People had to sacrifice many things to pursue an advanced degree before technology was integrated into the classroom. Technological advancements allow working professionals to pursue a master’s degree in an online program format without leaving their jobs or sacrificing other obligations.
Louisiana has several reputable business schools, including Louisiana Tech’s College of Business, which ranks highly in U.S. News & World Report rankings. In-state and out-of-state students can look forward to a more affordable online education in Louisiana.
Online MBA programs in Louisiana provide students with an excellent opportunity to participate in online coursework. Prospective online MBA students no longer have to worry about an online program’s quality. Each program on this list is offered by an Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business-approved business school.
With a wide range of brick-and-mortar and online colleges in Louisiana, students can choose from numerous excellent and highly respected undergraduate and graduate programs. Many of the top Louisiana schools are noted for their affordability as well.
This is because Louisiana offers residents in state tuition rates for access to its 26 public colleges. If your school search includes public colleges in Louisiana, you’ll have a number of great options. The cost to attend a public college in Louisiana typically ranges from $5,000 to $12,000.
Out of state students will typically pay more. However, Louisiana residents who attend public online schools will be eligible for the in state tuition discount.
With just shy of 27,000 students, the Louisiana State University system is the largest public school system in the state. With an annual tuition rate of $12,000, LSU provides a full spectrum of both traditional and online degree programs in areas like engineering, education, theater, and landscape architecture.
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Other reputable public schools in Louisiana include the University of Louisiana, Northwestern State University, and Southern University and A&M College. Southern University is a highly regarded historically black land-grant university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Students attending public universities in Louisiana can earn both on-campus and online degrees in popular subjects like business management, health services administration, health sciences, and criminal justice.
Louisiana is also noted for an extensive technical college system, where students can pursue a wide range of on-campus and online degree programs. Likewise, the average tuition for a year at one of Louisiana’s seven community colleges is $4,000.
For students looking to merge their faith with their education, Louisiana is also home to eight religious institutions, including Catholic, Methodist, and Baptist schools. Prospective students can also attend one of 10 private colleges, including Tulane University and Louisiana Culinary Institute.
Tulane University’s tuition rate is $55,000. Based in the culturally rich city of New Orleans, Tulane is best known for its medical and law schools. Attorneys in Louisiana who have debt from law school may be eligible to receive $5,000 annually through the Loan Repayment Assistance-based financial aid program from the Bar Foundation.
Learn more about what you can do with an MBA.
The following graph depicts the average salaries of similar occupations to Project Management Specialists in Louisiana.
Source: U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
Tuition + fees
$12K
Acceptance
71%
Graduation
69%
Student body
30K
Median SAT/ACT
1195/25
The Master of Business Administration (MBA) offered online at Louisiana State University is a top-ranked online MBA program in the United States. Accredited by the AACSB, prospective graduate students can be confident that they’ll be pursuing a highly valuable MBA degree. This career-focused MBA degree is designed for applicants with three years of experience working in the business industry.
While students can choose their concentration, the program’s core curriculum prepares them for advanced leadership and managerial roles in various industries. Students explore topics in financial accounting, managerial statistics, and the business economic environment. Moreover, Flores Online MBA program students interact with teachers, peers, and other students as part of the project-based curriculum.
Concentrations
Tuition + fees
$10K
Acceptance
66%
Graduation
59%
Student body
6K
Median SAT/ACT
1165/25
The College of Business at Louisiana Tech University is known as one of the best business schools in the country, offering an AACSB-accredited online Professional Master of Business Administration. The college’s online MBA program allows students to complete online coursework at their own pace, giving them more freedom and flexibility. The online MBA curriculum follows the same content as the on-campus MBA program.
The online MBA aims to give students a strong foundation in all business disciplines while incorporating technology and innovation and examining business issues in a global context. Students study various topics, including financial management, marketing management, organizational behavior, managerial economics, and more. In addition to online courses, MBA students must also complete two electives and a strategic management capstone.
Tuition + fees
$43K
Acceptance
78%
Graduation
62%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1145/23
The AACSB International-accredited Joseph A. Butt, SJ College of Business at Loyola University New Orleans, offers an affordable web-based Master of Business Administration degree program. Designed for experienced applicants, the online MBA program strongly emphasizes marketing, entrepreneurship, accounting, and management. Busy professionals can enroll in slower-paced courses, while those who want to earn the degree faster can pursue six- or eight-week courses.
