The Best Online MBA Programs In North Carolina

Program summary

Students begin with a required in-person orientation and attend at least one three-day Summit in their first year, held in cities around the world and on the UNC campus.

The 62-credit program usually takes 24 months, though the timeline can run from 18 to 36 months, and there are four start dates a year (January, April, July and October). Classes are live and interactive, and students reach electives after three quarters, choosing from more than 40 electives and six concentrations: Data Analytics and Decision Making, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Management and Leadership, Marketing, and Strategy and Consulting.

The STEM-designated curriculum adds data, AI and FinTech to traditional MBA competencies, and students can earn a Leadership Academy certificate as a separate credential while enrolled.

Program summary

Students can finish in 21 months or take up to six years, mixing asynchronous online classes with optional hybrid Saturday and evening courses in Raleigh.

The STEM-designated program totals 40 credit hours, and most students finish in about three years. Coursework is asynchronous with optional synchronous online sessions, and students attend required three-day residencies through the Raleigh Residency courses (MBA 531 and MBA 532), which active-duty military may replace with electives. Elective credits can be used to add graduate certificates in areas such as AI, analytics, leadership, sustainability, marketing, finance or supply chain management.

Applicants need a four-year bachelor's degree, an undergraduate statistics course passed with a C or better, and two years of full-time, post-baccalaureate professional work experience, which may be waived for military service or special circumstances. Students bring an average of nine years of professional experience. Each spring and summer, online students can take core and elective courses abroad in countries including France, Switzerland, Germany, Brazil and South Africa.

Program summary

Students move through a seven-semester program with the same cohort, and online students visit a Wake Forest campus each year for a tradition called Deacon Weekend.

The program totals 45 credits: 36 core MBA credits and 9 concentration or elective credits. Courses combine real-time interaction with flexible asynchronous learning, and students can concentrate in Business Analytics, Finance, Digital Marketing, Project Management, or Leadership & Strategy. An optional Global Immersion course abroad includes company visits and a global case competition with local students.

Two or more years of post-graduate work experience is preferred. The curriculum integrates all functions of business, with team projects and cohort-based study groups built into the program.

Program summary

Students can finish the 36-credit MBA@FayState in as little as 12 months or take up to 72, with online classes typically delivered in five eight-week terms a year.

The MBA@FayState requires at least 36 credit hours: a 27-credit core followed by 9 to 12 elective credits that can form a concentration, such as Business Intelligence and Data Analytics or Healthcare Management. Students generally take two classes per semester and finish in 24 months. Core classes run 16 weeks in fall and spring, foundation and elective courses are taught online, and all classes are recorded and closed-captioned.

Applicants need a bachelor's degree and a minimum 2.75 undergraduate GPA, plus a GMAT (or GRE-predicted GMAT) score of 400 or a waiver, which can be based on a 3.2 GPA, U.S. military service or 5+ years of professional experience, among other criteria. The program is built for business professionals, military members and veterans, and people considering a doctoral degree in business. Online students must have at least 25% of their assessment proctored.

Program summary

A Forensic Accounting concentration, one of several offered online, builds expertise in financial investigations while preparing students for exams to become a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE).

The 36-credit program consists of eight core courses and four electives, taught in 7-week terms, and can be completed in as few as 12 months. It is 100% online with multiple start dates each year, and besides the general MBA, students can choose concentrations in Business Analytics, Finance, Financial Services, Forensic Accounting, Healthcare Administration, or Supply Chain Management.

Applicants need a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution. Coursework builds a foundation in accounting, finance, marketing and management, and students gain hands-on experience by managing a computer-simulated company. Courses are taught by the same faculty who teach on campus.

Program summary

Coursework is 100% online and asynchronous, delivered in 7.5-week half-term sessions, with AI Applications in Business and Digital Marketing offered as online-only concentrations.

The 36-credit curriculum starts with a core in finance, marketing, operations and leadership, followed by electives that can be grouped into a concentration: AI Applications in Business, Digital Marketing, Business Analytics, Financial Analytics and Modeling, or a Student-Structured option. Students can attend part-time or full-time; the fastest full-time completion is 18 months, and most students finish in two to three years while working. Admission is rolling, with half-term starts in August, mid-October, January and March.

Applicants need a bachelor's degree with a minimum 3.0 undergraduate GPA and GMAT/GRE scores or an approved waiver; the standard waiver calls for at least three years of professional or military experience and a 3.0 GPA. Three or more years of full-time work experience is preferred. Students on F-1 or J-1 visas, or living outside the United States, currently cannot take online MBA courses.

Program summary

In the final semester, student consulting teams are assigned to local organizations, develop strategic solutions for their capstone client and formally present recommendations to its stakeholders.

The UNCG MBA is 45 credit hours, and some students finish in as few as 21 months. Online courses are entirely asynchronous; students enter in the fall or spring and can keep working toward the degree year-round with summer courses. More than 30 elective courses are available, and the required 9 elective hours can complete a concentration, with 3 more hours adding a graduate certificate in most concentration areas.

The program runs two experience-based tracks: an Early Career Professional Program and an Experienced Professional Program for those with more than five years of work experience, who can waive the internship and Basecamp requirements. Early Career students, whatever their study format, attend Basecamp, a one-day in-person orientation. Recent business graduates may be able to waive up to nine credit hours of specific MBA courses.

Program summary

Six start dates a year and accelerated 7-week courses allow students to finish the 36-credit online MBA in as few as 12 months.

The curriculum is 12 courses (36 credit hours): 30 credit hours of MBA core courses covering areas such as business analytics, operations management, corporate finance and strategic management, plus six credit hours of electives. The program is 100% online with rolling admissions, and students who want a focus can instead choose a specialization such as Business Analytics, Cybersecurity, Healthcare Management or Supply Chain Management.

Most applicants do not need the GMAT. Applicants need a bachelor's degree, a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher (those below 3.0 must show professional advancement since graduation) and at least two years of full-time, post-baccalaureate professional work experience. Courses are taught by full-time professors with terminal degrees and private-sector management experience.

Program summary

Courses in the Human Resource Management concentration are certified by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), and the program runs fully online and asynchronously in eight-week terms.

The online MBA with a Human Resource Management concentration requires 36 credits: 24 credit hours of core coursework and 12 hours of concentration courses, and the program covers workforce development, employee relations, and compensation and benefits. It can be completed in as little as two years, and the core includes an integrative capstone on building and sustaining a firm's competitive position. Students without undergraduate business-related degrees may need up to 12 additional credits of foundation courses.

Applicants need a bachelor's degree with at least a 3.0 GPA and a writing sample, and a GMAT or GRE score is required only for applicants with an undergraduate GPA below 3.3. Students work on case studies and consulting projects with real organizations. The MBA is offered both in class and online, except for the Accounting concentration, which is in-class only.

Program summary

Two concentrations, Wealth Management and Real Estate, were created to bring more minority professionals into those industries, alongside options such as Data Analytics and Cybersecurity.

Students complete 24 credit hours of general management core courses and 12 credit hours in a concentration, moving at their own pace over an expected 18 to 24 months. Concentrations include Commercial Real Estate, Cybersecurity, Data Analytics, General Management, Hospitality Management, Information Systems Management, Marketing and Wealth Management.

Applicants need a cumulative GPA of at least 2.75; GRE or GMAT scores are required for GPAs from 2.75 to 3.24 and may be waived at 3.25 or higher or for applicants holding a master's or professional degree. Those without undergraduate business foundations first complete 12 credit hours of foundation courses, some or all of which can be waived based on prior coursework.