Research by Rice Business professor Tommy Pan Fang shows that two main factors determine the location of hyperscale data centers: access to energy infrastructure and access to low-cost real estate.
What happens when you combine biosciences insight with finance strategy? You get a national-award-winning healthcare startup.
Find out how Rice undergrad Adhira Tippur is ending front-desk burnout and improving patient access with Kairos Health.
Co-founder Adhira Tippur witnessed the administrative overload and patient access challenges at her mom's dental office in a medically underserved region. This experience led her to create Kairos Health, an end-to-end patient intake platform that uses automation to effectively "double staff" and free front desk teams from burnout.
We caught up with Adhira to hear how she launched this national-award-winning healthcare startup, and how the resources at Rice helped her scale it.
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Adhira Tippur, Co-Founder of Kairos Health
What is Kairos Health?
Kairos Health is an end-to-end patient intake platform for dental clinics. We help practices automate inbound calls, scheduling, insurance intake and patient communication so front desk teams can spend less time buried in administrative work and more time supporting patients.
What inspired you to launch this venture?
Kairos began with something I watched for most of my childhood. I grew up in the Rio Grande Valley, a medically underserved region where getting care is hard enough before you even reach a clinic. Every day after school, I went to my mom’s dental office and helped wherever I could, whether that meant answering phones, checking patients in, translating for Spanish-speaking families, or just stepping in wherever things felt busiest. What I remember most is that everyone was always doing ten things at once, and the front desk carried the heaviest load of all.
Back then I thought that was just how a busy clinic worked. As I got older and spent more time in healthcare, technology and operations-focused roles, I started to see it differently. The same breakdowns I had watched at my mom’s front desk were happening everywhere, which told me this was a widespread systems problem across healthcare, and one that drives both provider burnout and lost patient access.
What is your total funding to date?
To date, we’ve secured roughly $70,000 in non-dilutive funding in the past few months alone, which has been incredibly meaningful as student founders because it’s allowed us to keep building quickly without immediately needing outside equity financing.
Our milestones so far include:
America’s Startup (America’s Top 250): A national competition where we won $25,000
Napier Rice Launch Challenge (NRLC): Third place overall out of 120 teams, plus the Audience Choice Award and the Undergraduate Business Award, for a combined $22,000
For us, these milestones have certainly been validating, but even more valuable has been the access they’ve created to mentors, investors and healthcare leaders who have helped us think more strategically about growth, product development and long-term execution.
Your team took home three major awards at the Napier Rice Launch Challenge (NRLC). What did that recognition mean to you?
NRLC felt like a full-circle moment. Rice played a huge role in getting Kairos off the ground, so presenting a company that started in my mom’s clinic and watching it connect with the Rice community was deeply rewarding. The Audience Choice Award stood out the most, because those votes came from people who genuinely understood the problem we were solving. Taking home the Undergraduate Business Award as a student founder reminded me that the work was resonating. Startups feel uncertain most of the time, and moments like that carry you through the harder stretches. The momentum we left with mattered more than the prize money.
Kairos Health Presenting at NRLC
NRLC winners
Tell us more about your most recent win at America's Startup.
America’s Startup was probably one of the most intense and exciting experiences we’ve had so far. It was a highly competitive national startup competition, and what made it especially surreal was pitching in front of people such as Rosie Rios (former U.S. Treasurer), Sarah Friar (CFO of OpenAI), Chris Larsen (co-founder of Ripple), and other major investors and operators. It was incredibly energizing.
What stood out most was seeing that a company born from a very local healthcare operations problem in South Texas could resonate on a national stage. Winning was obviously exciting, but the bigger takeaway was validation that the problem we’re solving is real, scalable and worth building toward aggressively.
I later shared more of that story in the Washington Examiner, where I talked about how much the broader American startup ecosystem makes it possible for student founders to turn a personal problem into a real company.
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Kairos Health Co-Founders with Former U.S. Treasurer & America250 Chair Rosie Rios
Looking back at your journey so far, what do you consider your biggest accomplishment?
