Colorado

Your Guide to Career, Curriculum and Education

Home/States/Colorado

Earn an Online MBA Degree Today

Whether you’re going to go full-time, part-time, or attend your classes online, an MBA in Colorado will take your life and career in new, exciting directions. When you have some free time, relax or get some heart-pounding exercise in the Rocky Mountains that are such a huge attraction in the state. Go hiking in the summer; skiing in the winter.

Because the programs here are all accredited by one accrediting agency or another, you’re going to be working with world-class professors. Guest speakers will come in and give you intriguing glimpses of the executive world.

Should you need to look for a particular MBA (EMBA, Professional MBA, Health Administration MBA, One-Year MBA, or Executive MBA in Health Administration), you’ll find it. Just about any university’s MBA program will have several specific MBA offerings so you can pick what you need and apply to those schools. If your career is in an outdoor-oriented business, at least one university offers an Outdoor Industry MBA. Colorado, with its abundant sunlight and differing climates, is the ideal location for this specialization.

Why Consider an MBA

You have a sharp mind and you understand the business world. You’re happy where you work now, or you’re about to graduate from your BBA program. If you’ve worked in a managerial role for a few years, you may have realized that to advance any further you need an advanced degree. Or, if you’re getting ready to graduate with your BBA, you have plans to continue right into an MBA program.

Most Colorado MBA programs invite students from, not only the United States, but a wide range of countries around the world.

Look at the MBA programs offered by universities and colleges in Colorado. You’ll find just as much value as other programs, for much less money. You’ll still be exposed to challenging classroom conversations and scenarios. Your class projects will expose you to different ways of thinking about issues common to businesses all across the U.S. or around the world. Even better, you’ll be able to complete your degree, graduate, and get to work in less than two years.

You may need to continue working full-time while you earn your MBA. Some Colorado MBA programs offer you the flexibility you need to do so, with evening classes or online MBA programs.

You may have started your career in a different field, such as nursing, engineering, or social work. Several Colorado MBA programs accept MBA students from other educational disciplines, whether they have taken business courses or not.

Percentage of Students Enrolled in Online Programs in Colorado

MBA Concentrations

A general MBA suits you well if you’re going to work in a role where you’re responsible for a wide range of tasks. However, if you’re going to work in a job that requires that you have specialized knowledge, then you need to take specializations or concentration courses. Concentrations allow you to focus on one particular aspect of business, such as marketing, information systems, or business analytics.

Bio-innovation and Entrepreneurship

blends two business interests. Bio-innovation centers on identification, commercialization, and dissemination of new biological technologies, models, and concepts.

Entrepreneurship

makes it easier for you to strike out on your own and start your own business. If you have a plan to start your own business and make it grow to the point that it competes with other companies, this concentration is for you. You’ll know how to write a business plan for funding, you’ll learn about the legal issues that could slow or stop your business, you’ll learn web development to allowyou to develop a presence on the internet and with venture capitalists, and you’ll learn how to communicate with them should they approach you.

Project Managers

are trusted with overseeing the property, personnel, and financial resources of their employers larger projects. As a project manager, you need a high degree of personal integrity, so you make ethical decisions while you manage the projects assigned to you.

Advanced Accounting

takes you beyond the usual MBA accounting degree. The program focuses on tax accounting, international accounting, cost accounting, and accounting ethics. You’ll also learn accounting research and accounting information systems within a forensic framework.

Leadership

If you have a goal of leading from within a senior management position (COO or CEO), this concentration fits your needs. If you plan to own your own business, you need the Leadership concentration as well. Managers of for-profits and nonprofits, law enforcement and the military also benefit from this concentration.

Accreditation in Colorado

It’s only the best of the best MBA programs that apply for and receive accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). This agency confers the highest standards of accreditation for business programs around the world, with less than 5% of 16,000 business schools earning this distinction.

Schools that are moving toward accreditation gather needed documentation and send in their initial application. Once this is approved, the school begins to work to meet the benchmarks so that it can be accredited. The AACSB returns to review each business school every five years, to ensure that it has maintained the very high academic standards needed to keep its accreditation. It isn’t only the schools that work toward high standards of excellence—staff and faculty must make this commitment as well.

A business school with accreditation works to provide challenging and relevant curriculum and career opportunities for each of its students. Accredited schools supply academic rigor, industry exposure, and experiential learning. They will also provide you with access to faculty with world renown, career advancement in specific and general disciplines, and networking opportunities with professionals in the industries you are interested in.

Career and Job Outlook for Graduates

Managers and CEOs with MBAs do exceptionally well in Colorado. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, management occupations are represented very well in this state.

Management occupations maintain a bright outlook as general managers, operations managers, and marketing managers are all finding employment more frequently than are people in other occupations. Sales managers are doing even better. They are finding that job vacancies for their expertise are almost twice as high as those for other occupations.

The annual mean wage for marketing and sales managers are well into six-figure territory. Marketing managers earn an annual mean wage of $161,970; sales managers are close behind at $156,280.

Top Employers By Number of Employees

CompanyIndustryHeadquarters CityNumber of Employees
Summit Utilities, Inc.UtilitiesLittleton, Colorado96
North Star Resource GroupFinancial ServicesMinneapolis, Minnesota8,405
Spectrum EnterpriseFiber-based TechnologyStamford, Connecticut4,831
FlexentialData SolutionsCharlotte, North Carolina643

Earning Potential with an MBA in Colorado

Top MBA Careers and Programs

In this position, you report straightto the Director of Finance. You’ll work with other finance managers and analysts on financial planning, analysis, and reporting.

