Creighton Earns Top MBA Program Ranking from U.S. News

The University’s Part-time MBA Cracks the Top 50 List

Creighton University’s part-time MBA program, offered through the Heider College of Business, has been named among the country’s top-50 programs according to the U.S. News & World Report’s 2023 Best Graduate Schools rankings.

Creighton's program ranks No. 48. Only degree-granting programs at accredited institutions with part-time programs were considered. To determine its rankings, U.S. News & World Report considered program reputation, measured by peer assessment; quality of incoming MBA students (for example, average undergraduate GPA and years of full-time work experience of MBA students); and the focus a business school places on part-time MBA students as opposed to full-time MBA students.

The most heavily weighted factor is peer assessment, says Eric Neuman, PhD, associate professor of management and MBA program director, or how other business school deans and MBA program directors rank contemporaries, and Creighton’s peer assessment score increased. Neuman also attributes Creighton’s rise to the caliber of student the MBA program attracts. The average undergraduate GPA rose from 3.37 for fall 2020 to 3.54 for fall 2021, and the average work experience of incoming students rose over two years.

“Our MBA students want to surround themselves with other excellent students, and they find one another here at Creighton,” Neuman says.

Part-time versus Online MBA Program

According to Neuman, the Heider part-time MBA program and online MBA program are essentially one and the same. The former consists of all students who have taken at least one campus course. Students who have taken all their courses online make up the latter program.

“Really, we have one MBA program,” says Neuman. “When students apply for admission, they indicate whether they prefer campus or online, but students can take whichever modality of courses fits them best at the time they register for courses. The curriculum and professors are the same regardless of whether the course is online or on campus.”

The Makings of a Best Part-Time MBA Program

The strengths of the MBA program are many. It is structured to accommodate busy lives. Students can customize their study to give them the flexibility they need to reach their academic goals while accommodating their professional and personal lives.

• Creighton’s MBA has paths to meet all students – those with undergraduate business degrees and those for whom business is a new field of study – where they are at, and all within the same 33-credit model.
• In addition to the exclusively online program, students can also earn an MBA by completing courses on campus or take a hybrid approach and combine online and in-person learning. They can revisit the approach, switching modalities to meet their needs at any time.
• Classes start five different times of the year (January, March, June, August and October). Students don’t have to wait for the traditional beginning of the academic year but can start the program when they are ready.
• The 33-credit program can be completed in just over two years, putting students on the career fast-track.

Creighton’s MBA fosters critical thinking and educates ethical decision-makers and effective business leaders.

• The MBA program draws on Creighton’s Jesuit values. “The idea of business and making money is not incompatible with treating people – employees, customers, suppliers, surrounding communities, etc. – well and fairly,” says Neuman.
• Early in the program, students are required to take Business, Ethics and Society, which informs their approach to other coursework and business practice. “We believe it’s critical that students early on in the MBA program think about these ethical issues and get comfortable applying those ideas routinely,” says Neuman.

Classes are taught by industry experts.

• The MBA faculty draw on deep industry experience as well as extensive research to effectively blend academic theory with current, relevant practice.
• Students are able to immediately apply what they learn in the classroom to their careers.
• Plus, small class sizes – 30 students or fewer for in-person classes and 25 or fewer for online courses – mean students can readily learn from their peers’ work experiences during classroom discussion.

From day one, students enrolled in the MBA program receive one-on-one guidance and support.

• Each student is assigned an academic coach who helps develop a plan of study tailored to his or her career goals. This same coach assists students with course selections each semester.
• Creighton’s John P. Fahey Career Center is a “lifetime resource,” says Neuman. Not only are its counselors available to students while they are enrolled, but its services are also available to alumni should their careers take them in different directions.

The Heider College of Business just celebrated 100 years of graduating business leaders who act as agents of change around the globe. This rich history, the college’s mission and Jesuit values, its engaged faculty and commitment to expanding programming in meaningful ways translate to successful careers for its students. It seems that U.S. News & World Report agrees.