UNC's online MBA program shares No. 1 ranking

The online MBA program at UNC-Chapel Hill tied for No. 1 in the country with two other schools in a new ranking by U.S. News & World Report.

N.C. State University’s online MBA program also cracked the top 10, coming in at No. 9.

UNC’s program, MBA@UNC, tied with the online programs offered by Indiana University and Temple University.

MBA@UNC was launched in 2011 and currently boasts an enrollment of more than 630 students from 47 states and 35 countries.

“We created MBA@UNC to provide access to a world-class program for people for whom coming to campus isn’t a viable option,” Douglas Shackelford, dean of UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School, said in a statement.

N.C. State’s Jenkins Professional Online MBA program also started in 2011.

“In the past year alone, we have seen a 68 percent growth in applications and continue to be impressed with the caliber and diversity of our students,” Steve Allen, associate dean for graduate programs and research at N.C. State’s Poole College of Management, said in a statement.

The U.S. News rankings, released Wednesday, marks the first time that the magazine has rated online MBA programs separately. Previously, it included online MBA programs in its broader rankings of online graduate business programs.

U.S. News rated 195 online MBA programs based on five categories: student engagement, admissions selectivity, peer reputation, faculty credentials and training, and student services and technology.

This story was originally published January 7, 2015 at 11:25 AM with the headline "UNC's online MBA program shares No. 1 ranking."