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By University HQ Staff Writers
Edited by Evelyn Keener
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What Can You Do With an MBA in Mississippi

Mississippi MBA candidates have a wide range of excellent choices for online education. The state has traditional southern universities, leading research institutions, historical Black colleges, and faith-based institutions. Mississippi students can choose the type of education that are designed to provide what they need to reach their goals, career choices, and lifestyle preferences. Mississippi offers online, campus-based, and mixed online and on campus business school programs to fit your schedule, whether you work full days at the office or want the opportunity to maintain your social life during your off time. This list of Mississippi college MBA programs provides information and detailed descriptions. The info included in this report can help you find the best online program for your career path without an extended search.

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Top 10 Best MBA Programs in Mississippi

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1

University of Mississippi

Score: 88.39

  • Undergraduate Tuition
    • In-State: $9,412
    • Out-of-State:$26,980
  • Net Price: $14,289
  • Acceptance Rate: 97%
  • Retention Rate: 89%
  • Graduation Rate: 68%
  • Total Enrollment: 22,300
  • Undergrad Students: 17,302
  • Graduate Students: 4,998
  • Grads Salary: $70,000
  • Student-to-faculty: 16:1
  • University of Mississippi
View All Their Popular Majors and Rankings
2

Mississippi State University

Score: 87.77

  • Undergraduate Tuition
    • In-State: $9,815
    • Out-of-State:$26,580
  • Net Price: $15,364
  • Acceptance Rate: 75%
  • Retention Rate: 81%
  • Graduation Rate: 63%
  • Total Enrollment: 22,649
  • Undergrad Students: 18,305
  • Graduate Students: 4,344
  • Grads Salary: $73,000
  • Student-to-faculty: 16:1
  • Mississippi State University
View All Their Popular Majors and Rankings
3

William Carey University

Score: 83.46

  • Undergraduate Tuition
    • In-State: $14,685
    • Out-of-State:$14,685
  • Net Price: $15,271
  • Acceptance Rate: 54%
  • Retention Rate: 79%
  • Graduation Rate: 42%
  • Total Enrollment: 5,662
  • Undergrad Students: 3,291
  • Graduate Students: 2,371
  • Grads Salary: $76,000
  • Student-to-faculty: 13:1
  • William Carey University
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4

Alcorn State University

Score: 82.42

  • Undergraduate Tuition
    • In-State: $8,549
    • Out-of-State:$8,549
  • Net Price: $14,864
  • Acceptance Rate: 30%
  • Retention Rate: 81%
  • Graduation Rate: 47%
  • Total Enrollment: 2,933
  • Undergrad Students: 2,431
  • Graduate Students: 502
  • Grads Salary: $67,000
  • Student-to-faculty: 16:1
  • Alcorn State University
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5

Mississippi College

Score: 79.91

  • Undergraduate Tuition
    • In-State: $21,698
    • Out-of-State:$21,698
  • Net Price: $20,874
  • Acceptance Rate: 40%
  • Retention Rate: 77%
  • Graduation Rate: 62%
  • Total Enrollment: 3,946
  • Undergrad Students: 2,396
  • Graduate Students: 1,550
  • Grads Salary: $64,000
  • Student-to-faculty: 13:1
  • Mississippi College
View All Their Popular Majors and Rankings
6

University of Southern Mississippi

Score: 78.14

  • Undergraduate Tuition
    • In-State: $9,618
    • Out-of-State:$11,618
  • Net Price: $14,427
  • Acceptance Rate: 99%
  • Retention Rate: 70%
  • Graduation Rate: 52%
  • Total Enrollment: 13,526
  • Undergrad Students: 10,258
  • Graduate Students: 3,268
  • Grads Salary: $66,000
  • Student-to-faculty: 15:1
  • University of Southern Mississippi
View All Their Popular Majors and Rankings
7

Delta State University

Score: 77.37

  • Undergraduate Tuition
    • In-State: $8,605
    • Out-of-State:$8,605
  • Net Price: $14,138
  • Acceptance Rate: 99%
  • Retention Rate: 64%
  • Graduation Rate: 46%
  • Total Enrollment: 2,556
  • Undergrad Students: 1,889
  • Graduate Students: 667
  • Grads Salary: $68,000
  • Student-to-faculty: 10:1
  • Delta State University
View All Their Popular Majors and Rankings
8

Mississippi University for Women

Score: 77.36

  • Undergraduate Tuition
    • In-State: $8,092
    • Out-of-State:$8,092
  • Net Price: $12,691
  • Acceptance Rate: 99%
  • Retention Rate: 73%
  • Graduation Rate: 37%
  • Total Enrollment: 2,339
  • Undergrad Students: 2,080
  • Graduate Students: 259
  • Grads Salary: $70,000
  • Student-to-faculty: 11:1
  • Mississippi University for Women
9

Millsaps College

Score: 73.88

  • Undergraduate Tuition
    • In-State: $43,815
    • Out-of-State:$43,815
  • Net Price: $27,260
  • Acceptance Rate: 68%
  • Retention Rate: 83%
  • Graduation Rate: 57%
  • Total Enrollment: 661
  • Undergrad Students: 627
  • Graduate Students: 34
  • Grads Salary: $69,000
  • Student-to-faculty: 9:1
  • Millsaps College
10

Belhaven University

Score: 73.82

  • Undergraduate Tuition
    • In-State: $29,195
    • Out-of-State:$29,195
  • Net Price: $19,794
  • Acceptance Rate: 43%
  • Retention Rate: 67%
  • Graduation Rate: 46%
  • Total Enrollment: 3,627
  • Undergrad Students: 1,501
  • Graduate Students: 2,126
  • Grads Salary: $63,000
  • Student-to-faculty: 9:1
  • Belhaven University

Why Consider an Online MBA?