A dynamic capstone is part of Loyola’s online MBA course materials. This coursework allows MBA students to work with a start-up organization or company and study their business’ economic environment together with their peers. Moreover, online MBA students can participate in the Global Practicum, Non-Profit Consulting Practicum, or IdeaCorps MBA Consulting Challenge. These experiential learning opportunities help students prepare for the fast-paced business world.
The program offers no concentrations, but students can pursue a dual degree program:
Tuition + fees
$10K
Acceptance
78%
Graduation
50%
Student body
14K
Median SAT/ACT
1105/23
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette is the second-largest university in the state. Among its sought-after schools is the BI Moody, III School of Business Administration, fully accredited by the AACSB to grant degrees. The online Master of Business Administration at the business school is created to help busy professionals obtain an online MBA in Louisiana.
With eight available concentrations, this online MBA program is among the most customizable MBAs. Students who want to enter the competitive healthcare field can pursue the online MBA in Health Care Administration, a 39-credit hour MBA program. The MBA program’s academic requirements are offered 100% online, allowing students to complete coursework anywhere, anytime.
Concentrations include:
Tuition + fees
$9K
Acceptance
70%
Graduation
54%
Student body
6K
Median SAT/ACT
1060/22
The College of Business and Social Sciences at Lafayette, Monroe, offers AACSB-accredited undergraduate and graduate degree programs, including an Online MBA degree. Students explore various topics, such as marketing strategy, accounting analysis, global leadership, and management. Students who want to tailor their online MBA program can do so by selecting electives or concentrations beyond business. They can pursue criminal justice, educational leadership, or health communication courses.
Online students can also participate in one of the 16 graduate assistantships. However, these opportunities may require you to visit the campus for collaborations with professors on business research projects or help them teach a class.
Tuition + fees
$8K
Acceptance
69%
Graduation
42%
Student body
6K
Median SAT/ACT
1145/22
McNeese State University, one of the top regional universities, offers an accredited online Master of Business Administration degree program through the AACSB-accredited College of Business. Students who meet the requirements may apply for various financial aid programs, including graduate assistantships that provide professional job experience or a salary and tuition discount. Students can also participate in research activities the program faculty are currently working on.
The online MBA focuses on actual business issues to help students develop effective decision-making strategies. Students can tailor their MBA degrees by choosing a concentration. Graduate students can anticipate being exposed to competing values, cutting-edge technology, and extreme demographic diversity in both customer and staff teams.
Concentration:
Tuition + fees
$8K
Acceptance
99%
Graduation
38%
Student body
11K
Southeastern Louisiana University offers one of the best MBA programs in Louisiana, accredited by AACSB International. SLU’s online Master of Business Administration is designed for students seeking an interdisciplinary learning experience. The program’s core courses—which include accounting, managerial economics, financial policies, business policy and strategy, management, marketing administration, and statistical business methods—equip students with the skills, information, and experiences to stand out in the challenging business climate.
Concentrations include:
The online MBA emphasizes individual learning, which enable learners to tailor their degrees based on their goals and interests. They can pursue electives in various topics, including health care, accounting, and negotiation.
Tuition + fees
$9K
Acceptance
81%
Graduation
39%
Student body
6K
Median SAT/ACT
1135/21
The AACSB-accredited College of Business Administration at the University Of New Orleans is a competitive business school that offers an Executive Master of Business Administration. The MBA program combines the flexibility of online learning and the academic rigor of on-campus classes through a hybrid delivery method. The EMBA program prepares students for top executive roles in commercial and public sectors.
Concentrations include:
The program’s coursework is designed to help students develop problem-solving and decision-making skills. Students explore core courses, such as operations management, strategic marketing management, managerial economics, and more. Additionally, students can also pursue concentrations.
Tuition + fees
$10K
Acceptance
59%
Graduation
32%
Student body
6K
Median SAT/ACT
946/18
Accredited by the AACSB, the College of Business at Southern University and A&M College offers a comprehensive online Master of Business Administration program that balances business education with real-world application. This is one of the oldest accredited online programs in Louisiana. The program’s course pacing is created to help busy adult students earn an advanced degree.
