personalized attention, and generous financial aid, Rice University is also home to the Jones Graduate School of Business, one of the premier small school MBA experiences.
