Tulane University Launches First Online MBA Program to Meet Growing Demand for Online Graduate Business Education

Built in collaboration with iDesign, Tulane's new fully online graduate business program caters to mid-career professionals and part-time students seeking the flexibility of an online MBA program

NEW ORLEANS, April 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Tulane University's A. B. Freeman School of Business, which serves more than 3,000 students and boasts a network of more than 25,000 alumni around the world, today announced the launch of a new Online Master of Business Administration program. Built in collaboration with distinguished faculty and expert practitioners, the fully online program will bring the teaching expertise of Tulane's award-winning faculty to a flexible format at a time when the majority of MBA students are choosing to enroll online.

"The MBA has proven to not only be remarkably durable, but also adaptable even during a period of enormous change and uncertainty throughout much of higher education and the labor market," said Paulo Goes, dean of the Freeman School. "The launch of our Online MBA will bring the expertise of our faculty to a much wider audience, building on the strength of our other programs."

The launch of the new online MBA programs comes at a time when the landscape for graduate business education is changing rapidly, with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically accelerating a decade-long shift toward online programs. The number of nationally-accredited business schools offering fully online MBA programs increased by 54% between 2012–13 and 2016–17, and another 85% between then and 2021–22. According to the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the number of MBA students enrolled in online programs now exceeds those attending full-time, on-campus programs for the first time.

To help meet the demand for continuing and graduate-level education in business, the university has selected iDesign, an independent instructional design firm that has worked with more than 100 institutions and 12 MBA programs, to design, build and support award-winning online courses. The new Online MBA will focus on building a strong foundation of business and managerial concepts while cultivating deep critical thinking, logical reasoning, and problem-solving. Now, more than ever, business programs must emphasize real world application to allow students to make informed, strategic decisions. Development of agile managers who not only anticipate crisis but manage disruption and predict change is a vital skill for students in their current and future real-world settings. A team of veteran instructional designers and educators from iDesign will collaborate with Tulane program leaders, administrators and faculty to reimagine the MBA curriculum into a rich and engaging degree with a focus on strong foundations, deep thinking and practical application.

"Successful higher education leaders are finding ways to create graduate business programs that are rooted in great teaching and faculty expertise, but agile and flexible enough to keep up with the constantly shifting demands of the world of work," said Paxton Riter, co-founder and CEO at iDesign. "This is about translating the unique blend of business and management education, faculty mentoring, and professional connections that an MBA creates into a flexible format that meets the needs of high-potential leaders and busy professionals."

In addition to the Online MBA, the Freeman School offers degree programs including its flagship full-time MBA, a part-time Professional MBA, an accelerated Executive MBA, and one-year specialized Master's programs in Accounting, Finance, Business Analytics and Energy. Its centers of excellence also include the Albert Lepage Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, which focuses on growing entrepreneurship in New Orleans and the Gulf region; and the Goldring Institute of International Business, which links Tulane business students with a network of international partners in Latin America, the Asia-Pacific region and Europe.

For more information on the new offering, visit freeman.tulane.edu/.

About the Freeman School of Business:  The A. B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University, originally the College of Commerce and Business Administration, was established in 1914 and is a founding member of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the premier accrediting body for collegiate schools of business. Today, the Freeman School is a leading, internationally recognized business school with more than 3,000 students in programs spanning the globe. With innovative curricula that combine outstanding classroom instruction with distinctive experiential learning opportunities, the Freeman School is dedicated to preparing current and future business leaders to contribute positively to their organizations and their communities.

About iDesign: iDesign partners with colleges and universities to build, grow and support online and blended programs. We are passionate about helping faculty harness the potential of emerging technologies to design courses and degrees that make an impact, whether they are fully online, flipped, blended, adaptive, or competency-based. Our unbundled, fee-for-service model is rooted in a commitment to flexibility and institutional autonomy, while our analytics platform supports continuous improvement through rigorous measurement of student engagement and course quality. From statewide university systems to private colleges, our custom solutions pair instructional design with technologies to enable great teaching. To learn more, please visit www.idesignedu.org.

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