I’m excited and proud to announce that we are launching a fully online MBA (OMBA): Excited because this new program is uniquely poised to provide a high-level academic experience that will prepare our students to be agile in the changing landscape of the post-COVID business world; Proud because of the laser-focused efforts across the School and University to bring this program to life.

The faculty completed the design and the schedule; our staff developed an outstanding student experience; the graduate school, deans and university leadership endorsed it; and the Board of Trustees has provided its full support.

Our first class will enroll in Fall 2021 and we cannot wait to welcome them.

For many years we have explored an expansion, and until now the answer has been: not now, not yet; technology is not where it should be; the faculty aren’t ready; the market isn’t ready; but let’s do what we can to move closer to this goal. Over the past several years we have added a few new online courses each year, based on student demand. When the pandemic hit last year, the world changed and our answer changed: the technology is ready, the faculty are ready, the students are ready, the market is ready, and so are we!

While our OMBA is new, we are building on proven experience. Our fully online, nationally-ranked master of science degree in accounting has been a Top 10 program for some 20 years now. Our faculty have worked with the university’s Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning to develop and deliver a wide array of online courses. This effort prepared us to pivot sharply in our course presentations last March, and the ensuing experience with online teaching and learning set the stage for a smooth and timely launch of this new degree offering.

This program rounds out our MBA offerings and fills the market need to offer students an online MBA designed to meet their work and family needs. We already offer a Full-time MBA that attracts students, typically from 25- to 35- years old, who leave the workforce to study for just under two years at our downtown Hartford location. The Part-time MBA, offered in Hartford, Stamford, and Waterbury, attracts working professionals who want to take courses at their own pace to fit their work schedule. It is among the largest part-time MBA programs in the country and offers a mix of in-person, hybrid, and online courses, offered all year round. Our Executive MBA program serves higher-level executives in a cohort program spanning 20 months.

The OMBA program will offer even more flexibility to students worldwide. The first core courses will be offered in a cohort model. Course work will be offered asynchronously, with the availability of Monday evening synchronous activities for students who want to engage in real-time with faculty, staff, career counselors and their classmates. Monday experiences will include group activities, workshops, and invited speakers. Throughout the program, students will learn in a collaborative setting in courses designed to be engaging, interactive, and learning focused.

For the final elective courses, students will be able to select from a variety of concentrations including Business Analytics, Digital Marketing Strategy, Finance, and Management.

All of our programs benefit from the engagement with our alumni and friends, and the OMBA will be no different in that regard. Thank you for your investment in our past, and your support for our future. Please share this news with young professionals who you believe might benefit.

For more information on our new OMBA program, to request additional information, or to apply, please visit https://mba.online.uconn.edu.