Our 2021 rankings of the Top Online MBA Programs in New York. For an explanation of ranking criteria, click here.
| Ranking | School | City |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Syracuse University | Syracuse |
| 2 | Rochester Institute of Technology | Rochester |
| 3 | Clarkson University | Potsdam |
| 4 | Utica College | Utica |
| 5 | Hofstra University | Hempstead |
Founded in 1870, Syracuse University (SU) is a private, coeducational, research institution located in the heart of Central New York. Additional centers are located in New York City, Washington D.C., and Los Angeles, and study abroad programs are available in 60 countries throughout the world. Around 22,850 students have access to more than 200 majors, 100 minors, and 200 advanced degree programs across the SU’s 13 schools and colleges.
In addition to offering a large number of degree and study abroad programs, Syracuse University has more than 30 research centers and institutes spanning disciplines from performance, design, fine arts, and humanities to information, health, social sciences, and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields.
The Martin J. Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University offers an online MBA known as the MBA@Syracuse. The program consists of 36 credits of core business courses, 15 credits of specialization-focused electives, and three credits of U.S. and global residencies. Students may choose from six optional specializations including Accounting, Business Analytics, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Marketing Management, or Supply Chain Management.
This AACSB-accredited program combines “live online classes led by Syracuse University faculty, self-paced coursework, and hands-on learning through domestic and international residencies,” says the school. While coursework for the MBA program may be completed entirely online, all students will participate in “three day-long residencies in cities around the world.” The school says these hands-on experiences are structured like businesses conferences.
Whitman Online MBA students will listen to local speakers who host “relevant discussions and interactive panels,” meet with classmates for socializing, and engage with professor’s fact-to-face for workshops and networking.” In 2019, residencies took place in Hong Kong and Syracuse. In 2018, students also traveled to Dublin, Ireland to study “the industry-leading innovation” taking place there.
The MBA@Syracuse does not require the GMAT to apply. Including residencies, the program can be completed in as few as two years.
Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) “was born of an unlikely institutional marriage of an influential cultural association, the Rochester Athenaeum, founded in 1829, and a technical training school, the Mechanics Institute, founded in 1885,” says the school. “The institute adopted the name Rochester Institute of Technology in 1944 and awarded its first bachelor of science degree in 1955.”
Today, RIT serves nearly 19,000 students in nine colleges and two degree-granting units. The school also has partnerships on nearly every continent and overseas campuses located in China, Croatia, Dubai, and Kosovo.
The Saunders School of Business at RIT offers an interdisciplinary, accelerated Online Executive MBA (EMBA) that requires just one three-day on-campus orientation. The program delivers 49 credit hours of study in just 17 months (four semesters).
The Online EMBA is AACSB accredited and offers foundational courses such as Accounting, Finance, and Leadership, as well as “distinctive” courses such as Product Commercialization and Technology Management. Classes are delivered via weekly synchronous sessions, “offering high-quality video and audio functionality for optimal interaction.”
Other program highlights include a curriculum that is identical to the on-campus program, with many of the same faculty teaching both formats, a required International Immersion Experience (airfare and lodging is are provided by the program), and the Capstone Consulting Program where students serve as consultants to actual businesses.
The RIT Saunders Online EMBA offers two starts each year (late August and January). Because it is a cohort-based program, “all students enter the program at the same time, take the same classes, and move through the program with their initial cohort,” explains the school. “Some courses will be taken with another cohort (i.e., dual-cohort) and students are assigned to teams at the start of the program and will remain with their team for the duration of the program.”
Students who start the Online EMBA in late August will finish in December of the following year and students who start in January will finish in May of the following year.
With a main campus in Potsdam, New York, and additional graduate program and research satellites in Saranac Lake, Schenectady in the Capital Region, Beacon, New York City and online, Clarkson University (Clarkson) serves more than 4,300 students enrolled in 75+ programs in nine colleges, schools, and institutes.
The David D. Reh School of Business at Clarkson offers an Online MBA Program that consists of 42 credit hours of study. Of the programs 14 three-credit courses, 10 are core courses and four are electives. Core course highlights include Corporate Ethical and Social Responsibility, Decision Analysis and Supply Chain Modeling, Financial and Managerial Accounting for Decision Making, Global Supply Chain Management, and Leadership and Organizational Behavior. Elective course highlights include China Study, Competing by Design, Fraud and Forensic Accounting, Marketing High Technology Products, and Sports Economics.
The AACSB-accredited Clarkson Reh Online MBA offers a number of concentrations, including Global Supply Chain Management, it allows students to take courses part-time or full-time, and students may earn a Dual MBA/MS in Data Analytics by completing 27 additional credits and a capstone project.
Clarkson Reh MBA students may begin the program any term or opt for the hybrid format, with evening classes on Clarkson’s Capital Region Campus in Schenectady, New York.
Students can expect to complete the program in less than two years, even if they haven’t taken a business class. Graduates of the Clarkson Reh Online MBA enjoy an impressive 97% job placement rate.
Utica College dates back to the 1930’s when Syracuse University operated extension courses in the Utica, New York area. The University launched Utica College in 1946 in a section of downtown Utica known as Oneida Square. Today, Utica College is an independent institution that serves more than 5,000 students enrolled in dozens of undergraduate, graduate, and online programs.
The Department of Business and Economics at Utica offers an Online MBA that consists of 30 credit hours of study. The program, which has in-demand specializations consisting of four electives each, requires successful completion of a three-credit capstone that allows students to work with a real-world company of their choice. Specializations include Cybersecurity, Data Analytics, Entrepreneurship, Finance & Accounting, Health Care Management, and Insurance & Risk Management.
Utica Online MBA students have the opportunity to receive immediate instructor feedback via live sessions, they have 24/7 access to material through online content, and the ability to learn when and where it's convenient for them. An additional hybrid option allows students to attend through access to recorded lectures and in-person or live virtual classrooms.
The ACBSP-accredited Utica Online MBA can be completed in two years. Graduates are prepared to pursue positions such as Chief Financial Officer, Director of Operations, Senior Financial Analyst, and many others.
Founded in 1935, Hofstra University serves more than 10,000 students. The school’s Frank G. Zarb School of Business is home to New York’s first distance learning programs in Strategic Business and Strategic Healthcare Management.
The school offers an Online MBA Program consisting of 48 credit hours and Finance and Healthcare Management options. Students in the program enjoy “small class sizes in a cohort-based format with a totally customized digital classroom environment that also allows for seamless interaction between faculty members and students,” says the school.
Two four-day residencies are required and allow students to network, build business relationships, and meet with the individuals they will be working with. Students will also meet faculty members and Zarb School Administrators. Other program highlights include an optional global practicum and “scientifically designed executive coaching.”
The Hofstra Zarb Online MBA program is AACSB accredited, open to domestic and international students, and may be completed in as few as 16 months.