I think my biggest accomplishment so far has been turning lived experience into something tangible that’s actually helping real clinics. Competitions are exciting, but the moments that matter most to me are hearing a practice manager say something like, “It feels like we doubled our staff.”
As someone interested in both medicine and healthcare systems, that’s been especially meaningful. It’s one thing to study healthcare problems academically, but it’s another to build something that actually reduces friction for providers and improves access for patients.
As a student majoring in both biosciences and finance, how have those two distinct academic paths helped you build this company?
Studying biosciences and finance gave me two different ways of seeing the same problem, and Kairos lives at the intersection of them.
The biosciences side shapes how I think about healthcare delivery, clinical workflows, compliance and what actually holds up inside a real practice. My interest in computational drug discovery taught me to look for patterns inside biological systems, and that same instinct helps me map out where a clinic’s intake process tends to fail. The finance and strategy side taught me to translate all of that into a business. It pushed me to ask the questions that decide whether a company survives. Is this problem painful enough to pay for? How do we price it? How do we scale responsibly without breaking the trust a clinic places in us?
One lesson from the Rice Business side has stayed with me above the rest: A great idea is only the starting point, and execution and market understanding decide everything after that.
How has Rice supported your entrepreneurial journey?
Rice is one of the biggest reasons Kairos grew as fast as it did. The Liu Idea Lab for Innovation and Entrepreneurship has been a true support system, especially mentors like Kyle Judah and Tony Cordova, who have been generous with their time, their advice and their networks. As student founders, access is everything, and Rice made experienced operators, investors and mentors feel reachable
More broadly, Rice builds an environment where moving across disciplines is encouraged. Kairos exists because I was able to work between healthcare, technology and business without feeling boxed into one lane, and the people at Rice kept opening the next door right when I needed it.
What is your long-term vision for Kairos?
Our long-term vision is to become the operating layer that dental practices run on. Today we are focused on intake, scheduling, communication and administrative automation, but the larger opportunity is much bigger. Dental practices still depend on fragmented, outdated tools that create friction for staff and patients alike. We want to build the infrastructure that makes a practice dramatically more efficient while making the patient experience feel effortless.
In the coming year, what excites me most is scaling from early pilots into broader adoption, refining the product with real clinic feedback, and proving that this can become foundational infrastructure rather than just another point solution.
Advice for other student founders?
Start closer to a real problem than to an idea. A lot of student founders fall in love with building something clever before confirming that the problem actually hurts enough for anyone to pay for a fix. Kairos started because I had years of exposure to a problem I could not ignore.
The biggest advantage students have is proximity. You are surrounded by research labs, clinics, campus operations, communities and professors, and every one of those is a window into a recurring frustration worth solving. Pay attention to the things that keep going wrong around you. Then start before you feel ready, because you will learn more from ten honest conversations with real users than from months spent perfecting an idea alone.
Adhira Tippur is an undergraduate student in the Class of 2028.
Hosted by the Analytics, Consulting and Technology (ACT) club, the competition united undergraduate students for a week-long, high-stakes business challenge in partnership with Bain & Company.
Ivan Diaz is a full time student studying business at Rice University and the owner of Oasis, a concept that offers acai bowls and smoothies in the Lyrics market. “I don’t think age really defines what you can and cannot do,” he says.
A new study suggests regions trying to attract venture capital may need to start with commercializable university innovation.
Based on research by Yael V. Hochberg (Rice Business), Daniel C. Fehder (University of Southern California), and Naomi Hausman (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)
Key takeaways:
Venture capital does not simply flow to regions with money or ambition. It follows commercializable innovation, including research discoveries made accessible through universities.
After the landmark Bayh-Dole Act (1980) gave universities stronger incentives to patent and license federally funded discoveries, VC investment increased in the regions and industries most closely tied to local university research strengths.
For regions trying to build startup ecosystems, supporting university research and technology transfer may matter as much as trying to attract investors directly.
