Find The Best Kansas MBA Programs and Degrees

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EARN AN ONLINE MBA DEGREE TODAY

Come to Kansas for your MBA. If you study on campus, you’ll be surrounded by gently rolling hills and virtually endless plains of grass and wheat. You’ll be able to focus on your studies, so you can graduate within two years and begin moving ahead in your career.

No matter what type of program you enroll in (all on-campus, all online, or a hybrid program depending on your schedule), you’ll be joined by other ambitious professionals who have chosen to gain experience through academics. No matter your reasons for doing so, the great programs in this state will support you so that you’ll be able to complete all of your required credit hours for a general master’s in business administration (MBA) within a year or two.

Your classes will teach you what you need to progress into managerial jobs, not to mention a C-suite office, where company policy often has requirements that applicants have completed a master’s program with relevant content.

Universities in Kansas will provide different types of MBA offerings, from professional MBAs to executive MBAs. You’ll be able to choose a concentration that reflects your current career. And, if you want to make a career change, earning a degree a level beyond your bachelor’s is an excellent way to do so. Learn leadership and communication skills, so you can work with all members of your professional team. The opportunities for specialization offered by these graduate programs are vast and include systems and operations management, marketing management, international business, network marketing, info tech, and more.

WHY CONSIDER AN ONLINE MBA?

Moving ahead to earn an MBA opens many possibilities for you. You can learn about management, accounting, finance, human resources, leadership, ethics, the public and private sectors, or entrepreneurship, depending on what area you are looking to enter and what skills you want to master.

Whatever your career goals, an MBA will help you to meet and possibly even surpass them. If you have plans to strike out on your own as a business owner, those entrepreneurship classes are designed to give you the knowledge you need so you can make the final decision, one way or the other.

If you’ve been hesitating because of the effect of pursuing an MBA on your life, relax. You have more flexible options than to just go to school full-time, in-person. Now, you can go part-time or take only online MBA classes. Your learning can now center around your calendar, no matter how full it is. Depending on your driving distance from the program of your choice, you may want to search for a hybrid program, which allows you to participate online and on-campus. While you’ll still be busy, the impact of an MBA program on your work and home life won’t be as marked. Start looking at MBA programs in Kansas and begin comparing them. If you live out-of-state, keep in mind that you’ll be paying out-of-state tuition, and make sure you consider your financial needs. However, if you aren’t interested in having the opportunity to visit the campus and meet with staff and your classmates outside of email or an online forum, you may want to skip hybrid and find a different program style.

Percentage of Students Enrolled in Online Programs in Kansas

MBA Concentrations

Having an idea of the MBA specializations you want to focus on means you’ll be able to structure your courses so that, when it’s time to choose concentration classes, you’ll be prepared.

In the Business Intelligence concentration, you’ll take at least 8 hours of business intelligence-approved courses outside the MBA core. The main classes required might include Applied Data Mining and Data Visualization, both of which are required for this concentration.

The Entrepreneurship concentration includes 6000-level coursework outside the MBA core. These courses may include Managing Small Business and Growth, Social Entrepreneurship, Venture Capital, Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development, and Innovation.

The Fundraising Leadership concentration requires 9 hours of 6000-level courses outside the MBA core. Some of these classes may include Prospect Research and Proposal Writing, Technology and Marketing Trends in Fundraising, Major Gifts and Capital Campaigns, and Developing Annual Sustainability.

For the Organizational Development concentration, plan to take at least 8 hours of 6000-level courses outside the MBA core. These classes may include Spirituality and Values in Leadership, Organizational Change, Developing Leadership in Organizations, Innovation, Organizational Development and Consulting, and Organizational Theory and Design.

In the Human Capital concentration, you need at least 8 hours of 6000-level courses outside the MBA core. These may include: Spirituality and Values in Leadership, Organizational Change, HR and Managing people, Cross Cultural Management, Conflict Management and Negotiation, and Organizational Development and Consulting.

Accreditation in Kansas

Accreditation is one of the most important things for you to check as you are comparing MBA programs. Most universities have regional accreditation, while other programs have national accreditation.

Business schools and MBA programs seek to be accredited by national groups, such as the Association to Advance College Schools of Business (AACSB). This accreditation is highly sought after, being given to less than 5% of business schools throughout the world. AACSB accreditation means that a school’s business program is of high quality, which is something incoming undergraduate and graduate students should check before they choose a program.

AACSB accreditation is only given once a business school has satisfactorily passed a rigorous internal review and evaluation. Any areas that fall short are corrected and adjusted, which can take from three to seven years. While the program is refining its program, it implements a plan that guides it toward meeting every AACSB standard, such as hiring highly qualified faculty.

If you are considering a program that doesn’t have accreditation, ask the Dean if it is working toward this hallmark. Even if they are working toward this, it may be a better idea to move on and find another program that has earned it’s accreditation, since there is no way to know when they will receive this important credential, and alumni of the school who graduate before they earn accreditation gain no benefit from future accreditation. This can reduce your chance of receiving offers and it may take extra months or more to find a job after graduation.

CAREER AND JOB OUTLOOK FOR GRADUATES

Since 2015, Kansas’ economy has steadily improved, which should offer hope to MBA students who want to work in this state. It’s easiest for Kansas college graduates to find employment in larger cities within Kansas.

Growing employment sectors include management industries, sales, administrative, social assistance, and healthcare.

Top Employers in Kansas

CompanyIndustryHeadquarters CityNumber of Employees
Lawrence Memorial HospitalHealthcareLawrence, Kansas1,001-5,000≠
Hill’s Pet NutritionPet FoodTopeka, Kansas2,225
Robert Half Finance & AccountingFinanceOverland Park, Kansas4,811
Compass MineralsMineralsOverland Park, Kansas862
DuPontProduces chemicals for agricultureNew Century, Kansas33,623

EARNING POTENTIAL WITH AN MBA IN KANSAS

MBA graduates want to earn a good salary when they graduate and find a job. Youmay even be able to find a job with a six-figure salary shortly after you graduate.