Online MBA programs can fit learning into busy lifestyles and early career stages. For most college graduates, getting a job is a top priority. Once employed it may be difficult to break away to attend graduate classes. Many who apply for admission have established careers and seek to broaden their knowledge, master new skills, and either improve or change a career path. There are many reasons to pursue an online MBA, and Mississippi programs support full-time or part-time attendance. The online format provides easy access to class instruction and materials from anywhere with the internet. Accredited degree programs add to a professional’s employment choices and create new opportunities for careers and business based on their new academic prowess. The Mississippi colleges listed below have well-regarded, accredited online MBA programs.

Find Your Online MBA Program

  • Jackson State University
  • The University of Mississippi
  • The University of Southern Mississippi
  • Mississippi State University
  • Millsaps College

Percentage of Students Enrolled By Distance Education

One in four students or about 5.8 million students across the US take at least one online course. Public schools lead in the category of online graduate students with 38.7% of the grad level distance learners. Private institutions have 61% of the graduate level distance learners, divided almost equally between private non-profit and private for-profit institutions. Approximately 2.8 million students take courses exclusively online.

Typical MBA Concentrations

The state of Mississippi has a relatively small population, with about three million residents. It has an abundance of natural resources and a long tradition of commercial agriculture. The leading industries in Mississippi include manufacturing, farming, fishing, lumber, oil, and gas. About one-third of the state’s workforce performs agricultural or farming related work. Because of this, many MBA concentrations in Mississippi gravitate to farming and the leading industries.

While there are a myriad of possible specializations offered all over the country, including strategic planning, business analysis, and organizational development, the five most common MBA concentrations for Mississippi MBAs include business management, marketing, finance, human resources, and international business.

  • Marketing
    Marketing is a popular concentration for online MBA study. It supports agribusiness through branding, digital media, research, advertising, services, and products. MBA energy sector coursework focuses on strategy, planning, the global economy, and analytics.
  • Business Management
    Business management often combines with other areas in agribusiness and energy such as information technology or information management. This concentration prepares graduates to work in mid to upper levels of corporate, entrepreneurial, and tech start-up environments as leaders of essential functions, processes, and systems all over the U.S.
  • Finance
    Finance concentrations have high-income potential and revolve around financial services, financial institutions, equity, and investments. Agribusiness, oil, and gas involve global finance. Finance concentrations prepare graduates that wish to work in banking, finance, securities, and multinational finance where they are responsible for real decision making and staff at a specific office or site.
  • Human Resources
    Human Resources is a high demand classification among employers and is very popular with students seeking a wide range of career and employment options. Mississippi has high growth sectors that rely on recruitment and retention. Nearly every business has at some point required strong human resource management.
  • International Business
    International business studies prepare students for careers in multinational corporations, both in the US and abroad. The coursework content keeps its main focus on international aspects of business law, and accounting.

Accreditation in Mississippi

You likely know from earning your undergraduate degree that accreditation is an essential part of the acceptance and value of a completed degree of any kind. Accreditation is a guarantee that the school offers quality education. There are two types of accreditation. The first is institutional accreditation, which can either be regional or national. The accredited schools must prove that they meet standards set by an independent expert agency. The second type of accreditation is program accreditation. When providing program accreditation, the agency examines whether the curriculum and training will prepare the graduates for employment and further educational and professional development. The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business provides program certification for online MBA programs. The association operates internationally in about 60 countries; employers, schools, and public authorities accept AACSB in many parts of the globe.

The AACSB is an authoritative accreditation agency and this organization accredits the leading Mississippi MBA programs listed in this report. Accreditation is both local to Mississippi and widely respected across the US. It provides the basis for international acceptance of an online MBA. In simple terms, it is the gold standard for business school accreditation.

Career and Job Outlook for MBA Graduates

The Bureau of Labor Statistics ( https://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.ms.htm ) states that manufacturing, mining, logging, construction, hospitality, professional and business services, and health services are among the leading growth industries.

