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According to Chief Executive’s 2019 list of Best and Worst States for Business, South Carolina is among the top ten state for business, coming in at number eight on this list. At #13, South Carolina also fared competitively on the Forbes 2018 list of Best States for Business, but ranked lower on U.S. News and World Report’s Best States for Business Environment, with a rank of #34. With $102 million in tax cuts to business since 2017, union membership rates that are the lowest in the country, and a large net migration to the state in the past five years are reasons why South Carolina made it to the higher end of the former two lists.
Key industries in South Carolina include textiles, manufacturing, government services, professional services, business services, and tourism. Many big companies have business presence in South Carolina, including Bank of America, Duke Energy, Reynolds American, BB&T Corp., Laboratory Corp of America, Lowe’s, Nucor, VS, Sonic Automotive, Denny’s, ScanSource, and Quintiles IMS Holdings. South Carolina also boasts business incentives including no state property tax, no local income tax, no inventory tax, and no wholesale taxes.
Online MBA programs based out of business schools in South Carolina can provide a flexible way for busy professionals to advance into management or leadership without interrupting the flow of their current lives. High-quality and accredited universities in South Carolina offer programs that are specifically designed for online formats—ones which mirror on-campus programs, offering the same level of career advancement, skills acquisition, and networking opportunities.
Online MBA programs can be selected to fit a student’s learning style and schedule. Asynchronous learning models allow for a highly independent student to choose the exact time for learning, while synchronous learning models give students a classroom feel without requiring a student to relocate or quit working to participate in the program.
Keep reading to learn more about South Carolina business schools offering online MBA programs, professors of note who are teaching in these online programs, and options for hybrid online/on-campus MBA programs offered through universities in South Carolina.
Featured Online MBA Programs in South Carolina
The MBA offered through the USC Aiken offers students advanced business training with an interdisciplinary approach delivered through a tradition of academic excellence. Students enrolled in the program can choose between a 30- to 34-credit general MBA track, or can choose a 36- to 40-credit specialization in accounting or finance.
Coursework in the program includes management and organizational behavior, marketing management, globalization and business, and the legal and ethical environment of business. GMAT/GRE scores are required, unless the applicant has a 3.0 undergraduate GPA and three years of post-bachelor’s work experience (or a graduate degree from a program that required the GMAT or GRE for admission). Students without a business background may need to complete up to four credit-hours of foundational coursework.
| Location: Aiken, South Carolina |
| Accreditation: Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) |
| Expected Time to Completion: As few as 12 months |
| Estimated Tuition: $14,000 for general MBA program, $16.800 for MBA w/specialization |
Designed for working professionals with two or more years of work experience, Clemsen University offers a part-time, 100 percent online MBA that graduates professionals ready for management or executive leadership. Students in the program have the opportunity to pursue additional certificates (some on-campus, some online) in conjunction with the MBA, including cyber secure business practices, technology entrepreneurship, project management, reliability engineering, and the women excel leadership exchange.
Coursework in the 36-credit program includes ethics and leadership, marketing and digital strategy, operations and logistics, and entrepreneurial accounting. GMAT scores are required to apply. GMAT waivers may be available, and prospective students can contact admissions for more information.
| Location: Greenville, South Carolina |
| Accreditation: Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) |
| Expected Time to Completion: Two years |
| Estimated Tuition: $1,471 per credit-hour |
The Department of Business & Economics at Limestone College offers an online MBA designed for working professionals who are interested in promotions, pay bumps, and advancing one’s business education. Prospective students interested in Limestone can choose between an MBA in management and leadership or an MBA in healthcare administration.
Coursework in the 36-credit program includes organizational ethics, legal issues in business, managerial accounting, and quantitative methods for managers. Students enrolled in the program are expected to attend three weekend on-campus residences at the beginning, middle, and end of the program. GMAT scores are required for admission unless the candidate has a bachelor’s or graduate degree in business from an accredited university with a 3.25 GPA or has three years of management experience with a 3.0 GPA.
| Location: Gaffney, South Carolina |
| Accreditation: Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) |
| Expected Time to Completion: 14 to 22 months |
| Estimated Tuition: $1,950 per course |
The Wall College of Business at Coastal Carolina University offers an online MBA designed to prepare students for ever-changing careers in an increasingly complex business landscape. Students in the 30-credit program can choose a general business administration track or can choose to concentrate in healthcare administration.
