</p>
<p>Professor Douglas E. Stevens is director of the MBA program at the Florida State University College of Business.</p>
<p>Doug Stevens
Written by
DOUGLAS E. STEVENS
My View</p>
<pre><code>Filed Under
Opinion
Opinion Columnist
</code></pre>
<p>In my role as director of the MBA program at the Florida State University College of Business, I have seen my share of shameless promotion and unsubstantiated âhypeâ in the advertising of MBA programs. One of my favorite examples came from the MBA director at a small private school near Orlando who stated at a conference that her MBA program was the best in the state. (She later clarified that her statement was based on an article in a local entrepreneurial magazine.)</p>
<p>However, I was still surprised when I saw the new billboard on the northeast side of our campus, advertising the University of Florida Internet MBA program. Strategically positioned at the bottom of the hill at Call and Macomb streets, blatantly placed in Seminole country, this billboard claims that the UF Internet MBA is the âWorldâs #1 Online MBA Programâ and offers state employees special pricing.</p>
<p>My skeptical academic mind immediately began to question the ad. How could anyone claim to be the best in the world at anything? Based on whose criteria and whose ranking? What is the actual ranking of UFâs online MBA in well-respected outlets, and how does it compare with the ranking of our online MBA program here at FSU?</p>
<p>What is the price of UFâs online MBA, and how does it compare to the price of our online MBA program? Given that UF decided to advertise its online MBA program to state employees on our campus, I decided it was time to provide some answers.</p>
<p>Our sister institution is claiming best-in-the-world status because of a 2010 rating in The Economist, a global magazine based in London. The magazine notes the survey is a âratingâ rather than a âranking,â because it did not look at all MBA programs. UFâs online MBA received the top rating of âexcellent,â along with the International Executive MBA at Spainâs IE Business School.</p>
<p>A more frequently cited and respected source of business school rankings, however, is published annually by U.S. News & World Report. The 2012 edition of Top Online Education Program rankings placed FSUâs online MBA program at No. 20 nationally in terms of faculty credentials, training and online teaching experience. No other university in Florida ranked in the top 20 (not UF, Miami, USF, UCF, or the small private school near Orlando). Thus, according to at least one respected source, we are ranked ahead of UFâs online MBA programâŠ</p>
<p>How do the two online MBA programs stack up as far as price is concerned? UFâs 32-credit-hour online MBA program is estimated to cost $46,000. According to its admission office, UF offers state employees a 22-percent discount, which lowers the cost to $35,880. However, the cost of FSUâs 39-credit-hour online MBA program is $28,350. Even with the state employee discount, UFâs online MBA program is considerably more expensive than FSUâs. For state employees in Tallahassee who donât need an online program because of their travel schedule, we have an even better deal: In our part-time, on-campus MBA program, students attend class two nights a week and pay the same tuition price as other on-campus graduate students: about $421 per credit hour or about $16,419.