Nearly every region wants the same thing: a local economy where new companies can form, grow and attract private investment. But venture capital is stubbornly clustered. In 2019, Silicon Valley firms received 39% of all U.S. VC allocations, while the top three cities received 60% and the top five received 69%.
For places outside those dominant markets, the question that matters is simple: What makes a place worth investing in?
Many policymakers have tried to solve the problem by bringing in capital directly. They offer tax breaks for early-stage investors, create seed funds or back local venture funds, hoping investment will take root and startups will follow. But new research suggests that this approach may begin one step too late. Venture capital first needs somewhere to go, and something credible to fund.
The harder question is where those credible opportunities come from, and a 2025 study co-authored by Rice Business professor Yael V. Hochberg points to a promising answer: publicly funded university research.
Published in the Journal of Financial Economics, the study examines the major policy shift created by the Bayh-Dole Act of 1980, which gave universities stronger incentives to patent and license discoveries from federally funded research. The law gave Hochberg and her colleagues a way to study whether venture capital follows the supply of university innovation it can help bring to market.
How university research became easier to commercialize
Before the Patent and Trademark Law Amendments Act (1980), sponsored by U.S. Sens. Birch Bayh and Bob Dole, many federally funded university discoveries faced a chokepoint on commercialization. Inventions and related intellectual property from that research were typically assigned to the federal government, and much of it was never patented or marketed. Universities could produce boundary-breaking research, but the incentives and infrastructure for moving those discoveries into industry were weaker.
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Birch Bayh and Bob Dole, Washington D.C., on July 22, 1985. (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
The law changed those incentives. Allowing universities to hold property rights to federally funded discoveries encouraged more patenting, licensing and technology transfer. It wasn’t that university research suddenly become more valuable, but industry and investors were more easily able to see and assess it.
“Venture capital is often treated as the scarce ingredient in a startup ecosystem,” Hochberg says. “But investors need credible opportunities — meaning, research that has moved far enough from the lab to be evaluated, funded and developed. Without that, adding venture capital funds does very little.”
Around this same time as the new law, regulation changes increased how much money VC firms had available. The timing of all this gave Hochberg and her co-authors a useful way to test where private capital flowed once more university research could move toward commercial use.
Regions that develop the research base, technology transfer infrastructure and local capacity to turn discoveries into investable opportunities will naturally see venture investment capital flow to them.
How university strengths shape regional investment
The key insight of Hochberg’s study lies in the pattern of movement. After Bayh-Dole, venture capital flowed toward the regions around universities, especially into industries connected to the preexisting research strengths of those universities.
To test that pattern, Hochberg and her co-authors compared industries within the same local area. Consider the contrast they use between the University of Texas at Austin and Johns Hopkins University. Before Bayh-Dole, UT Austin had a strong electrical and computer engineering department, while Johns Hopkins was especially strong in biosciences. If university innovation helped attract venture capital, the researchers expected to see different patterns in each region: in Austin, more VC flowing into electronics and computer-related industries; in Baltimore, into pharmaceutical and bioscience.
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University patenting, 1970–1990. Annual number of patents produced by research universities and hospitals, by year, from the NBER Patent Database.
And indeed, that’s what they found. The average university county saw a $23.4 million increase in VC funding over the 20 years surrounding Bayh-Dole and related regulatory changes. The post-1980 increase in venture capital was strongest in the local industries most closely tied to each university’s research strengths. That pattern held even after the researchers accounted for broader industry trends and preexisting distributions of venture capital.
What the study adds to innovation policy
The study clarifies a chicken-or-egg conundrum: whether innovation attracts capital, or capital creates innovation. By using Bayh-Dole as a policy shock, Hochberg’s work shows that an increase in commercializable university innovation helped draw research-relevant funding into nearby regions.
“Capital is important,” Hochberg says, “but capital without something to fund doesn’t help create entrepreneurial ecosystems. Regions that develop the research base, technology transfer infrastructure and local capacity to turn discoveries into investable opportunities will naturally see venture investment capital flow to them.”
