Online MBA Programs in Connecticut

Connecticut may be a small state, but with the highest per capita income in the country, it has established an outsized reputation ripe for entrepreneurship and budding business professionals. And in the realm of business, the MBA reigns supreme with a multifaceted, interdisciplinary aim and the capacity to serve the needs of business professionals across the board. Below are the top online MBA programs in the state designed to help future business leaders find their perfect match that blends academic rigor with accessible, asynchronous coursework.

Best Online MBA Programs in Connecticut

Using data from US News & World Report, below are the ranking highlights for schools with online MBA programs in Connecticut.¹

• Quinnipiac University: #35 (tie) in Best Online MBA Programs, #22 in Best Online Master’s in Business Programs, #9 in Best Online Master’s in Business Programs for Veterans, #153 in National Universities
• Albertus Magnus College: #245-#321 in Best Online MBA Programs, #176 in Best Online Bachelor’s Programs, #132 in Best Online Master’s in Business Programs
• University of Hartford: #245-#321 in Best Online MBA Programs, #66 in Regional Universities North, #65 in Best Value Schools, #115 in Best Online Master’s in Business Programs, #211 in National Universities

Accredited Online MBA Programs in Connecticut

There are five accredited online MBA programs in Connecticut.^2-6 We have listed them below in alphabetical order.

Albertus Magnus College

The Albertus Online Master of Business Administration Degree Program

Opening its doors in the fall of 1925 by the Dominican Sisters of Peace, for nearly 100 years Albertus Magnus College has operated as a bastion of Catholic education. Through the Tagliatela School of Business and Leadership, Albertus Magnus offers distance-learning students access to one of the top online MBA programs. The university’s IACBE-accredited MBA program offers students two options: a fully online experience or a hybrid one for in-state students. The blended program requires students to attend a seminar-style discussion class once per week while completing the rest of the coursework virtually through the MBA program’s online portal. Meanwhile, the fully-online option offers completely asynchronous coursework specifically designed to meet the needs of working professionals and non-traditional students. Despite being an online program, Albertus Magnus’ MBA program does not skimp on the rigor and professionalism otherwise expected from an accredited graduate program. The program’s founder, Dr. Nancy Fallon, puts it bluntly: “Going into the program, I tell students that these are difficult classes, we are preparing you for a profession where you’re going to be expected to have a wealth of knowledge.”

Quinnipiac University – Quinnipiac School of Business

The Professional Online MBA Program

Quinnipiac University is a moderately-sized, private institution with just over 10,000 students across all degree levels. A relatively young institution, Quinnipiac University has remained on the cutting edge of education with 17 advanced online programs for distance-learning students including a multi-layered MBA option for business students. Considered one of the top online MBA programs in the country, the Quinnipiac School of Business boasts the coveted accreditation of AACSB International signifying proof of excellence in learning. Similar to other online options, the Quinnipiac School of Business’ MBA program has a rolling admission policy. Rolling admission provides year-round admittance: evaluating and accepting students as applications are received as opposed to adhering to strict admission deadlines. This allows working professionals and otherwise busy students to have a fully flexible collegiate experience and enroll in courses as their time permits. Quinnipiac’s flexible MBA program was crafted to meet the unique needs of its non-traditional student body with an average entrant age of 34. Additionally, the MBA program offers a wide array of courses in cross-disciplinary work from marketing and health management to finance and international business. While generally completed over the course of two years, Quinnipiac University’s MBA program is an entirely asynchronous, customizable educational experience.

Sacred Heart University – Welch College of Business

SHU’s Accelerated Online MBA Summer Courses

The second-largest Roman Catholic university in New England, Sacred Heart University (SHU) provides over 8,500 students with access to over 80 degree programs including a hybrid MBA option through the Jack Welch College of Business and Technology. SHU does not have a fully-online MBA program, but in-state students can take advantage of the partially-online hybrid program that offers virtual lectures and in-class participation. Students also have access to six-week accelerated courses through the MBA Online summer courses program. There are four courses offered between July 6 and August 12 for digital students: Leading and Influencing with Integrity; Managing Change; Welch Competency Demo and Implementation; and Corporate Financial Management. The university adheres to a unique applied learning and integrated core model, which allows students to apply theory to the real world via simulations and actual work. As an inherently collaborative program, students often work in teams to develop marketing plans and strategic expansion in conjunction with their coursework in this 36-hour degree plan. Concentrations in this program include Accounting, Business Analytics, Digital Marketing, Finance, Healthcare, Human Resource, and Management. With accreditation by AACSB International, SHU is part of an elite club of only 5% of business schools that meet the coveted accreditor’s rigorous criteria of academic excellence.

