Earning an MBA is a lifelong investment that can send your career to new heights — but not without investing time in it.
A master of business administration (MBA) degree has been shown to increase earnings, but it typically takes years to finish. Most full-time online MBA programs take up to two years to complete. Part-time, asynchronous MBA programs that allow you to work toward your degree around your schedule can take even longer. If you want to earn your MBA and start advancing your degree faster, there are online options for you: some business schools have accelerated programs that allow you to finish an MBA in as little as a year.
It’s worth remembering accelerated programs aren’t for everyone. They feature intensive, fast-paced classes to truncate years of learning into 12-16 months. If you have a good work ethic and want to see the benefits of your degree quickly, an accelerated online MBA might be for you. An accelerated online MBA usually has the same core curriculum as a traditional online MBA, but classes are more fast-paced and include more information. This means that accelerated MBA programs are typically geared toward students who have a specific career path in mind, with less room for electives and exploration than a full-time or part-time MBA program.
Here are a few of them.
1. Northwestern Kellogg’s One-Year MBA Program
Northwestern Kellogg’s One-Year MBA Program is your fastest path to a Kellogg MBA. It is designed to build upon your business fundamentals and get you back in the workforce with new skills and knowledge that will propel your career forward. From June to June, you’ll immerse yourself in the rigorous curriculum, learn from world-class faculty and build leadership experience and a supportive network that will help you immediately and throughout your career. As one of the first One-Year MBA Programs in the country, more than 3,500 of their graduates have made an indelible mark on business and the world, with many of our alumni leading some of the most notable companies in the world, including Robert Eckert, Former Chairman & CEO of Mattel and Vijay Karnani, Managing Director of Goldman Sachs. Unlike other One-Year MBA programs that consolidate two years of classes into one, our program builds on your business experience and gives you the option to bypass core classes so you can focus on the electives that are pertinent to your personal and professional goals.
2. University of North Carolina Wilmington – Online MBA
The University of North Carolina Wilmington combines a high-demand curriculum with a fast completion time for its accelerated online MBA program. The program’s 36 credits can be completed in as little as 12 months, assuming you’re taking classes full-time. It includes electives in data center management, healthcare analytics, programming, and entrepreneurship to help prepare you to lead in fast-growing sectors. The accelerated courses are offered in a seven-week format, and no prerequisites are required. That online format is geared toward working professionals, and the program features six start dates so you can schedule your education around your professional and personal life. Their accelerated MBA gives you the ability to complete the program in as little as one year and is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
3. Tepper School of Business – Accelerated Online MBA
Tepper School of Business’s Accelerated MBA is for business graduates or individuals with undergraduate business coursework experience who want to earn an MBA on an accelerated timeline. This MBA may be for you if in the last 10 years, you have taken accounting, finance, marketing, microeconomics, and operations courses from an AACSB or EQUIS-accredited business program. In the Tepper Accelerated MBA program, you’ll have all of the same advantages of a Tepper MBA and join the incoming cohort of either our Full-Time MBA or Online Hybrid MBA program. You will be joining these cohorts to get the full advantage of our highly ranked and regarded programs but complete an accelerated curriculum that includes a refresher course in your first semester to ensure your success in the program. Your Accelerated degree simply streamlines redundant coursework and as a result, reduces tuition costs for the program.
4. UC Davis – Master of Management
The online Master of Management from UC Davis is a graduate business degree designed for recent college graduates, ambitious young professionals and career-changers aspiring to leadership roles.
The 15-month online Master of Management program provides aspiring leaders with a foundation in the functional areas of business, such as accounting, finance, marketing and strategy. Modeled after UC Davis’ top-ranked online MBA program, the online Master of Management gives you a strong foundation in innovation as well as the functional areas of business, including accounting, economics, finance, marketing and strategy. The 36-unit curriculum is composed of nine courses and features duidance from faculty with tactical industry expertise, lively interactions with peers in face-to-face online classes, and hands-on learning and trailblazing research in the online classroom
5. UNC Kenan-Flagler – Online MBA
UNC Kenan-Flagler’s top-ranked online MBA is designed for experienced professionals looking to take their careers to the next level. Students have access to lifelong career benefits and a global network of 51,000+ business school alumni. Through their program, you can earn your MBA online in as few as 18 months or up to three years. Their MBA students come from all over the world, each with their own unique set of experiences and aspirations. With UNC Kenan-Flagler, they’re able to balance an elite MBA, demanding careers, family commitments and hectic travel schedules. For the last decade, the online program has equipped passionate professionals with the tools to make a lasting business impact worldwide. As a student, you’ll develop an approach to leadership that reflects your values, amplifies your strengths and positions you for success.
6. Maryville University – Master of Business Administration
You can earn your Master of Business Administration online from Maryville University in as few as 12 months. As a tech-forward and future-focused university that has been disrupting higher education for over 150 years, they designed their program to focus your education by choosing from 12 concentrations, and separate yourself from the competition. The more specialized you become, the more you can distinguish your talent. You also have the chance to pick from multiple start dates throughout the year to fit best within your schedule. Maryville University’s Accelerated Master of Business Administration program is tailored to provide you with the skills you need to effectively manage whatever industry challenges you may face in your future. In addition, our program exposes you to advanced business concepts, such as networking, technical savvy, analytical thinking, leadership, finance and accounting, and systems-level thinking.
If you are seeking a flexible way to get your MBA but don’t want to spend several years in class, a program that offers a faster way to obtain your degree may be the best option for you.
