The Tippie College of Business is merging its Online MBA and part-time Professional MBA programs, providing students with more options and greater flexibility as they pursue their education. This step is the latest example of Tippie’s continuing efforts to provide innovative graduate professional programs that best suit the needs of today’s students.

The merger means that Iowa MBA students will be able to take classes fully online or in person at multiple locations around the state and have them count equally toward completion of the degree.

Amy Kristof-Brown, dean of the Tippie College of Business, says the new Iowa MBA is more student- focused and flexible.

“The new Iowa MBA will bring Iowa’s top-ranked part-time MBA and our rapidly growing online MBA together into one program where students have complete flexibility to study in any format they want,” says Kristof-Brown. “Students can customize their schedule and take courses in person or online depending on what works best for them, and even take the semester off if they need to.”

This added flexibility is especially useful during the COVID-19 pandemic because students who typically take in-person courses will be able to stay on track for graduation by taking online classes.

Tuition will remain unchanged.

“At $31,500, a highly-rated Big Ten MBA with endless flexibility is hard to beat,” says Kristof-Brown. “No other program offers the credibility, small class sizes, and flexibility at our price point.”

The merger is the latest step in Tippie’s ongoing redesign of its professional programs, making changes and additions that better match what students and employers want. After dropping its full-time program in 2019, the college added two master’s degrees—in business analytics and finance—and its Online MBA Program.

Students have responded well to the changes. The Online MBA went from 40 students in its first class in 2019 to more than 400 in just a few semesters, while both master’s programs have exceeded enrollment expectations.

CONTACT: Tom Snee, 319-384-0010 (o); 319-541-8434 (c); tom-snee@uiowa.edu