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Top Employers in the State by Number of Employees

Company Industry Headquarters City Number of Employees
Nissan of North America Autos Canton 6,000
RPM Pizza Food Gulfport 3,500
Ashley Furniture furnishings Ecru 3,000

Average Degree Salary Ranges Potential

  • Earnings with Associates - $41,496
  • Earnings with Bachelors - $56,000
  • Earnings with MBA - $68,000

Careers for Mississippi MBA Grads

  • Agribusiness
    Agriculture is the dominant business sector in the state of Mississippi. The traditional concentrations connect to agriculture in the Mississippi job market. Marketing, economics, and management consulting occur within the framework of major farming businesses. MBAs can learn to manage activities in bioenergy, food processing, and transportation.
  • Supply Chain Management
    Logistics and supply chain are the lifeblood of many types of businesses. AnMBA with a concentration in supply chain management is an excellent point of entry into a core business professional area. Manufacturing, agribusiness, and oil and gas offer consistent high-level opportunities in supply management.
  • Business Management
    Business managers and analysts earn approximately $58,471 on average in Mississippi. The salary level is a medium rank in the national salary list for this profession, and there were job openings with leading companies like Delta Resources and L3 Technologies.
  • Human Resources Manager
    The average reported salary $82,781 which is a leading figure in this category on a national basis. There were job openings with Burger King, Five Guys Operations, LLC, and Garden Park Medical Center.
  • Energy and Environmental Impacts
    In an agriculture-based economy, some high tech sectors grow in lockstep, such as sustainability, green technology, and technological innovation. MBAs work in finance, management improvement, and energy policy.
  • Financial Analysts
    Finance and equity firms play key roles in business and personal finance services. The MBA is a critical credential for entering finance employment with banks, hedge funds, and equity businesses. Financial services for individuals and families is a growing field.

How to Choose & FAQ's

The online MBA can open new opportunities for advancement and career development. The business education and the master’s level credential can improve job promotions and career potential, and a well-planned selection can match life goals and educational achievement. There are many factors to consider when selecting an online MBA program in Mississippi. One might begin with program length. A student can complete an MBA in one year through a full-time student effort. A typical experience might be a two-year term. Part-time participation can stretch the term to four years and more for some specializations. Costs are also important and many students must work full-time and maintain family responsibilities while pursuing an MBA. You must be aware that lengthening the term will likely raise the cost. The program’s culture is a significant point to consider as well. Some school cultures are extremely competitive while others are more friendly, smaller, and supportive.

  • Align your MBA choice with your goals. An MBA consists of difficult subjects with heavy workloads for reading, reports, and testing. The MBA may open doors to upper management and lay a foundation for entrepreneurship. Given the effort and expense of the online MBA, applicants should make certain that the MBA will promote the career goals and career paths that they seek to pursue. The MBA is a general business degree, but it also offers opportunities for concentrations that can boost career qualifications.

    Most MBA applicants have a firm idea of the goals they expect to achieve and the role that the MBA can play. Timing is also essential for achieving goals. Students can complete the online MBA in as little as one year of intensive effort, and some programs allow up to eight years for part-time study. Applicants that do not have a specific goal can pursue an MBA as an excellent tool for professional development. The degree can open new types of jobs or create opportunities in new industries.

  • Program reputation is a factor when selecting a school for an online MBA. To the extent that your goals involve employment in certain fields or in certain types of environments, then the program’s reputation can help. Reputations consist of many things including rankings by educational associations, concentrations, faculty, and the competitive level of school admissions. Employers in a given area can often share a common understanding that an MBA program produces high-quality graduates that are well-prepared to take on roles in business after graduation.

    Online degrees do not require students to relocate to a particular city. However, the school and program reside in a physical community, and its reputation can have particular value in the school’s local region. The school community includes the Alumni network. The faculty reputation is another part of the MBA that students should consider. Faculty reputation is an attraction for students that wish to have a strong background in one or more areas of faculty expertise. The faculty reputation can affect job and career options as businesses and employers agree that a faculty is remarkable in one or more concentrations.

  • The Program and Curriculum are also important factors when selecting an MBA program. The curriculum provides the subjects and areas for concentrations that yield the skills and knowledge for job and career advancement. Typical concentrations include accounting, finance, management, and international business. Students that have an idea of a concentration for their career goals can review the course offerings to compare programs and determine which best matches their goals and preferences.

  • The cost of the online MBA is an important consideration. In Mississippi, the cost of tuition ranges from an affordable $462 to a less affordable high of more than $800 per semester hour. The costs are relevant to the value of the online MBA. Each of the schools on this list has regional accreditation for the institution and program accreditation for the online MBA program.

    Many MBA students seek more rewarding career options and higher income. Part of the value of an MBA is in the increased earning power of MBA graduates when compared to those with bachelor’s degrees and associate degrees. Increased income can also come in the form of business ownership and entrepreneurship; the MBA can equip graduates to manage commercial enterprises. Professional networking and alumni support add to the value of a degree. Schools with a large and robust Alumni organization offer many unique possibilities for networking and referrals which can lead to career growth and business opportunities.

  • Financial aid is not typically available for online MBA programs in the same way or to the same extent as campus-based programs. Schools can award financial aid such as tuition reduction scholarships. They cannot award assistant positions or work-study type aid because online students do not meet the face-to-face requirements for most work or graduate positions. Many students borrow funds to pay tuition, expenses, and costs. For currently employed applicants, it is worthwhile to check with your employer and ask about tuition assistance. Many employers realize that an MBA adds value to their company. Those employers may have programs that reimburse students for all or part of their tuition.

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