The study focuses on a specific historical shift, and venture capital is only one pathway from university research to economic activity. So, future research could examine how other forms of capital, other policy settings or non-VC commercialization channels shape the same process.
Still, the central lesson holds: Private funding follows innovation — and public research can help create it.
Head of Rice Entrepreneurship Initiative and Liu Idea Lab for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Ralph S. O’Connor Professor in Entrepreneurship – Finance
Wondering how to pivot into consulting without a business background? Discover how the top-ranked Rice MBA curriculum, Career Development Office, and hands-on learning opportunities will empower you to make a successful career transition.
Helen Huneycutt
If you have ever looked at a complex business problem and thought, “I want to be the person who solves that” — you may want to consider a career in management consulting.
But what if your background isn’t in finance, strategy or corporate operations? Perhaps the last role on your resume reads educator, engineer, nonprofit director or military officer?
If this is you, there’s great news: Consulting firms want critical thinkers, problem-solvers and passionate leaders from all kinds of backgrounds. Rice Business specializes in helping professionals with non-traditional backgrounds successfully pivot into the consulting world. If you are ready to make the leap, here’s how the Rice MBA prepares you to start strong.
You don’t necessarily need corporate strategy experience to get your foot in the consulting door. In fact, firms value diverse perspectives and curious minds capable of looking at an old problem through a fresh lens.
The Rice MBA curriculum is designed to bridge the gap between where you are and where you want to be. From day one, your core courses build a rigorous foundation in quantitative data analysis, economic frameworks and organizational strategy. You’ll build on the unique skills you already possess, translate them for the career you want to enter and develop a fluency for skilled decision-making.
“I am a strategy manager at Accenture, but I worked in oil before pursuing my MBA,” says Ben Clemenceau ’21. “I realized I loved all the strategy classes at Rice, and my current role in consulting is a continuation of doing what I love.”
Hear more about Ben’s pivot into consulting:
Rice Career Development and Recruiting
Recruiting for top-tier consulting firms like McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Accenture and Deloitte, is notoriously intense. It’s a process that requires lots of preparation, time management and a clear strategy. At Rice Business, you don’t have to navigate it alone.
The Rice Business Career Development Office (CDO) goes above and beyond to support MBA students through structured events, workshops and dedicated coaching. With a history of top student placements, our CDO staff understands the precise timeline of consulting recruitment, which kicks off surprisingly early in your MBA journey.
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Business students receive one-on-one mentorship throughout the MBA program.
From your very first semester, the CDO connects you with:
One-on-one career coaching: Specialized advisors who help you translate your past achievements into a resume that catches a recruiter’s eye.
Structured networking: Direct access to info sessions, panels and coffee chats with top consulting firms.
Interview prep: Deep-dive workshops on behavioral interviews and the technical nuances of the consulting evaluation process.
The CDO team helps ensure that when the application windows open, you’re a top candidate. And don’t forget — first impressions are important. For many students, internships serve as a pipeline to your first full-time offer post graduation.
Consulting Clubs & Conferences
While the classroom gives you the theory, the real magic of a Rice MBA happens when you put that theory into practice. For aspiring consultants, our community’s conferences, competitions and clubs offer that hands-on experience throughout your journey.
The Consulting Club
The student-led Rice Business Consulting Club is the heartbeat of our consulting community. It is a place where second-year students mentor first-years, passing down institutional knowledge, recruiting tips and insider advice.
As a member, you’ll attend exclusive recruitment prep events, work with successful Rice Business alumni in consulting and receive personal coaching on your interviewing skills — guaranteeing you’ll perform your best when an opportunity comes.
The Rice MBA made my transition into consulting possible, from bringing recruiters on campus, offering resume critique sessions and fostering connections with alumni.
Ben Clemenceau
Rice MBA Alumnus
Case Competitions
If you want to test your mettle under pressure, Rice Business provides extensive opportunities to participate in conferences and case competitions.
