There are several choices for best value MBA degrees in Colorado. Specialized MBAs came to be preferred for a time but employers came to understand that there is value in the general MBA as well. Many schools have been trying to reduce their rates of tuition increases and some simply refuse to increase tuition costs above the value of the degree. The Best Value MBA Schools were selected for this list because they are accredited schools with affordable tuition. Though the days of the $100,000 MBA likely have passed, an MBA that an individual can earn in one or two years for less than $7,000 can be highly valuable. Colorado has many attractive affordable MBA options.
Colorado Christian University
College of Adult and Graduate Studies
Colorado Christian University was founded as Denver Bible Institute in 1914. Today, it is a private Christian university located in the Lakewood suburb of Denver. The school has slightly more than 5,000 students who attend classes online or at campuses in Lakewood, Colorado Springs, Grand Junction, Northglenn, Loveland, Sterling or at the Denver Tech Center. Colorado Christian University does not have a separate business school. It oversees all of its graduate programs through its College of Adult and Graduate Studies. As a Christian organization, Colorado Christian University focuses on high standards of ethics and academics.
Master of Business Administration (MBA)
Colorado Christian University’s MBA program offers a variety of options for students. It is a 39 hour program into which students can transfer up to nine hours of previous graduate level study. The university expects that students can complete the program in less than two years with full time study. All of the school’s MBA programs focus on leadership and management, with emphasis on defining and developing servant leadership in the business environment. Students can specialize in one of six areas. Five of those areas are advanced accounting, health care administration, corporate training, project management and information security. The sixth focuses on multicultural leadership that includes required overseas travel for first-hand experience and knowledge of the challenges of international business and leadership practices.
Contact
8787 W. Alameda Ave.
Lakewood, Colorado 80226
(303) 963-3311
mba@ccu.edu
Website
Tuition: $25,046
Colorado Heights University
The general focus of Colorado Heights University certainly differs from that of most American schools. Though Colorado Heights University absolutely is an American school and is accredited by American organizations, it is a part of Tokyo’s Teikyo University Group. One of the purposes of the Teikyo University Group is to give Japanese students opportunity to live and study abroad while still being able to maintain the Japanese culture if they choose. Another purpose of the Colorado Heights University is to provide high quality education to first generation Americans and recent immigrants. The result is that this 4,000-student school has a strong international culture. More than half of its students come from 50 countries of the world. Its MBA program strongly focuses on international business.
MBA in International Business
Colorado Heights University’s MBA in International Business has been designed to adhere to the principles and guidelines set forth in the Core Professional Content of the Accreditation Counsel for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP). Colorado Heights University’s MBA program is not currently accredited by the ACBSP, but the school has set itself on track for gaining that accreditation in the future by designing its program strictly in accordance with that organization’s requirements. Though the primary focus for all of Colorado Heights University’s MBA students is international business, every student has the option of choosing from one of four areas of specialization. Those areas are accounting, healthcare management, corporate finance and environmental management. Given its Japanese connection, students completing Colorado Heights University’s MBA program are expected to be able to compete in any business environment, respond to challenges, solve real problems, assess management issues in light of a global perspective and actively embrace long range strategic planning and development.
Contact
3001 S. Federal Blvd.
Denver, CO 80236
(303) 937-4225
admissions@chu.edu
Website
Tuition: $5,634
Colorado Mesa University
Department of Business
The institution that began as Grand Junction Junior College in 1925 has undergone several name changes over the past several decades but became Colorado Mesa University in 2011. It is a part of the Colorado university system and is a public university. The school grants associate, bachelor and master degrees and currently is in the process of developing its first doctoral program. It has more than 9,200 students. Located on the Western Slope of the Rockies, Grand Junction is little more than a Western stone’s throw from the Utah border and is the primary population center in its part of Colorado.
