After 21 months of intense study, 16 students graduated from the first cohort of the Smith Online MBA program at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business on Sept. 19, 2015, at a commencement ceremony held in College Park, Md.
Prior to the graduation ceremony, students completed their closing residency with a capstone project that put all of their knowledge to the test in a highly competitive team-based online business simulation game.
The Smith Online MBA program launched in January 2014 and has grown significantly – the latest cohort started in September with more than 60 students. The program offers four entry points each year in January, April, July, and September, along with five areas of specialization: finance, accounting, marketing, information systems and business analytics, and a general MBA track.
The same academic rigor, experiential learning and top faculty that make Smith’s other MBA degree programs so successful have made Smith’s OMBA program a great option for busy professionals in the Washington, D.C., region and across the nation. The key difference in Smith’s online program is the level of flexibility for students. The program begins and ends with in-person residencies in College Park and students complete the remainder of the 21-month program online, on their own time.
Gary Cohen, associate dean in Smith’s Office of Executive Programs, says the flexible format appeals to managers who want to keep their jobs while earning an MBA. The program also works well for military personnel who do not always know where they will be stationed next.
“Different educational formats work best for different kinds of learners,” Cohen said. “As the market changes and new technology emerges, Smith will continue to innovate to deliver quality education for nontraditional students looking for blended and distance learning options.”
Poets & Quants ranked the Smith Online MBA Program fourth in the U.S. in their 2014 “The Definitive Guide to Online MBAs.” For more information about the Smith Online MBA program, visit: onlinemba.umd.edu.
- Alissa Arford, Office of Marketing Communications
Media Contact
Greg Muraski
Media Relations Manager
301-405-5283
301-892-0973 Mobile
gmuraski@umd.edu
About the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business
The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research. One of 12 colleges and schools at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Smith School offers undergraduate, full-time and flex MBA, executive MBA, online MBA, business master’s, PhD and executive education programs, as well as outreach services to the corporate community. The school offers its degree, custom and certification programs in learning locations in North America and Asia.