Concentrations include:
The online MBA program seeks to help students gain the necessary abilities to work for large-scale domestic and global firms, establish their own businesses, or pursue top executive roles. In addition to core and electives, students can choose a concentration that best aligns with their professions. Online students can participate in an optional two-week study abroad program with credits.
Tuition + fees
$61K
Acceptance
10%
Graduation
86%
Student body
12K
Median SAT/ACT
1420/31
Tulane University of Louisiana is a highly selective institution. Students who want to pursue the AACSB-accredited AB Freeman School of Business Master of Business Administration program must have high academic and extracurricular achievements. Upon admission, students will receive guidance and support from academic advisors in customizing their degree plans and schedules to avoid interfering with their professional lives. This career-focused MBA program offers coursework that aligns with today’s employer demands.
Students will develop strategic, critical, and creative skills by participating in a cooperative setting emphasizing collaboration with peers and faculty. Students explore topics with a solid foundation of managerial and business principles. The majority of the coursework will be done asynchronously, with one hour of synchronous participation every week. Synchronous meetings include case studies, presentations, application-based assignments, and guest lecturers.
Concentrations include:
Additionally, online MBA students can finish a general track by choosing any optional courses to complete their degree.
Although the best MBA concentration depends on your personal interests and goals, it’s helpful to consider pursuing a focus that leads to employment in Louisiana’s top industries. This decision increases your chances of accelerating the return on investment of your online MBA degree.
According to Louisiana Economic Development, the state’s top industries include Manufacturing, Aerospace, Agribusiness, Energy, and Entertainment. Pursuing an MBA in these fields will lead to more job opportunities and higher job security.
Here are the best MBA concentrations for Louisiana’s key industries:
MBAs are versatile degrees, offering various specializations. As one of the most popular advanced degree programs worldwide, MBAs help working professionals build leadership skills, expand their network, and enhance their overall business knowledge. MBA degrees are excellent options for anyone needing business fundamentals covered while having the chance to study more in a selected concentration.
Go to Online MBA programs with no GMAT requirements
The GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test) is a computer responsive test designed to assess certain analytical, writing, quantitative, verbal, and English reading skills used by graduate management programs, such as MBA programs, to assist with admissions selections.
The GMAT is still required by many graduate schools of all shapes and sizes—elite research universities, public universities, liberal arts colleges, online colleges, etc. There’s no real common denominator for which types of schools require the GMAT, or don’t.
If you are considering a graduate business school that requires the GMAT, then you certainly want to do well on the exam. Even if schools you’re considering don’t require it, you may want to take the test because a high score could still help your application, and because there may be another college that suddenly interests you, and it might require successful completion of the GMAT.
If you’re going to take the test, at minimum you’ll want to study with solid guidance provided by quality resources. People have many different opinions about which GMAT test prep resources are the best, therefore we recommend that you start looking at and comparing the best-selling GMAT test guides.
On the other end of the spectrum, if you are aspiring to be admitted into an elite university’s program, you may want to work with a graduate or business school admissions expert. An admissions consultant can give you the most customized information about your prospects and many will work with you on whatever specific need you might have – test prep, applications, personal essays, and even help with finding meaningful internships.
There is a growing number of high quality MBA programs that don’t require the GMAT. Furthermore, there are a lot of highly reputable colleges and universities offering online MBA programs that do not require the GMAT. If standardized testing simply isn’t a strength of yours, you may want to move your search to focus specifically on online MBA programs with no GMAT requirements.
Program length of traditional and online MBA programs vary based on specialization, required credit hours, transfer credits, and pacing. However, the typically 30-credit hour online MBA degree can be earned in about 2 years. 60-credit MBA programs may take up to four years.
MBA courses are available both online and on campus, and many programs require a thesis or professional experience component. Students will study topics like corporate law, organizational behavior, and negotiations. Most online MBA programs will be asynchronous for maximum flexibility.
This means students watch lectures and read when they can, and likely join web forums for class discussions. While online MBA courses can be “self-paced”, there usually are still mid-term and end of term deadlines. Typical online MBA courses will have multiple deadlines throughout the semester for various assignments.
MBA graduates can advance to leadership roles in accounting, finance, human resources, organizational administration, and more. MBAs are popular because of their versatility. With so many choices of concentrations, your MBA can prepare you for leadership or executive roles in virtually any industry.