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Alex Brown '27, U.S. Marine Corps veteran, presents to class.
In a typical case competition, you and a team of classmates are given a real-world corporate problem and approximately 24 to 48 hours to solve it. Together, you’ll analyze data, build a financial model and slide deck, and pitch your solution to a panel of industry executives.
It’s an exhilarating experience — and the absolute best simulation of life as a working consultant. Plus, it gives you a tangible story to share when the next recruiter says, “Tell me about a time you solved a complex business challenge.”
“On top of clubs, I was fairly involved in case competitions during my time at Rice. In fact, I think it’s probably the reason that I got some of the interviews that I did,” says Clemenceau. “My team even won the Deloitte Case Competition and attended nationals in Dallas, where we competed against students from top MBA programs across the country.”
Strong Outcomes: The View From the Other Side
The journey from a non-traditional background to a consulting offer is demanding, but the return on investment is profound. Year after year, Rice MBA graduates successfully transition into major global consultancies and boutique firms alike, stepping into roles where they immediately influence Fortune 500 strategies.
Beyond job titles and starting salaries, you’ll embrace ambiguity, unfamiliarity and new perspectives — and most importantly, you’ll join a community of close-knit alumni dedicated to supporting one another through lifelong growth.
If you’re looking to sharpen your leadership skills, business acumen and network without putting your career on pause, a Rice MBA for working professionals might be just what you need.
For Bodie Gilbert ’26 and team, the Rice Global Field Experience (GFE) project culminated in a go-to-market strategy so impactful it helped land the client in the pages of Forbes Brasil.
A MAcc and an MBA both lead to strong career outcomes, but they’re built for different goals, timelines and stages of experience. Here’s how the two degrees compare.
Both degrees can lead to strong career outcomes, but they’re built for different goals, timelines and stages of experience. And while a MAcc is suited for those pursuing an advanced degree straight from college, an MBA typically requires work experience.
At Rice Business, we offer both programs, and students choose each for very different reasons. Some want specialized expertise and a fast start in accounting or finance. Others are looking to expand their leadership responsibilities, pivot industries or move into more strategic roles.
Here’s how the two degrees compare.
A MAcc Is Built for Specialized, Early-Career Momentum
A Master of Accounting (MAcc) is a specialized degree focused on accounting, financial reporting, analytics, taxation and business decision-making.
Students from non-accounting majors looking to pivot into the field
Students with an accounting undergraduate major who want to deepen their knowledge and strengthen their professional and communication skills
Those planning to pursue CPA licensure
A MAcc program also provides a student with specific coursework needed to qualify to take the CPA Exam.
Because the Rice MAcc can be completed in just 10 months, it offers a fast path into the job market, particularly for roles with public accounting firms including the Big Four: Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC. Over the past 10 years, nearly 100% of Rice MAcc graduates have secured employment by or shortly after graduation, with many beginning their careers in:
Public accounting
Audit
Tax
Advisory services
Corporate accounting
Financial analysis
If you want a focused degree with clear career outcomes and strong demand, a MAcc can be a powerful next step.
An MBA Is Designed for Career Growth and Leadership Development
A Master of Business Administration (MBA) takes a broader approach to business education.
Rather than specializing in one discipline, MBA students develop a working understanding of finance, marketing, operations, strategy, leadership and organizational management. The degree is typically designed for professionals who already have work experience and want to pivot into a new field, move toward the C-suite or develop their leadership capabilities.
At Rice Business, students can choose from Full-Time, Professional, Hybrid, Online and Executive MBA formats depending on their career stage and goals. For many working professionals, that flexibility makes it possible to continue building experience and advancing at work while earning their degree.
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MBA students may specialize their degree through electives.
Rice MBA students commonly pursue careers in:
Investment banking and finance
Consulting
Product management
Corporate strategy
Marketing and brand management
Operations and supply chain leadership
Entrepreneurship
Ready to lead teams, manage strategy or make a larger career pivot? If so, a Rice MBA could be transformative.