Master of Business Administration Program
The Colorado Mesa University MBA program is a challenging one that strives to prepare students for the real business world. It requires 36 credit hours, six of which originate with a general elective requirement. The program focuses on students who have broad business backgrounds and allows them to focus on specific areas of study if they so desire. The capstone course addresses policy and strategy. Colorado Mesa University offers professional and thesis tracks. The professional track requires work experience. The thesis track requires a directed research project consisting of a research paper, written comprehensive exam and an oral presentation.
Contact
1100 North Avenue
Grand Junction, CO 81501-3122
(970) 248-1778
jsandova@coloradomesa.edu
Website
Tuition: Out of State: $16,748 In State: $6,725
Colorado State University
College of Business
Colorado State University (CSU) is Colorado’s land grant university and is the flagship institution in Colorado’s public university system. Located just north of Denver in Fort Collins, Colorado State also is the largest university in the public system. CSU has more than 31,000 students overall and 1,500 active MBA students. CSU’s College of Business is like others in that it bestows high quality MBA degrees on its students, but it also takes a different perspective in its focus on social responsibility and the transitional forces that continue to affect the evolution of international business.
Master of Business Administration
Colorado State University’s College of Business offers five distinct MBA programs. One is an MBA program that students can complete fully online. U.S. News and World Report named this program to its list of best part time MBA programs, and The Princeton Review ranks it at number six in its list of best administered programs. The school allows students two to five years to complete the program. CSU’s Executive MBA program is conducted through evening classes at CSU’s Denver Executive MBA Center. Most of the students in this program are working professionals located in Denver’s business district. The Professional MBA is a similar program that is delivered at the Fort Collins campus. CSU also offers a Global Social and Sustainable Enterprise MBA program that focuses on the needs of business in developing countries. It uses the Triple Bottom Line approach to business, which judges success according to “bottom lines” in financial, social and environmental results. Students in this program complete a ten week summer MBA field work requirement in a developing nation. The fifth MBA program that CSU offers students is an early career MBA designed for those who do not have extensive work experience. Most of the students in this program are recent graduates whose undergraduate degrees are in a field other than business.
Contact
1201 Campus Delivery
Fort Collins, CO 80523
(970) 491-1917 or (800) 491-4622 ext 1
sandy.dahlberg@business.colostate.edu
Website
Tuition: Out of State: $25,166 In State: $9,313
Colorado State University-Pueblo
Malik and Seeme Hasan School of Business
Colorado State University-Pueblo came into being in 2003 but its first forerunner was founded as Southern Colorado Junior College in 1933. Colorado State University-Pueblo is a member of the public Colorado university system and is considered to be the flagship institution in Pueblo’s region of the state. Colorado State University-Pueblo has nearly 5,000 students and almost 200 postgraduate students. The Hasan School of Business (HSB) is accredited by The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) at both the graduate and undergraduate levels.
Master of Business Administration
The goal of the MBA program at Colorado State University-Pueblo’s Hasan School of Business is to prepare students to gain and excel in management careers in business, government or in nonprofit organizations. The MBA program trains students first in understanding management theory and its practical application. Students also learn about the economic, social and political environments that businesses deal with on a daily basis and over the long term. The MBA program at Colorado State University-Pueblo’s Hasan School of Business stresses creative, critical and effective thinking with a focus on business innovation. Program content delivery includes lectures, case studies and group projects, all of which imitate the skills that individuals need in business. Colorado State University-Pueblo’s Hasan School of Business takes pride in the strong reputation of its MBA program and other factors. Among these other factors are small class size, access to faculty members, modern facilities and technology, a shortened program focusing on the needs of the working professional, affordability and professional advising staff.