Top MBA Careers in Kansas

Here, you are required to lead the company’s entry into the Uniform CPA Examination test preparation market. You’re the point person for delivery and maintenance of a comprehensive plan for success and strategic development to improve test results for students working to become Certified Public Accountants.

In this position, you would be responsible for the delivery of a strategic plan, making improvements and implementing the changes that will guarantee growth, profitability and share gain for the certified measurement and monitoring instruments portfolio.

As the Development Project Manager, you work under the Director of Project Management. It’s your role to liaise between the Director and all parties involved in the pre-development and development phases for multifamily apartment buildings or other similar contracts.

In this position, you would work within the Corporate Strategy and Business Development Team. You will also advise the CEO and top leadership team. Your responsibilities include business unit strategy, corporate strategy and other responsibilities.

Working for a well-known household name, you would be responsible for a diverse range of marketing activities, such as developing effective advertising copy, performing business analysis, developing and implementing marketing plans and initiating and analyzing market research.

In this position, you would serve as an adjunct instructor for one MBA class (Business Intelligence). You would need to understand the principles, methods and current developments within this field and in professional practice. You would also implement various instructional strategies and skills needed to teach the course assigned to undergraduate, graduate, adult learners, and online students.

TOP ONLINE MASTERS PROGRAM CHOICES

Location:

Lawrence, KS

Tuition:

$ $ $ $ $

  • Jackson_State_University_logo
  • Tuition

    36,330

  • Receiving financial aid

    45%

  • Student population %

    27,625

  • Public or Private

    Public

Location:

Manhattan, KS

Tuition:

$ $ $ $ $

  • J_University_of_Mississippi
  • Tuition

    30,000

  • Receiving financial aid

    49%

  • Student population

    22,795

  • Public or Private

    Public

Location:

Leavenworth, KS

Tuition:

$ $ $ $ $

  • Mississippi_State_University
  • Tuition

    22,680

  • Receiving financial aid

    65%

  • Student population

    1,310

  • Public or Private

    Private

Location:

Salina, KS

Tuition:

$ $ $ $ $

  • University_of_Southern_Mississippi
  • Tuition

    23,800

  • Receiving financial aid

    100%

  • Student population

    791

  • Public or Private

    Private

Location:

Wichita, KS

Tuition:

$ $ $ $ $

  • Millsaps_College_logo
  • Tuition

    16,056

  • Receiving financial aid

    51%

  • Student population

    15,075

  • Public or Private

    Public

HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST MBA PROGRAM

As you prepare to begin your MBA program in the school of your choice, it’s about more than just choosing a school, applying for admission, then enrolling. If you’re going into an online program, you won’t have to worry about taking the GMAT.

However, you will have to go through the remainder of the admissions process, which means submitting an essay that answers the questions MBA committee members have posed.

1

Know who you are and express that in your applications and essays. If you like to follow your own path, do so—don’t try to force yourself to fit into a cookie-cutter mold. This way, your answers will stand out to admissions committee members; they will remember you when it’s time to make their final decisions and choose who will be in the upcoming class. It’s often those brave souls who dared to be themselves who succeed beyond their original goals.

2

Answer your essay questions with questions. This method is different, helping you to individualize yourself to committee members. You know what value and qualities you have that you can offer to your fellow class members and professors. Also, answering questions with questions helps you to find the messages you want to communicate. Show each school just what motivates you, both career-wise and in your life. Explain what you have learned in times of difficulty. Highlight those times when you’ve succeeded in meeting either a personal or professional goal.

3

Before you get into an MBA program, seek out people you know who are in MBA-level careers. Speak with them so that, when it’s time to begin your application, you’ll know how you want to introduce yourself to committee members. If a preferred MBA program leads to a transition, connect with people in your company who occupy the positions you’d like to enter. Speak to these people at length about their positions—what are their job goals and what resources do they access?

4

You know you have an excellent chance of being accepted by a Kansas state university’s MBA school. Instead of limiting yourself, stretch beyond a state school and apply for programs that you may normally believe are beyond your ability to successfully enter. Surprise yourself—believe in who you are and what you can accomplish. It’s this self-belief that will encourage admissions officers to choose you. If you have a planto excel, choosing a program that you think might be out of your leaguecan help you achieve your goals.

5

Market yourself. Think of yourself as a product to be marketed, define your brand and design it. Identify your potential contributions and areas of expertise. Highlight that throughout your application, making admissions committees and admissions officers notice who you are. Treat yourself as a valuable commodity.

Popular MBA Scholarships in Kansas

Scholarship Amount: $3,000
Deadline: February 7, 2020
Link: Bird Application

The Byron Bird scholarship is named for and originally funded by Byron Bird, CPA, the first recipient of the American Institute of CPAs National Public Service Award.

The scholarship is awarded to a current graduate accounting student or graduate school candidate on the basis of undergraduate academic performance, potential for success in graduate studies, leadership, and participation in community, charitable, university, governmental and/or other civic activities. All Kansas colleges and universities are encouraged to select one candidate for the scholarship. Submission of application is required. The Board of Trustees of the Educational Foundation selects the scholarship recipient.

Scholarship amount: Seven at $2,500
Deadline: July 1, 2020

The accounting faculty at each of the Regent Universities & Washburn University selects one accounting graduate or graduate student candidate to receive the KSCPA Educational Foundation graduate scholarship. Contact your university accounting department for information.