U.S. News ranks Foster Hybrid program in Top 5 online MBAs for second consecutive year

Hybrid MBA Program recognized for strength of student community, academic excellence in finance, marketing, and world-class faculty. 

U.S. News & World Report ranks the Foster Hybrid MBA program #5 (tie) of 344 programs reviewed in the Best Online MBA Programs ranking, landing it in the top 10 for four consecutive years. The Hybrid MBA retains its place as #1 in the state, #1 in the Pacific Northwest, and #2 in the Western United States. The Hybrid MBA program also ranked #3 in Best Online MBA Programs for Veterans.

U.S. News calculates online MBA rankings using five categories: engagement, expert opinion, faculty credentials and training, student excellence, student services, and technologies. Foster’s Hybrid MBA scored a cumulative 96 out of 100 overall points, unchanged from 2022. Foster’s Faculty Credentials and Training score ranked 92 out of 100, among the highest in the nation.  

“Being recognized in the top five again in 2023 is a tremendous validation of the quality, design, and delivery of the development experience we’ve created with and for Hybrid MBA students,” said Dan Turner, Associate Dean of Masters Programs at Foster. “We continue to chart our success by examining how well we are doing at living our purpose, which is: Together we foster leaders, we foster insights, and we foster progress to better humanity.” 

Engagement 

Foster’s focus on community and togetherness is evidenced in the student engagement metric, the ranking’s most heavily weighted category, where the Hybrid MBA program ranked number six. Hybrid MBA optimizes engagement with its unique 95% online and 5% in-person format. Weekly live online classes provide students the ability to connect with faculty and quarterly immersions provide frequent touchpoints for students to network with their peers and faculty in-person. 

Along with the greater Foster community, the Hybrid program focuses on creating a welcoming, inclusive and supportive community where students can flourish.  Hybrid’s Class of 2023 welcomed 47% women and 25% international students this past fall.  

Leadership Opportunities 

Outside of the classroom, the Hybrid MBA program offers many co-curricular opportunities to support students and foster relationships. Students can strengthen leadership skills through programs such as the Student Council, a diversity and equity committee called JEDI, a mental health support group, and a veteran group. In addition, students can participate in the Foster Board Fellows Program, serving as non-voting members of local nonprofit organizations. With 50% of Hybrid students outside of the Seattle area, all co-curricular activities are built to accommodate distance. 

World-Class Teaching

The Hybrid MBA received high marks for its exceptional faculty. The Foster School of Business shares faculty across programs to offer the same world-class MBA education in any format. Hybrid’s course development team works actively to develop Hybrid courses with the faculty, which are enhanced further by course development teams. 

Student Excellence 

“The diversity and quality of student voices in the Hybrid MBA classroom transforms the learning experience for all. The Foster School works hard in evaluating not only the quality of each applicant but also their vision for inclusive leadership and their ability to contribute to the success of others. Students both benefit from and contribute to the broad range of insights that the Foster community harbors in recognizing business as a force for good.” said Dan Turner, Associate Dean of Masters Programs at Foster. 

The Hybrid MBA program continues to attract leaders across various industries, functions across the United States. The program’s most recent class represents 67 companies, has an average work experience of 10 years, and 26% of students already hold advanced degrees.  

Career Management

The Hybrid MBA program is proud to offer robust career management offerings, a benefit not found in other online MBA programs.  Hybrid MBA students are supported with tremendous professional development programming such as 1:1 career coaching, alumni mentorship programs, career change groups, and executive presence to name a few. 

“Our continued high rankings are clear indicators of the impact of our career management services on our student’s professional growth and trajectory,” said Jodey Farwell, Hybrid MBA Director. “We are committed to providing experiential learning opportunities, providing the platform for students to engage in project based curriculum designed to deliver value to companies and organizations.”  

Hybrid MBA Career Management also provides a Speaker Series to showcase successful leaders, executives and entrepreneurs from a variety of organizational sizes.  Topics include leadership, entrepreneurship, and globalization to social innovations and business growth strategies.