UMass Amherst Isenberg School of Management Online MBA Ranked First in the U.S.

AMHERST, MA – The Online MBA offered by the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has been ranked first in the United States by the Financial Times and third in the world.

This year’s ranking represents an increase from fifth in the U.S. and the ninth spot in the world in 2016. The complete global rankings can be found at: rankings.ft.com.

With one of the largest and oldest accredited online MBA programs in the country, the Isenberg School of Management has offered an online format for nearly 15 years. More than 1,300 students are currently enrolled in the program, which was founded in 2001. 

Isenberg is recognized as a leading program by students, colleagues and competitors across the online educational landscape. UMass Amherst Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy says, “The Isenberg School of Management is changing online education and the results are clear and measurable. The international standing of Isenberg’s online program is emblematic of UMass Amherst’s commitment to excellence in all that we do.”

The Isenberg School of Management stood out in the Financial Times’ 2017 rankings in a number of areas. The Online MBA program ranked second for increase in salary after earning an MBA, with a 43 percent increase, and ranked third for percentage of female staff, with 40 percent. Furthermore, the program ranked third in online interaction, which measures the extent to which alumni rate the interaction between students, teamwork, and the availability of faculty.

“I am especially pleased by the survey’s high approval ratings by our recent graduates — our alumni — who valued their online experience as students,” says Mark Fuller, dean of the Isenberg School. “Feedback from them and our current students is critical to our improvement and success.”

Isenberg’s Online MBA program offers an expansive course of study, from business analytics, finance and health care administration to marketing and sports management. Isenberg students from all 50 states and around the globe include physicians, attorneys, entrepreneurs, C-suite executives and scientists.

About the Isenberg School of Management
Founded in 1947, the Isenberg School of Management on the University of Massachusetts’ flagship Amherst campus has 42,000 alumni in 86 countries. Isenberg offers its AACSB-accredited courses to 4,800 students on campus, online and in blended formats. The school’s 3,400 undergraduates major in seven business disciplines, including industry specialties such as hospitality & tourism management and sport management. Nearly 1,300 students are enrolled in the Isenberg MBA, and they can focus their studies in health care administration, entrepreneurship, finance and marketing.

For more information, visit www.Isenberg.umass.edu.

Featured

  • Architectural Power for the Modern Campus Landscape

    For generations, an outdoor classroom only required a textbook and a patch of grass. Today, not only has the laptop replaced the printed pages, the rise of agile learning has turned campuses into study halls with students listening to lectures and researching topics from quads, gardens, and plazas. The challenge for architects and facility managers is to provide connectivity without cluttering the landscape with visual eyesores or creating safety hazards with extension cords.

  • GeoCam and UCLA: Modernizing Campus Accessibility Mapping

    In early 2025, UCLA partnered with GeoCam to capture and modernize its pedestrian infrastructure data. The goal was ambitious but clear: to produce a high-accuracy, imagery-backed digital map of every sidewalk, pathway, ramp, and ADA-related feature on UCLA’s 419-acre campus.

  • Girl Sitting at Library Desk, Using Laptop

    How Campus Design Shapes the Finals Week Experience

    Academic performance is not just about preparation. It is closely tied to how students manage stress, maintain their energy, and shift between work and recovery modes. Much of that is influenced, directly or indirectly, by design.

  • Children walking along bright school corridor with motion blur

    How Next-Gen Design Is Reshaping the Student Experience

    The environments where students learn play a crucial role in shaping their growth in and out of the classroom. By centering design on well-being, flexibility, and purpose, districts can ensure their facilities remain vibrant community assets for many years to come.