Welcome to our ranking of the 20 most affordable online marketing MBA programs. Marketing is a massive, integral part of modern business. All businesses, whether they sell goods or services, whether they are manufacturers or retailers, need to market themselves. This means the opportunities in the world of marketing are endless. While one can get into the marketing field with just a bachelor’s degree, an MBA in marketing can help take your career to the next level. Online MBA programs in marketing are more common than ever, and represent an affordable, convenient, fast way to give you the boost you need in your career. While a student fresh out of college might be interested in some of the more intense, expensive marketing programs from prestigious universities, established professionals know that their career will speak loudest, and the MBA is simply another way to demonstrate their mastery of the marketing industry. Many respected state and private institutions offer online marketing MBA programs, and often at a much cheaper rate than the on-campus variety. Plus you benefit from the convenience of being able to choose from among any of the hundreds of online programs, without having to worry about relocating or putting your career on hold. All universities included in our ranking are regionally accredited, and many of the universities have separate business accreditations from organizations like the AACSB, ACBSP, and IACBE. Special attention should be paid to AACSB-accredited schools as this is the most prestigious international business program accreditation available.
The online marketing MBA programs ranked in this article were drawn from a pool of more than 500 online MBA programs listed by College Navigator, a database provided by the National Center for Education Statistics. The tuition information sourced from College Navigator represents the average graduate tuition per year of each university. Tuition among graduate programs and online programs may vary based on many factors, so always make sure to confirm the tuition with the university you choose. The prices listed here include only tuition, and do not include fees or cost of living estimates.
#20. Concordia University
Concordia University Wisconsin’s online marketing MBA degree sees 92% of graduates in jobs. The incredible flexibility of the program means that it can be started at any time. Among the 39 credits students will take are courses like strategic marketing, social media marketing, advertising management, legal aspects of business, and international marketing. Graduates have made successful careers for themselves as business development executives, marketing managers, database marketing managers, advertising executives, and market research executives.
Tuition: $12,909
#19. University of Wisconsin–Whitewater
The AACSB-accredited online MBA program at the University of Wisconsin offers international and non-resident students tuition almost as low as resident tuition. Some of the courses available to students who choose the marketing concentration include strategic technology and innovation management, social responsibility of business, digital marketing, data mining for business, product innovation and pricing, and strategic marketing planning.
Tuition: $11,304
#18. Central Michigan University
Central Michigan’s AACSB-accredited online MBA in marketing offers the same low tuition rate to all students regardless of residency. Students will take courses like managing information systems in a global economy, marketing-based management, global economic environment, voice of the customer, and market and sales forecasting. This program was named among the Best Online MBA Programs by U.S. News and World Report in 2016.
Tuition: $10,800
#17. University of Saint Mary
The University of Saint Mary offers an online MBA in marketing and advertising. The full program can be completed in just one year and will lead to jobs like marketing analyst, marketing manager or director, and brand manager, to name just a few. Students will take classes like buyer behavior and marketing research, advanced marketing strategy and planning, and the advertising industry in the 21st century.
Tuition: $10,710
#16. Southwestern College
Students in the online marketing MBA at Southwestern College will take courses like marketing strategies, knowledge-based decision making, market research, digital marketing, and marketing and stakeholders. The small class sizes of 15 or fewer students means you can count on individual attention from instructors. Southwestern also has eight enrollment sessions per year, so when you decide to pull the trigger you’ll never be too far off from a start-date.
Tuition: $9,495
#15. Eastern New Mexico University
Students planning to enroll in this online marketing MBA part-time, taking six credit-hours or less per semester, can take classes at the incredibly cheap in-state prices regardless of residency status. Students will take courses like production and operations management, marketing management, and information systems for managers. Marketing majors will custom design one independent study course to meet their personal objectives.
In-State Tuition: $3,517
Out-of-State Tuition: $9,463
#14. University of Massachusetts Online
UMass offers an online MBA in marketing that is fully accredited by the AACSB. The online MBA is efficient, requiring only 30 credits, though 12 more credits in foundation courses may be required for students without a business undergraduate degree. Students must provide GMAT scores during the application process unless they can provide proof of eight or more years of professional managerial experience. UMass online has won several awards for its online education including the Sloan-C excellence in online teaching award.
Tuition: $9,453
#13. Bellevue University
Bellevue University’s online marketing MBA program is IACBE-accredited. The marketing concentration is one of a staggering 19 different concentrations offered by Bellevue. Classes students in the marketing concentration will take include internet marketing, international consumer behavior, sales management, global brand marketing, and marketing research. Bellevue was one of the first universities to offer online programs, which they started in 1996.
