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Major players ranking states for business environment have a wide range of views on the state of business in Minnesota. The Forbes 2018 list of Best States for Business ranks Minnesota in the top ten. Although lower in the rankings, Minnesota (18th) is still in the top-half of all states in which to do business based on U.S. News and World Report’s Best States for Business Environment. And at 37th on Chief Executive’s 2019 list of Best and Worst States for Business, it seems that business may not be as good as in other states. Strong rankings are based on the fact that Minnesota’s economic climate is strong, quality of life in the state is high, labor supply is plentiful, and venture capital is flowing into the state at a rate of 332 percent of the national average.
Major industries in Minnesota include manufacturing, retail trade, and healthcare. Most notably in medicine, Minnesota is home to the Mayo Clinic. In addition, 19 Fortune 500 companies have their headquarters in Minnesota, including Target, Best Buy, U.S. Bancorp, General Mills, C.H. Robinson Worldwide, UnitedHealth Group, CHS, 3M, Supervalu, and Medtronic. Minnesota is currently a rich place for incentives that encourage employment; advances in technology; and research and development in certain arenas.
Online programs based in Minnesota can provide the educational perspective to help any professional tap into the industries that are thriving in the state. Online MBAs are designed to accommodate the schedules and life circumstances of busy professionals who cannot relocate to the state, as well as those who want to determine where and when they engage in learning. Those looking to advance their careers or become more competitive in the job market can access education that is as high-quality and competitively priced as the on-campus counterparts offered all throughout the state.
Keep reading to learn more about featured online MBA programs based out the state of Minnesota, the professors who are the engine behind online learning, and options for hybrid online/on-campus programs that offer the flexibility of online learning with the networking opportunities of on-campus programs.
Featured Online MBA Programs in Minnesota
The 100 percent accelerated online MBA program offered through the Graduate School of Business and Technology at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota offers students a fast track to graduation, higher levels of competition in the workforce, and the capacity to succeed in a wide range of managerial roles.
Students enrolled at SMUMN can opt for a generalized MBA track or can choose an MBA emphasis in data analytics, social media management and marketing, or sustainability and environmental management. Coursework in the 30-credit program includes corporate finance, organizations and human behavior, international operations management, and quantitative decision making. Applicants to the program should have a minimum of five years progressive work experience. GMAT/GRE scores are only required for those with less than five years experience.
| Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission |
| Expected Time to Completion: As little as 18 months |
| Estimated Tuition: $665 per credit-hour |
The online MBA offered by the Curtis L. Carlson School of Management at UofM offers a flexible MBA program where students can customize learning to their needs or career interests. While there are no specific emphases in the UofM program, students have the opportunity to choose 20 credit-hours of electives in accounting, entrepreneurial studies, finance, human resources, international business/study abroad, info and decision sciences, managerial communications, management, marketing, medical industry leadership, or supply chain operations.
Courses in the 52-credit-hour program include data analysis, managerial economics, the data-driven age, and business ethics. The UofM program has two required in-person residencies and one required global experience. Applicants to the UofM online MBA must have two years of full-time work experience and must submit GMAT/GRE scores. GMAT/GRE waivers may be available to those who have a 3.2 GPA or higher, six or more years of professional work experience, or demonstrated quantitative and analytical experience through courses or work experience.
| Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Accreditation: Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) |
| Expected Time to Completion: Two years |
| Estimated Tuition: $1,535 per credit-hour |
The 100 percent online MBA offered through the School of Graduate Studies at BSU offers students a personalized, comprehensive, and rigorous program emphasizing strategic leadership. Through their accelerated MBA, BSU allows qualified accounting and business undergraduates to complete four MBA courses in their senior year. Then, the student can complete an MBA in as little as one year following graduation. GMAT/GRE scores are required to apply to the BSU online MBA.