Contact
Malik and Seeme Hasan School of Business Building
2200 Bonforte Blvd.
Pueblo, CO 81001-4901
(719) 549-2142
hsb@colostate-pueblo.edu
Website
Tuition: Out of State: $17,649 In State: $7,327
Colorado Technical University
College of Business and Management
Colorado Technical College was founded in 1965 as a training center for former military personnel in vocational and technical subjects. It became Colorado Technical University in 1995. Headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado Technical University has been gathering an array of awards and accolades over the past several years. Its virtual campus has been designated as one of the best anywhere. The International Graduate Forum’s CEO Magazine placed Colorado Technical University’s online MBA program in the nation’s top ten. Colorado Technical University is a for profit school that maintains three campuses in Colorado and two in other states. Nearly all of its programs are offered fully online.
Master of Business Administration
Colorado Technical University’s MBA program exists wholly online but also is available at the Denver and Colorado Springs campuses. The university offers a general MBA but also offers specialization in eleven other areas. Among these are accounting, finance, entrepreneurship, global leadership, human resource management, healthcare management, logistics management, operations and supply chain management, marketing, project management and technology management. The many choices of specialization available to students ensure that students can select and pursue areas of specialization that are most meaningful to them. Students can begin the 48 hour online program during any week of the year.
Contact
4435 North Chestnut Street
Colorado Springs, CO 80907
(888) 650-6555
(no email address provided)
Website
Tuition: $11,290
Everest College-Colorado Springs
Everest College-Colorado Springs is a school that is part of Corinthian Colleges, Inc. (CCi). Based in Canada, CCi offers degree programs in a variety of disciplines, including business. In addition to the Everest names, CCi also holds the Heald and WyoTech names. Collectively, it has more than 100 campuses in North America – including the United States and Canada – and offers several degrees exclusively online. Most of its Everest campuses offer only associate degrees in vocational areas but it does offer an MBA degree online.
Master of Business Administration
Everest College-Colorado Springs offers an MBA program designed to enhance students’ knowledge and understanding of business and to give students the training necessary to be an effective leader in a corporate environment. The MBA program at Everest College-Colorado Springs includes studies in organizational behavior, financial management, business research and marketing management. The school maintains small classes and offers an online program. Everest College-Colorado Springs does not require GMAT scores for admittance to the program.
Contact
1815 Jet Wing Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80916
(866) 329-8491
Website
Tuition: $14,040
National American University – Colorado Springs
National American University is a for profit university headquartered in South Dakota. It was founded in 1941 as a secretarial school but developed over the decades to a full business school that now is a part of National American University Holdings that maintains several physical campuses and a full online degree program.
Master of Business Administration
National American University offers a general MBA but also offers five areas of specialization important in today’s business environment. Those areas of specialization include accounting, human resource management, healthcare administration, general management and international business. National American University’s MBA program also carries a thesis option.
Contact
1915 Jamboree Drive
Suite 185
Colorado Springs, CO 80920
(719) 590-8300
csadmissions@national.edu
Website
Tuition: $12,531
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
College of Business
The University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (UCCS) came into being in 1902 as a small private school referred to as a sanatorium. Colorado University began offering classes in Colorado Springs in the mid-1940s and soon after began looking for a permanent home in Colorado Springs. The Cragmor Sanatorium was sold to the state for $1 in 1964; UCCS moved to the property in 1965. UCCS now is one of the three universities that comprise the public university system in Colorado. UCCS’ College of Business and Administration was created in 1965 and today enjoys a strong reputation at the fast growing UCCS. Its graduate programs focus primarily on the needs of the working adult.
Master of Business Administration (MBA)
Administrators of the College of Business take pride in the school’s forward looking and innovative approach to building and maintaining an effective graduate business program that meets the needs of both students and employers. The College of Business gives equal weight to teaching and research, ensuring that faculty members are well versed in the current and anticipated future needs of business. The school collaborates with local business as well as the community. Both view the school as a valued local resource. Fully accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), UCCS’ College of Business focuses on ethics and ethical decision making. The MBA is flexible in several respects. Students can take all classes on campus or can earn a general MBA fully online. Students also can combine delivery methods depending on their needs. The UCCS MBA offers specialization in accounting, healthcare administration, innovation management, operations management, service management, project management, finance and four other areas.