The Biggest Difference: Depth vs. Breadth
The clearest distinction between the two degrees is depth versus breadth.
A MAcc is intentionally specialized. The Rice MAcc curriculum goes deep into accounting and financial analysis, preparing students for technically rigorous roles and the CPA. For example, the first semester of the Rice MAcc curriculum covers topics like: Issues in Financial Reporting, Federal Taxation and Ethics in Accounting.
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Students in both programs work with dedicated faculty and staff.
An MBA is broader by design. Students move across multiple business functions and spend more time developing leadership, communication and strategic decision-making skills alongside technical business knowledge. A first-year Rice MBA will take classes in data analysis, organizational behavior, finance and marketing.
A student who wants to become an auditor, tax advisor or accounting professional may not need an MBA. A professional looking to move from engineering into consulting or from marketing into executive leadership may benefit more from the scope of an MBA.
Neither degree is “better.” They simply serve different purposes. The question is: Which degree fits where you want to go next?
Consider Your Career Stage
Your level of work experience can also help clarify the decision.
If you’re early in your career or graduating soon, a MAcc can help you build in-demand skills and secure a strong first role quickly. In fact, 84% of the Class of 2025 entered the MAcc directly from an undergraduate program.
MBA students, meanwhile, are often returning to school after spending some time in the workforce. They may already manage projects or teams and are looking to accelerate their trajectory, increase leadership responsibilities or reposition their careers. Depending on their program, Rice MBA students typically bring five to 20 years of experience.
So, MAcc or MBA?
A MAcc may make sense if you want:
A specialized business degree
Fast, first entry into the job market
A path toward CPA licensure
Technical accounting and financial expertise
An MBA may make sense if you want:
Broader business and leadership exposure
Career mobility across functions or industries
Management and strategy development experience
A larger career pivot or advancement opportunity
The best choice is the one that matches where you are now — and where you hope to go.
What do a MAcc and CPA have to do with each other? Find out what you'll learn in a Master of Accounting program, how it can help you pursue a professional accounting license and why Rice Business is a top choice.
A MAcc and an MBA both lead to strong career outcomes, but they’re built for different goals, timelines and stages of experience. Here’s how the two degrees compare.
Meet Hadja Bayo and Kendall Pierson, two Rice Business MAcc students at Rice Business, as they share what brought them to Rice and how the program is helping them toward their career goals.
Deans, faculty, staff and board members gathered June 2 to celebrate Rice Business Dean Peter Rodriguez’s 10 years transforming the business school at Rice University and bid farewell as he steps into a new role as the 15th president of Wake Forest University.
Avery Ruxer Franklin
Deans, faculty, staff and board members gathered June 2 to celebrate Rice Business Dean Peter Rodriguez’s 10 years transforming the business school at Rice University and bid farewell as he steps into a new role as the 15th president of Wake Forest University.
Rodriguez has overseen a transformative period of growth and innovation at Rice Business, where he significantly expanded the school’s academic offerings, faculty and reputation. Under his leadership, MBA enrollment doubled, tenure-track faculty increased by more than 40% and the school launched its first fully online graduate business degree — an achievement that required extensive planning, coordination and approval processes.
“I think really one of the themes is excellence and scaling up,” said Amy Dittmar, the Howard R. Hughes Provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, in her welcome remarks. “You’ve really changed the face of business education at Rice. You launched new graduate programs, the new undergrad program. You’ve grown the faculty, expanded entrepreneurship programs, secured the gift in order to establish the undergrad program for a long time to come — and for doing all of that right before you were ready to leave, you won Dean of the Year from Poets&Quants. Citing a decade of your transformation, I think a lot of that success throughout is due to your curiosity, your questioning and curiosity of everything and everyone, not just in business but as a colleague across campus.”
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Rodriguez has overseen a transformative period of growth and innovation at Rice Business, where he significantly expanded the school’s academic offerings, faculty and reputation.