If this is your first time taking an online course, the experience may require some adjustment. While you’ll generally learn the same content and take the same exams as your on-campus peers, the medium will likely require you to manage much of this experience independently. You’ll be accountable for your own time management, your ability to harness the technology at your fingertips, and your ability to focus on the lectures, lessons, and assignments at hand. This means you’ll need to create a suitable workspace for yourself, maintain a realistic schedule, and take it upon yourself to build relationships with your instructors and classmates. With online college, your goal is to find a balance between independence and engagement.
No. The only part of online education that’s easier is actually getting there. Taking the commute out of the equation means getting to class should be a lot more manageable. But that’s where it ends. In general, your online courses will incorporate the very same materials, concepts, and testing methods as would a traditional classroom.
And in many cases, you’ll even have the same instructors as your on-campus counterparts. In fact, if you are adjusting to the experience of independent learning or working with remote learning technology for the first time, online college may even be a little more challenging for you. For a few insights on how to manage this new experience, check out our 10 Tips for Adjusting to School Online.
Accreditation is especially important when it comes to online college. This is because the online education landscape is a mix of highly-reputable institutions and less-than-reputable for-profit schools. Accreditation gives you the power to differentiate between the two. Accreditation is a stamp of approval from an independent accrediting agency which indicates that a college or university is meeting standards of quality, credibility, and currency. School-wide accreditation falls into two major categories: regional and national accreditation. Regional accreditors generally hold jurisdiction only over schools in the states comprising their region, whereas national accreditors hold jurisdiction over schools in all states. Regional accreditation is widely regarded as a more rigorous standard of quality and credibility than national accreditation.
Attending a college or university which is not regionally accredited could limit your opportunities. When seeking an online education, we strongly recommend that students opt for regionally accredited schools. Regional accreditation ensures eligibility for federal loans and grants, ensures your college credits can be transferred between schools, and ensures that your degree credits can be accepted if you wish to earn an advanced degree.
As long as your online college degree is regionally accredited, you should have little difficulty transferring most of your credits or credentials to another regionally accredited undergraduate school. Every school carries its own standards and procedures for granting a transfer. In many cases, you will be required to navigate a bureaucracy in which some of your credits will be transferred and others will be jettisoned. However, provided that you have attended an online school with the proper regional accreditation, you should have plenty of options for transfer.
In most cases, as long you graduate from a well-regarded, regionally-accredited online college, prospective employers won’t look sideways at your degree. In fact, unless you attend an exclusively online college or university, there will likely be no specific indicator on your degree, transcript or resume differentiating your school from its brick-and-mortar counterpart. This means that your employer will likely only differentiate between an online and in-person degree if you mention this distinction.
While some employers may express concern about making the adjustment from online education to in-person workplace collaboration, many other employers will view your online degree as evidence of valuable 21st Century professional skills such as independence, self-motivation, time management, and tech savvy.
If you are a student who thrives on the dynamic energy of in-person discussion, who requires the physical surroundings of a classroom to feel engaged, or who considers the social aspects of education to be of equal importance to the actual content of your courses, online education will require some adjustment.
While there is much that can be supplanted or simulated through the online medium, some students may find that there is nothing which can replace the conversation, collaboration, and motivation that occur in an actual classroom setting. As you make the adjustment to online education, one of the biggest challenges you will likely face is overcoming this difference in order to the get the most out of your classes. Fortunately, we’ve got some great Tips for Online Education Beginners.
The advantages of online classes are many. First and foremost, online courses give you the freedom and flexibility to attend class from anywhere that works for you, whether you’re at home, in a coffee shop, or in a quiet conference room at work. In many cases, you’ll also enjoy the convenience of asynchronous learning opportunities-educational experiences that you can complete on your own schedule. This may include pre-taped lectures, ongoing chat-board discussions, and 24/7 access to digital materials. And of course, just as there are some learners who prefer the energy of a live classroom, there are those who learn best when working in their own personal space, free from distractions. If this sounds like you, you might find the solitude of online learning to be a major advantage.
Whether you’re just getting started on your college search, you’re looking for survival tips on your way to a bachelor’s degree, or you’re preparing for the transition into grad school, we’ve got guides, how to’s and tons of other valuable resources to keep you moving forward in your educational journey.