You’ll need to work with cross-functional teams to make it easier for the Director of Finance to arrive at decisions. Your aim is to improve profitability through the entire organization. Your ability to develop and manage extremely complex financial analysis and business modeling will be highly prized. If you have a high degree of technical proficiency, this will help you in your position.

You’ll be responsible for leading growth initiatives as you and your team look for new markets. As you find these markets, you’ll also develop market entry strategies. Expect to conduct qualitative and quantitative analyses of markets and products.

You’ll also manage cross-functional teams to provide project deliverables on established timelines. You’ll also assess potential acquisition and investment options by looking at sourcing, developing financial deal models, and conducting preliminary commercial due diligence.

In this position, you’re responsible for calculating IRR, NPV, and equity multiples. You’ll also take responsibility for building and presenting strong Excel models and help in the preparation of development project budgets and forms.

You’ll evaluate Seniors Housing opportunities for development by creating Excel-based cash flow models. You’ll be charged with assisting in the underwriting and due diligence of each transaction, to include reading and interpreting leases, operating agreements, loan documents, JV partnership agreements, and researching market fundamentals.

You will have primary responsibility for business and non-legal aspects of the company. You will report straight to the managing partners, holding overall responsibility for finance and accounting, human resources, technology, insurance, facilities, administrative personnel, operations, and marketing/business development initiatives.

Some of these responsibilities are day-to-day while others are longer-term. You will actively participate in the development and implementation of strategies that support the continued growth and performance of the company.

You’re responsible for the identification and pursuit of new business opportunities. This will result in RFPs, contract award, and the achievement of assigned revenue goals. In this position, you report directly to the CEO. This position could eventually transition into a Vice Presidential/management team role.

This position requires someone who isn’t afraid to push boundaries. The Retail Finance Team builds leaders and drives the value of its services. You’ll be responsible for comprehensive financial planning, forecasting, and analysis. You’ll help the company to strategically align its resources with achievement of goals for the long- and short-term.

Top MBA Programs in Colorado

Location:

Grand Junction, CO

Tuition:

$ $ $ $ $

  • cmu-logo.png
  • Tuition

    16,920

  • Receiving financial aid

    73%

  • Student population

    1.2%

  • Public or Private

    Public

Location:

Fort Collins, CO

Tuition:

$ $ $ $ $

  • colorado_state
  • Tuition

    40,908

  • Receiving financial aid

    58%

  • Student population

    2.03%

  • Public or Private

    Public

Location:

Lakewood, CO

Tuition:

$ $ $ $ $

  • colorado_christian
  • Tuition

    22,191

  • Receiving financial aid

    99%

  • Student population

    13%

  • Public or Private

    Private

Location:

Greeley, CO

Tuition:

$ $ $ $ $

  • northern_colorado
  • Tuition

    21,492

  • Receiving financial aid

    70%

  • Student population

    23%

  • Public or Private

    Public

Location:

Denver, CO

Tuition:

$ $ $ $ $

  • colorado_denver
  • Tuition

    38,784

  • Receiving financial aid

    38%

  • Student population

    45%

  • Public or Private

    Public

How to Choose The Best MBA Program

If you need to earn your MBA through an online program, you need to go through the different universities that offer an online option. This is the best option if you work full-time and you can’t leave your job for two years, have a family who needs you, or have community obligations that you can’t set to the side.

Choosing the right online MBA program is just as challenging as choosing a traditional one. Consider yourself your own best investment. As such, you need to think about the return on investment that an online MBA can give you. Once you graduate, your value shoots even higher.

If you’re worried that your MBA degree won’t be as valuable because it’s online, keep in mind that MBA distance education programs are made to offer success and value. Look closely at the tuition and added fees. Explore the financial aid you qualify for. Don’t forget to look for accreditations for the online programs you’re exploring.

1

Research your choices! Set aside what the program is famed for and look at how it can best serve your needs. You’re looking for a program that gives you the skills you need to advance in your career or offers the concentration you’re looking for. You also need a program that gives you the various kinds of support you need, networking opportunities, and the resources you’ll need for your studies. Now, look at the program’s reputation and ranking. How do they fit into what you imagine for yourself? Study every program extensively so you can make an educated choice.

2

Ask questions. Actively seek information about the schools that interest you. You can call and ask questions of staff, professors, or professionals you know who have graduated in the state. You can often contact graduates of the program through alumni groups. Check the graduation, employment rates, and average salaries of graduates of the program. This information is usually accessible through surveys conducted by the schools themselves and available on their website.

3

Once you know the programs you prefer, it’s time to apply. You may want to apply to more than one school. You’re going to look at a wide variety of MBA programs and colleges. Applying to more than one will give you a back-up in case you don’t get in somewhere. But don’t go overboard, application fees will start to add up and it will take time and effort to complete each and every application. It’s important to have narrowed your list down before you started applying.

4

Financial aid is an important consideration. Even if you’re planning to attend online, you will still have to contend with the costs of your education. On-campus work placement will not be available to online students, but all other financial aid is equally accessible no matter where you are taking your courses. Make sure you discuss all your options with the financial aid services at the school of your choosing. You don’t have to wait until you are accepted to start learning about what you can do to pay for your education.

5

If you already have a position in a company, be sure to discuss your education plans with your employer. They may offer some tuition aid or be willing to shift your work schedule to make it easier for you to complete your education. Companies want their employees to be well-educated and will love to hear that you are on your way to earning an MBA.