Coursework in the program includes operations and global supply chains, managerial responsibility and law, strategic implementation, and managerial economics. GMAT scores are required to apply, although waivers are available to those with five years of relevant professional work experience or those with a 3.75 cumulative GPA from a regionally accredited institution.
| Location: Conway, South Carolina |
| Accreditation: Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) |
| Expected Time to Completion: Two years |
| Estimated Tuition: $1,072 per credit-hour |
The 100 percent online MBA program offered through the College of Business Administration at Winthrop University is an academically rigorous program that prepares graduates to overcome any level of challenge in business. Students enrolled in the program can choose a customizable general MBA concentration or can concentrate in marketing, sports marketing and revenue generation, or strategic leadership. Those applying to the strategic leadership concentration must have five years of professional work experience to gain acceptance.
Coursework in the 36-credit program includes accounting for managers, organizational leadership and communications, strategic and international issues in management, and sustainable operations. GMAT/GRE scores are required to apply to Winthrop’s online MBA. GMAT waivers may be available to those with a 3.5 cumulative/3.75 business undergraduate GPA from an AACSB-accredited program; five years of progressive professional experience, a 3.0 cumulative undergraduate GPA, and four quantitative courses with an average 3.0 GPA; four years of experience and a professional credential (CPA, CFA, PE, etc.); or a quantitative graduate degree or a doctorate.
| Location: Rock Hill, South Carolina |
| Accreditation: Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) |
| Expected Time to Completion: 24 months |
| Estimated Tuition: $980 per credit-hour |
The Tommy & Victoria Baker School of Business at The Citadel allows busy professionals and military personnel to pursue a 100 percent online MBA that can prepare them to advance into management in a shifting global business environment. Students enrolled in the program can choose electives in a customized way or can opt for specializations in entrepreneurship, supply chains, or finance.
Coursework in the 36-credit program includes managing innovation, information technology management, case studies in finance, and ethical leadership and organization behavior. GMAT/GRE scores are required to apply, although waivers may be available to those with a master’s degree completed with a 3.0 GPA or higher. MCAT, PCAT, or LSAT scores may be submitted in lieu of the GRE for applicants who are enrolled in (or have graduated from) MD, pharmacy, or JD programs. Please note that the Citadel offers dual degree PharmD/MBA, MD/MBA, and MBA/TPM programs. (While the MBA may be completed online, the PharmD, MD, and TPM are all on-campus programs.)
| Location: Charleston, South Carolina |
| Accreditation: International Accreditation Council for Business (IACB) |
| Expected Time to Completion: Two years |
| Estimated Tuition: $695 per credit-hour |
Focused on practical business application within a framework of Christan ethics, the MBA offered through the Anderson University College of Business is a 100 percent online program. Students can enroll in a the general MBA track or can add a nine-credit concentration in human resources, healthcare leadership, supply chain management, or marketing.
In addition to the 36 credit-hours of core coursework and the nine elective units for concentrations, students may need to complete up to 12 credit-hours of foundational coursework. Enrolled students can speak with a Journey Coach to discuss the possibility of waiving foundational coursework. Courses in the 36- to 57-credit program include management thought and application, human resource management, leadership and ethics, and global business. GMAT scores are not required to apply to Anderson University.
| Location: Greenville, South Carolina |
| Accreditation: Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) |
| Expected Time to Completion: Two years |
| Estimated Tuition: $435 per credit-hour |
Hybrid MBA Programs in South Carolina
When thinking of enrolling in any MBA program, students should assess the rationale for applying. Hybrid programs may be the most appropriate for those living close to college campuses who are looking for MBAs that provide value in both networking and skills advancement. By combining the scheduling flexibility of online coursework with the in-person networking opportunities provided by orientations, immersives, or residencies, hybrid programs offer a best-of-both-worlds MBA experience.
The following business schools in South Carolina offer MBA programs with a hybrid format option:
- North Greenville University – Graduate School of Business
- Charleston Southern University – College of Business
- Francis Marion University – School of Business