An economist and professor of strategic management, Rodriguez was named dean of the year by Poets&Quants in 2025. He worked diligently to create and establish the Virani Undergraduate School of Business, named in honor of Houston community and business leaders, Asha Virani ’89 and Farid Virani.
Rodriguez also guided Rice Business through several major challenges during his tenure, including hurricanes, freezes, floods and the COVID-19 pandemic, while fostering a culture centered on being attentive, responsive and kind.
As dean, Rodriguez introduced a hybrid MBA program, expanded entrepreneurship initiatives and incorporated global field experiences into the MBA curriculum. Beyond academics, he guided major investments in the school’s physical footprint, including the renovation of McNair Hall, the groundbreaking of a new state-of-the-art business school facility and the establishment of the Virani School as the home of Rice’s undergraduate business program. Collectively, these accomplishments elevated Rice Business’ national and international standing while positioning it for continued growth and impact, Rice President Reginald DesRoches said.
“Perhaps even more important than these accomplishments is the culture that Peter helped build and foster here over the past decade,” DesRoches said. “He has cultivated a community of excellence, ambition and collaboration at Rice Business. He has been a transformational leader, and we are deeply grateful for his vision, energy and unwavering commitment to the school and the university. We know that Wake Forest University will benefit tremendously from his leadership, wisdom and ability to inspire those around him.”
Rodriguez was honored with a watercolor print of Lovett Hall signed by friends and colleagues and a large, engraved paver that will be installed in the new building adjacent to McNair Hall — expected to be completed in July and ready for the fall semester.
“By far, like every organization, the thing that always matters most is just the people,” Rodriguez said when he took the podium to say thank you. “Every organization is always just people working together, finding a way to see in each other an opportunity to do and to grow well. And Rice has always had the best people, and it still does. I’ll miss all of you dearly. I hope that you always stay close in one way or the other. I’ll keep all of you really close to my heart and remember this 10 years for what it was, which is a great period of transformation opportunity for me. I’m eternally indebted to everyone here at Rice and in the building for the support they’ve given me. I wish you all the very, very best for everything that you do.”
Rice will launch an international search for the next dean of Rice Business this summer. Dittmar has appointed Jeff Fleming, the Fayez Sarofim Vanguard Professor of Finance, as interim dean. Fleming has been part of the Rice faculty for more than 30 years and has served in multiple senior leadership roles at Rice Business, including associate dean, senior associate dean and deputy dean.
Rice Business has partnered with Service to School (S2S), a national nonprofit that helps veterans and service members access higher education, adding a new admissions and outreach partner to the school’s growing ecosystem of support for military-affiliated students.
Research by Rice Business professor Tommy Pan Fang shows that two main factors determine the location of hyperscale data centers: access to energy infrastructure and access to low-cost real estate.
Discover how to pay for a part-time MBA with employer assistance, scholarships, loans and tax strategies. Explore your funding options with Rice Business.
Bethany Denton, Director of Student Financial Services
Key Takeaways:
Prioritize employer tuition assistance and sponsorship, as this is the most common funding route for working professionals.
Institutional scholarships and fellowships are typically reserved for full-time programs, but external scholarships, private educational loans and federal loans remain viable options.
View your MBA as a high-ROI (return on investment) career move, as it maximizes long-term earning potential without sacrificing your current salary.
Understanding Part-Time MBA Funding Mixes
Financing a part-time MBA takes planning, but it’s more manageable than you may expect. Most students use a combination of funding sources to reduce out-of-pocket costs while continuing to earn a salary.
Employer assistance
Private and federal student loans
Military benefits
External scholarships and grants
Personal savings
The right mix depends on your goals, timeline and employer support. Exploring multiple funding sources early can help you build a smarter financial plan before classes begin.
Scholarships and Fellowships for Working Professionals
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The Rice Business recruiting and admissions team will work with you to secure funding for your MBA.
