Six Top Online MBA Programs with Gender Parity

Equal salaries and opportunities for men and women in the workplace are coming under increasing focus, but it’s not just employers who need to do more to achieve gender parity. Business schools have a long way to go too.

Seven in 10 MBA graduates are male, demonstrating the struggle business schools around the world have had in finding a gender balance.

According to research conducted by the Macquarie Graduate School of Management, two primary barriers are preventing women from studying an MBA: cost and time.

The challenge of balancing busy lifestyles, work and family, along with the financial costs of an MBA, can turn women off postgraduate study, which in turn leads to less women with the credentials to take on leadership roles.

Although more full-time MBA programs are breaking down the 40 percent barrier that was apparent for many years, it seems online, executive, and part-time programs tend to lag behind. This year's QS Distance Online MBA Ranking found women represented just 38 percent of the average online MBA student body.

These six schools, however, stand alone and can boast female representation of 50 percent or higher.

George Washington University

55 percent female students

George Washington’s online MBA program is a testament to what the university is trying to achieve. With the GWSB Digital Community, students learn online from the same professors, with the same lectures, assignments, and exams. This means online students receive the same quality learning as the on-campus b-school which has been recognized for scholarly research, teaching excellence, innovative curricula, and an unwavering focus on ethics and corporate social responsibility.

Susan Kulp, associate professor of accounting at George Washington, told the Economist  she was surprised when she joined the school in 2007, as she was hired by a female dean. She further noted she saw women role models all around the school, from the faculty to the dean herself, as well as the students.

For prospective students, the AACSB accredited online MBA costs US$90,000-100,000, while the average GMAT score of students is 581.

Suffolk University (Sawyer)

66.7 percent female students

The business school with the highest proportion of female students in this year’s ranking, paving the way for other online MBAs to follow, is Sawyer Business School.

The flexible MBA program at Sawyer allows online MBA students to choose either full-time (12+ months) programs or part-time (average two-three years) programs.

Specifically designed for working professionals, the Suffolk MBA Online boasts the same curriculum and faculty as the standard MBA. This program offers collaborative experiences like group projects and engaging, highly interactive class discussions.

The AACSB accredited course costs US$70,000-$80,000.

University of Houston-Victoria

52.5 percent female students

The 24-month Global MBA at the University of Houston-Victoria provides students with the international perspective and global-savvy context needed to jumpstart their careers in international business.

The AACSB accredited course allows students to start their program in either January, June or August and will cost $US20,000-$30,000.

Curtin Graduate School of Business

50 percent female students

To reset the gender balance, and help women overcome barriers, Curtin Business School is working with businesses to offer 30 scholarships for women to take an MBA in partnership with their employer. Each scholarship is worth US$14,800 (AU$20,000), with the corporate partner contributing a further amount of support including a minimum of US$7,400 (AU$10,000) per recipient.

As of 2019, the Curtin MBA course will be available completely online, and will allow a flexible delivery blend of face-to-face and online study. For the generalist online MBA, students will learn key functional disciplines, combining current business theory, local and international perspectives, project work and networking opportunities with industry.

The AACSB I EPAS accredited 34-month course costs US$30,000-40,000, with the flexibility to start in January, May, or August.

University of Cincinnati

52 percent female students

The University of Cincinnati's online MBA program offers a mixture of academic and research-intensive learning combined with real-life learning experiences.You can earn your degree from the AACSB-accredited College of Business at an accelerated pace — in as few as 12 months.

Students gain:

• Core skills in accounting, economics, finance, leadership, operations management, business analytics, information technology and marketing
• Strategic leadership and decision-making skills
• A thorough understanding of legal issues in business
• An understanding of the important role that ethics and social responsibility play in business

Florida Atlantic University, College of Business

54.6 percent female students

The 23-month online MBA program at Florida Atlantic University allows participants to continue their professional responsibilities while earning an AACSB-accredited MBA degree as full-time graduate students.

Students will receive the same curriculum from the same professors as on-campus students, through recorded online lectures, presentations, discussion and chats.

Programs at FAU College of Business start in May, August and January.

One alumnus Kathleen E. Brush, Ph.D., who earned her MBA from FAU in 1980, donated more than $1.3 million to FAU College of Business to create the Kathleen Brush Program for Women in Leadership.

Although Brush approached a few other universities, according to FAU’s news desk she said, “FAU was the only one that said we support gender equality in leadership, we want to be part of the solution.”