Idaho State University College of Business Offers Online MBA Program

Home to the state’s longest standing Master of Business Administration (MBA) program, the Idaho State University College of Business has offered enough digital courses to complete the MBA online for many years, but the program can now officially be promoted as an online program thanks to approval granted by the State Board of Education (SBOE).

“In order to officially designate the MBA as an online program, we had to present a proposal to the University’s Graduate Faculty Council followed by the State Board of Education,” said Dr. Bob Houghton, Associate Dean of the College of Business. “This proposal included a projected budget, including new costs and revenues, a projected student enrollment, and effects on our sister institutions. The SBOE unanimously approved our proposal allowing us to go forward with helping the business professionals in Idaho achieve their higher educational goals.”   

The MBA program, which is also offered in-person, can be completed fully online through a mixture of asynchronous and synchronous courses. According to the Director of Graduate Studies and an alumna of the program, Kristine McCarty, “Asynchronous courses are prerecorded by our professors and can be accessed anytime, while synchronous courses allow our students to gain the benefits of participating in a live lecture and interacting with their professors and peers in real-time during a scheduled course.” McCarty explained that the synchronous courses still maintain the flexibility and convenience of the online MBA as they are only offered in the evenings from 6 – 8:45 p.m. using Zoom.  

“The Master of Business Administration is an excellent option for working professionals looking to move up in their career,” said McCarty. “The online MBA specifically provides a great deal of flexibility—students can complete their coursework from home or the office; no on-campus visits are required.” McCarty said that the online program includes the same coursework and rigor as the in-person program.

Because the program is offered online, anyone inside or outside of the state can enroll and as an added benefit, online students can pay Idaho State’s in-state tuition regardless of where they reside using the eISU Nonresident Tuition Waiver.

McCarty noted that compared to other online MBA programs in the region, Idaho State’s tuition is the most affordable. “Depending on a student’s academic background, they may complete the program for as little as $15,750*. Our online program holds the same AACSB accreditation as our in-person program, which ensures a high level of quality and rigor.” (*Based on 2021-2022 graduate tuition rates)

The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) is the world’s premier accrediting body for business schools. Idaho State University College of Business is one of less than 200 schools in the world to hold accreditation in both their accounting and business programs.

Houghton noted that in order to continue to ensure this quality standard is met, the online MBA was meticulously evaluated prior to becoming official. “We have reviewed our program to ensure that every class is going to have an outstanding online educational experience,” said Houghton. “This entails having faculty develop relevant material and projects that students can accomplish from wherever location that they are participating.”

The program currently has about 140 students enrolled in the MBA. McCarty said that she would guess that at least half of those students are taking mostly online courses, if not more.  

Applications for the College’s graduate programs are open until November 1. Applicants will need to visit isu.edu/apply to start their application. Two letters of recommendation, a statement of purpose, a resume, and a GRE or GMAT test scores are required.

Idaho State’s all-online program was officially approved in summer 2020.