Radford University is home to one of best online business analytics MBA programs
Radford University’s Master of Business Administration (MBA) program is high on the list of a recent ranking of the top online MBA programs featuring business analytics in the United States.
College Consensus, a company that combines college and university rankings with student reviews to produce its own comprehensive hierarchy of schools, ranks the Radford MBA No. 14 on its just-published Best Online MBA Programs with a Business Analytics Focus list.
The list, which takes into account a business school’s affordability, reputation and convenience, can be found on the College Consensus website.
In its review of the Radford University Davis College of Business and Economics MBA experience, College Consensus says the program “provides a broad-based, cross-functional business degree for graduate students.”
Online MBA courses at Radford, College Consensus reports, “provide experiential learning opportunities that engage distance learners in the overall educational process.”
“We are delighted to receive this recognition from College Consensus,” said MBA Director Gary Schirr, Ph.D. “The high ranking reflects the relevance of our focus on business analytics, as well as the value and convenience of the Radford MBA.”
Radford University MBA courses are available through a new, innovative trimodal instruction platform, in which students may participate in classes in the classroom on the Radford campus, online in synchronous interactive sessions, or through recorded sessions.
Radford University’s Davis College is among the few business schools in the world to achieve elite accreditation status from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International). This accreditation represents the highest standard of achievement for business schools. Fewer than 5% of the world’s business schools are AACSB accredited.
Full-time students can earn an MBA in two years without taking summer courses. Part-time MBA students can complete the program online in as little as two years with summer courses, or take as long as six years.
Davis College offers a graduate certificate in business analytics jointly with SAS Analytics, a leader in data analytics software and the largest independent vendor in the business intelligence market. This certificate provides students with tools to differentiate themselves in the job market and bridge the gap between discipline-specific knowledge and the ability to analyze relevant data for informed decision making.
Students enrolled in Davis College’s MBA program can earn the joint certificate as part of their studies. The certificate also complements many degree programs offered at Radford University. MBA students also have the option of earning a concentration in business analytics by taking an additional course beyond the requirements for the certificate.
Recent innovations in the MBA program include the trimodal class delivery, the business analytics certificate and concentration, and the accelerated program that permits Radford students with a 3.0 GPA in any major to take MBA courses as a senior.
In defining an ideal online MBA in business analytics, College Consensus says a program must cover “all the business, finance, management, and leadership courses of a traditional MBA” and also provide “the business professional a solid foundation in data analytics.”
Those are components in which faculty and administrators have excelled in designing its MBA program, said Davis College Dean Joy Bhadury, Ph.D.
"This recognition of the Radford University MBA program from College Consensus is entirely due to the hard work of the faculty and staff, our Graduate Curriculum Committee and particularly, Dr. Schirr, the director of the program,” Bhadury said. “I'm pleased that our strength in analytics, one of the core pillars of our curriculum, has been externally approbated. I'm looking forward to continued recognition of that program."