Tuition: $9,450
#12. Rivier University
Tuition: $9,342
#11. Fort Hays State University
Fort Hays State University’s online MBA in marketing offers courses on marketing research, consumer behavior, and strategic electronic marketing. Alumni of this MBA program have worked for Wal-Mart Corporate, Texas Instruments, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Kansas Department of Commerce, Koch Industries, IBM, GE, and Blue Cross/Blue Shield. While the MBA is only 34 credit hours, students without an undergraduate business degree may have to take 12 hours of foundation courses before starting the main MBA program.
Tuition: $9,129
#10. King University
King University’s online marketing MBA can be completed in as few as 16 months. The online MBA does not require students to provide GMAT scores, though an undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 is required. Some of the subjects students will study in this program are project management, business communication, research methods, plan development and assessment, and ethical decision making.
Tuition: $9,024
#9. Saint Leo University
The marketing concentration courses in the IACBE-accredited online marketing MBA at Saint Leo University explore areas like brand management, e-marketing, global marketing, marketing research, advertising and promotion, and marketing innovations and new product development. The accelerated MBA online track allows students to complete their marketing MBA online in as little as one year.
Tuition: $8,730
#8. Wilmington University
Wilmington University offers an IACBE-accredited online marketing MBA . Students seeking to enter the program must have completed undergraduate coursework in mathematics, economics, accounting, and finance. If these requirements are not met, incoming students can take either specially designed graduate courses or the required undergraduate courses, however keep in mind these courses will not count as credit toward your MBA. Students in the online marketing MBA will take classes like quantitative business analysis, business strategy, new business ventures, global enterprise development, and global marketing management.
Tuition: $7,992
#7. Liberty University
Liberty University offers two ACBSP-accredited online MBA programs. Students interested in the marketing concentration should choose the 45-credit program. The GMAT is not required for this online marketing MBA. Graduates from the marketing MBA have gone into careers in market research, product management, marketing management, sales, promotion, brand management, and merchandising.
Tuition: $7,781
#6. Ohio Christian University
Ohio Christian University’s online MBA in marketing features courses like economics for managers, marketing and advertising for managers, law and regulatory environment, ethics in leadership, and quantitative and analytic methods. As a Christian university, OCU teaches all classes from a Christian perspective, informed by Christian moral principles.
In-State Tuition: $5,330
Out-of-State Tuition: $7,380
#5. Fayetteville State University
Fayetteville State University offers students an incredibly affordable AACSB-accredited online marketing MBA. Students in the marketing concentration will take classes on international marketing, marketing analysis and research, services marketing, marketing channels, and business policy and strategy. In 2014 Fayetteville’s online MBA was recognized by U.S. News and World Report as one of the best in the United States.
In-State Tuition: $2,820
Out-of-State Tuition: $7,236
#4. Missouri State University–Springfield
Missouri State University’s online marketing MBA provides the student with extra marketing education in the form of a graduate certificate in marketing, earned on top of the MBA. One of the unique features that makes Missouri State’s program so incredibly affordable is that all students in the online MBA are charged in-state tuition rates regardless of residency. Some of the courses students will take are organizational behavior, organization strategy and policy, marketing management, and quantitative methods in business decision making.
Tuition: $6,930
#3. New Mexico Highlands University
The ACBSP-accredited marketing MBA at New Mexico Highland University does not require a GMAT for admission. Students in the marketing program will take classes like consumer behavior, social media, internet marketing strategies, and international marketing. Students can also choose to earn a certificate in media marketing which includes classes on international marketing, marketing management, and advertising.
In-State Tuition: $3,641
Out-of-State Tuition: $6,250
#2. Southeastern Oklahoma State University
The 36-credit hour online MBA in marketing offered by Southeastern Oklahoma State can be completed in as few as 12 months. Marketing MBA students will take courses like consumer behavior, social media marketing, strategic management, principle centered leadership and ethics, and data analysis for managers. Students pay the same low tuition rate regardless of whether or not they are Oklahoma residents.
Tuition: $5,940
#1. West Texas A&M University
West Texas A&M University’s AACSB-accredited online marketing MBA has been recognized as a top quality online program by national authorities like U.S. News and World Report. Applicants with an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or more can have the GMAT requirement waived. Students will take classes like information technology management, strategic management, project management for the enterprise, and quantitative analysis. The marketing concentration offers three additional classes focused solely on marketing as electives. The marketing classes available for this concentration vary semester by semester.
In-State Tuition: $4,292
Out-of-State Tuition: $4,852
This concludes our ranking of the 20 most affordable online marketing MBA programs.
By BVMBA Staff
July 2016