The University of Hartford – Barney School of Business

100% Online Master of Business Administration

Situated on 350-acres in the heart of Hartford, the state’s capital, the University of Hartford offers a comprehensive MBA program to students around the world suited to meet the specific academic needs of every type of learning. Administered through the Barney School of Business, this MBA program enrolls students on a rolling basis due to its pre-recorded video lectures allowing for distance learning and self-paced coursework. While the majority of the program’s students come from the state of Connecticut, students from across the continental United States comprise the student body of this completely virtual degree program. This AACSB-accredited MBA program offers 12 concentrations, giving business students a spectrum of opportunity; from Entrepreneurship and Economics to International Business and Supply Chain Management, the University of Hartford’s MBA program offers a truly exhaustive list of choices for business degree seekers. The University of Hartford’s online MBA program seeks to prioritize the unique needs of distance-based students and working professionals and the Barney School of Business is committed to imparting academic integrity, rigor, and merit to students both on-campus and online.

The University of New Haven – Pompea College of Business

The University of New Haven’s Flexible MBA

Founded in 1920 as a private university, the University of New Haven is located in both West Haven and Orange, Connecticut; the latter of which is home to the university’s graduate school campus. Through the Pompea College of Business, the university offers a wide variety of options for business graduates including a slew of MBA programs from executive to dual-degree options and a flexible, online version. Coined the University of New Haven’s Flexible MBA, the online MBA program offers an accelerated path specifically for working professionals in eight areas of concentration: Data Analytics, Financial Analysis, Business Analytics, Global Supply Chain Management, Human Resource Management, Strategy Leadership, Management Finance, and Marketing and Digital Marketing. The University of New Haven is the only institution in Connecticut (and among fewer than 30 across the nation) that integrates the foundations of business coursework with the specialized, innovative theories of STEM to meet the federally-recognized STEM-designated program standards. Three of the eight classifications meet these requirements: Data Analytics, Financial Analysis, and Marketing/Digital Marketing. Considered by many to be among the top 5% of business schools worldwide, the Pompea College of Business boasts AACSB accreditation indicating fulfillment of an exceptionally high set of standards. As its name suggests, the Flexible MBA program is highly customizable and gives students a completely tailor-made academic experience that does not sacrifice the rigor of transformative education for convenience’s sake.

Connecticut MBA Salary, Job Growth, and Career Outlook

According to the Connecticut Labor Department’s Labor Market Information, the state’s professional and business services sector has seen a 9.9% decrease since 2019: diminishing from 219,600 in April 2019 to 197,800 total jobs in April 2020.⁷ The sector has remained largely unmoved since 2015, slightly increasing over the years, as the state’s population has remained relatively unchanged.^7,8 This expansion is expected to remain steady.⁷

Obtaining an MBA may improve working professionals’ chances to ascend to management roles in their business operations. These business management positions tend to be lucrative and in high demand. In Connecticut, the average annual salary for management occupations stands at nearly $145,000.⁹ Employment projections from the Connecticut Department of Labor indicate a 9.7% growth in management occupations through 2026, illustrating an above-average need for managers and executives in the Nutmeg State.^7,10 Comparatively, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), management occupations nationwide are expected to grow by only 7% (still faster than average) through 2028, with a median annual pay of around $106,000 in 2019.¹⁰

Other career paths for MBA holders include the professional and business sectors, in which accountants, analysts, and advisors are among the common titles. Connecticut’s business and financial operations occupations report an average annual salary of $76,240 with a demand increase of 9% over the next six years, according to the Connecticut Department of Labor.⁷ Nationally, business and financial occupations are expected to grow at the same rate as their management counterparts, expanding by 7% through 2028, but with a much lower median pay: $69,820 per year.¹¹ Again, Connecticut’s industry outpaces the national outlook.¹¹ Below are some of the most common career paths for Connecticuters with an MBA degree and their average annual salaries in 2019 across the management, business, and financial industries:⁹

• Accountants and auditors: $83,680
• Administrative services and facilities managers: $118,0604
• Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary: $129,700
• Financial examiners: $106,240
• General and operations managers: $157,170
• Management analysts: $105,480
• Marketing managers: $158,940
• Project management specialists and business operations specialists: $85,110

With the fourth-highest concentration of management jobs in the nation and the fourth-highest annual pay, Connecticut may be a good location to start a business management industry career.¹² From greater Hartford to the state’s nonmetropolitan areas and access to the world’s largest business center, New York City, Connecticut is among the top destinations for business hopefuls interested in establishing themselves in the industry.

References:
1. US News & World Report, Best Online MBA Programs: https://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/mba/rankings
2. US Department of Education, Accreditation in the United States, Institutional Accrediting Agencies: https://www2.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/accreditation_pg6.html
3. Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA): https://www.chea.org/
4. International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE): https://iacbe.org/accreditation/member-status-information/
5. Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP): https://acbsp.org/page/accreditation-overview
6. AACSB International: https://www.aacsb.edu/accreditation/accredited-schools
7. Connecticut Department of Labor, Labor Market Information: https://www1.ctdol.state.ct.us/lmi/index2.asp
8. US Census Bureau Quick Facts: Connecticut: https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/CT
9. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics, May 2019 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, Connecticut: https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_ct.htm#11-0000
10. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Management Occupations: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/home.htm
11. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Business and Financial Occupations: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/home.htm
12. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wages, 2019, Management Occupations: https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes110000.htm