At many business schools, institutional scholarships or full fellowships are more commonly awarded to full-time MBA students. However, working professionals pursuing flexible options like evening or weekend MBAs have access to valuable funding opportunities through external scholarships and grants.
Employer tuition assistance is an important resource for part-time MBA candidates. Many mid-career professionals successfully negotiate for their company to cover some or all of their tuition in exchange for a service commitment after graduation.
To strengthen your case for sponsorship or tuition reimbursement, connect your MBA goals directly to your organization’s priorities. Focus on how the skills you gain — from strategy and leadership to analytics and decision-making — can help you increase efficiency and create measurable impact for your team and company.
Federal Loans and FAFSA Requirements for Part-Time Students
Student loans, including private educational loans and federal loans, are a key financing method. Completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the first step in the process to apply for a federal loan.
Part-time MBA students are also encouraged to apply for private loans. You can view our historical lender list to get a better idea of lender varieties and rates.
Rice Business is proud to participate in the Yellow Ribbon program at the highest level.
Military veterans and active-duty service members may be able to apply education benefits toward the cost of a part-time MBA.
All veterans may be eligible for GI Bill benefits and Rice Business supports eligible military students through the Yellow Ribbon Scholarship. This covers 100% of the tuition and fees gap for those fully eligible under the Post-9/11 GI Bill, with no limit on the number of students or funding provided.
Potential Tuition and Cost Related Tax Deductions
Depending on your current earnings and individual situation, potential tuition and costs for textbooks and supplies up to $2,000 per year can be deducted from your tax contributions, due to the Lifetime Learning Credit. You may be eligible if you are improving your skills for your current job or to increase the success of your own business. Learn more about the Lifetime Learning Credit on IRS.gov.
Choosing a part-time MBA that allows you to keep working is an investment in your long-term career growth. By continuing to earn while you pursue your degree, you maximize your immediate ROI and long-term earning potential. This financial stability allows you to immediately apply new skills on the job and position yourself for promotion.
When evaluating your total cost, remember to factor in potential scholarship or grant savings as well as average salary outcomes. According to a 2025 corporate recruiters survey, the median salary for an MBA graduate in the U.S. was $125,000.
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The return of a Rice MBA is high, no matter your program.
Our part-time MBA programs, also known as working professional MBA programs, are ideal for ambitious professionals who want career acceleration without pausing their careers. Whether you prefer evening, weekend, online or a mix of in-person learning, our flexible program formats are built to match your schedule. All programs can be completed in 22 months and earn you the same top-ranked Rice MBA.
Our admissions team is ready to help you find the right MBA program for you and build a confident plan for pursuing your degree. Explore MBA programs at Rice Business, where our evening, weekend, online or hybrid degrees can help you feel confident staying in your job while pursuing an MBA.
Most working professionals fund their degree through a combination of employer tuition assistance, personal savings, federal or private loans and external scholarships. Read more on how to finance your MBA.
Many companies offer tuition reimbursement or sponsorship programs. To secure this, you should build a business case showing how the MBA will benefit your organization. Learn more about negotiating employer support.
In many cases, MBA tuition is tax-deductible if it maintains or improves skills required in your current business. You should consult a tax professional to verify your eligibility. Review these resources on the Tax Benefits for Education.
While some institutional aid is restricted to full-time students, part-time students are highly encouraged to apply for external merit-based or targeted grants. Search scholarship funding databases for options where part-time, evening, or weekend MBA students are eligible.
By continuing to work, you maximize your immediate ROI and long-term earning potential, often seeing a significant salary uplift without sacrificing two years of income. Calculate your projected ROI.
Rice Business is committed to helping you accelerate your career at any stage and supporting your professional growth long after graduation. The earnings potential shows investing in an MBA is well worth it.
After serving as the dean of Rice Business for the past decade, Peter Rodriguez will leave Rice to become the 15th president of Wake Forest University.
Americans may be less likely to identify racism against Asian employees because Asian Americans do not fit common mental “prototypes” of discrimination victims, according to new research led by Rice Business professor Sora Jun.