Coursework in the 30-credit-hour program includes corporate social responsibility, organizational behavior, information systems management, and global business. GMAT/GRE waivers may be available to those who have a professional license (CPA, CFA, CFP, etc.), a terminal degree, or a 3.5 undergraduate GPA.
| Location: Bemidji, Minnesota |
| Accreditation: Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) |
| Expected Time to Completion: One to two years |
| Estimated Tuition: $561 per credit-hour |
The online MBA offered through the Paseka School of Business at MSU Moorhead prepares professionals to become effective leaders with analytical business approaches. MSU Moorhead offers a general online MBA or a degree with an emphasis in healthcare administration.
Coursework in the 37-credit program includes marketing management, financial management, organizational behavior, and international marketing. GMAT/GRE scores are required to apply to MSU Moorhead. Those applying require a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 (or 3.25 in the final 30 credit-hours). MSU Moorhead’s MBA program is 100 percent online and requires no face-to-face or on-campus attendance.
| Location: Moorhead, Minnesota |
| Accreditation: Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) |
| Expected Time to Completion: Two years |
| Estimated Tuition: $404.56 per credit-hour |
The 100 percent online MBA offered through the Herberger Business School at St. Cloud University prepares graduates to be collaborative, growth-minded, strong, and adaptable in a global economy.
Coursework in the 36-credit program includes the global legal and ethical environment of business, accounting for managers, information systems strategy and management, and operations management. The online program is cohort-based and offered part-time only. Applicants must have three to five years of work experience to apply. GMAT/GRE scores are required, although waivers may be available to those who have a 3.25 undergraduate GPA across the final 60 credits of an AACSB-accredited business degree, five or more years of full-time work experience, or an accredited graduate degree.
| Location: St. Cloud, Minnesota |
| Accreditation: Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) |
| Expected Time to Completion: 16 months full-time, 28 months part-time |
| Estimated Tuition: $34,000 for the program |
Teaching from a Christian worldview, the online MBA offered through the Department of Business and Economics at Bethel University focuses on managerial and personal development, promising intellectual, personal, ethical, and spiritual growth in addition to professional growth. Those interested in Bethel’s MBA program can choose among five MBA concentrations, including finance, global management, healthcare administration, management, and strategy and execution. Bethel also offers a dual degree MBA and masters of art in strategic leadership, both online.
Coursework in the 42-credit program include managerial accounting, global finance, leadership theory and personal agency, and leadership formation and strategic talent management. Applicants to Bethel’s online MBA program must have two years of work experience and a GPA of 3.0 or higher. No GMAT/GRE scores are required to apply.
| Location: St. Paul, Minnesota |
| Accreditation: Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) |
| Expected Time to Completion: 18 to 24 months |
| Estimated Tuition: $723 per credit-hour |
Taught from a Christian perspective, the online MBA offered through the Crown College School of Business graduates students prepared to lead from a faith-based perspective in non-profit, government, and private sectors. Students interested in the online MBA at Crown can choose between a general MBA or a concentration in non-profit management.
Coursework in the 42-credit program includes the theoretical and spiritual foundations of leadership, organizational behavior in the corporate sector, applied business statistics, and managerial economics. No GMAT or GRE is required for admission. Students must have a 2.5 cumulative undergraduate GPA from an accredited university to apply.
| Location: Saint Bonifacius, Minnesota |
| Accreditation: Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) |
| Expected Time to Completion: Two years |
| Estimated Tuition: $545 per credit-hour |
Hybrid MBA Programs in Minnesota
While flexibility may be the top priority for many interested in online MBA programs, networking is also crucial. For professionals living close to University campuses or those willing to travel, a hybrid MBA can be a best-of-both worlds solution. Hybrid MBA programs combine the schedule flexibility of online coursework with in-person networking opportunities through program structures that offer in-person orientations, residencies, or intensives. The following programs in Minnesota offer a hybrid format for their MBAs.
- University of St. Thomas – Opus College of Business
- University of Northwestern–St. Paul – Graduate Studies Program
- Minnesota State University–Mankato – College of Business