Contact
Graduate School of Business Administration
University of Colorado Colorado Springs
1420 Austin Bluffs Parkway
Colorado Springs, CO 80918
(719) 255-3408 or (800) 990-UCCS x3408
mba@uccs.edu.
Website
Tuition: Out of State: $18,437 In State: $7,024
University of Colorado at Denver
Business School
The school that exists today as the University of Colorado at Denver was founded in 1912 as a correspondence division of the University of Colorado. Today, the school is a full member of the public state university system in Colorado. It also is a large university with 29,000 students and more than 4,000 faculty members. The Business School has more than 1,000 graduate students, in part because of the quality of its programs and in part because of the school’s continual connection with several Colorado-based businesses such as Coors and Frontier Airlines. Its campus also is located in the heart of Denver’s downtown business district and is accessible to anyone already working for those downtown companies.
Master of Business Administration
The Business School at the University of Colorado at Denver clearly intends to serve every type of student that possibly could have need for an MBA degree. It offers six general types of MBA degrees, most of which can be further customized to meet the needs of the student. The 11-Month MBA takes the full immersion approach, squeezing 48 credit hours and an international business trip into an MBA program that takes less than a year to complete. The Professional MBA program is available on campus, online or in combination, on either a full or part time basis. It also is customizable to meet the needs of the individual student. The Executive MBA is designed for working adults who continue to work. They can finish the Executive MBA in less than two years. There are two healthcare MBA programs. One is for practicing healthcare professionals. The other is for nonmedical professionals who seek to work in healthcare administration. Finally, the Business School offers a hybrid program in which students can earn MS and MBA degrees concurrently.
Contact
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 173364
Campus Box 165
Denver, CO 80217-3364
Physical Address:
1475 Lawrence St.
Denver, Colorado 80202
(303) 315-8200
grad.advising@ucdenver.edu
Website
Tuition: Out of State: $22,057 In State: $7,933
University of Northern Colorado
Montfort College of Business
The University of Northern Colorado has nearly 10,000 students and is growing quickly. It is a public school that is part of the Colorado university system and in fact is the fifth largest university in Colorado on the basis of total enrollment. Located in Greeley, the University of Northern Colorado has satellite campuses in Colorado Springs, Loveland and Denver. The university was known as the State Normal School of Colorado at the time of its founding in 1889. It took on its current name in 1970. The university’s Montfort College of Business won the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in 2004, an honor that many businesses have pursued but have failed to achieve. A decade later, the University of Northern Colorado’s Montfort College of Business remains the only academic business program to have achieved that award. Those who are familiar with the rigors of the Baldrige Award requirements understand the magnitude of the school’s achievement. Those who are not can be certain to learn about Baldrige quality standards as they study within the MBA program.
Master of Business Administration
The University of Northern Colorado’s undergraduate business students have been highly valued by other schools offering MBA degrees but have not been able to pursue that degree at the University of Northern Colorado. That all changes in 2014, when the University of Northern Colorado begins to offer its own MBA degree. The school says that in business, individuals are expected to exceed expectations, work with the best, prepare for success and stay flexible. It has designed its new MBA program in the same vein. Classes will be offered at the University of Northern Colorado’s Loveland Center at Centerra. The Montfort College of Business has been accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) for more than 20 years. It is likely that the new MBA program will be as well.
Contact
501 20th Street
Greeley, Colorado, 80639
(970) 351-2831
grad.school@unco.edu
Website
Tuition: Out of State: $18,507 In State: $6,968
Colorado has several high quality MBA programs, many of which qualify as high value degrees solely on the basis of tuition cost. Adding the fact that many of the best value schools are highly accredited enhances that value and truly defines the many Best Value MBA Degrees in Colorado.
For more information on earning your MBA degree, please see ” The 20 Most Affordable Top-Ranked Business Schools and MBA Programs“.