The College of Business and Economic Development at The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) continues to elevate its reputation for excellence, earning national recognition in Fortune’s rankings of the Best MBA Programs for 2025. For the first time, Southern Miss has been featured in this highly competitive ranking, placing at #61 in the Best MBA Programs category. This reflects the college’s commitment to providing innovative and impactful education for its MBA students.
This is one of many rankings the Southern Miss MBA Program has earned from Fortune recently. For 2024, the college was featured at #12 Best Online MBA Programs in the South, #19 Most Affordable Online MBAs, and #31 Best Online MBA Programs, moving up 17 spots compared to the Best Online MBA Program 2023 rankings. The Southern Miss MBA program is one of 554 AACSB-accredited business master’s programs in the Americas.
“This recognition is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our faculty, staff, and students, as well as the high-quality education we provide,” said Dr. Bret Becton, Dean of the College of Business and Economic Development. “Our commitment to innovation, experiential learning, and leadership development has made our MBA program a top choice for aspiring business leaders, and we will continue to strive for excellence in preparing our graduates for success in a rapidly changing business world.”
The college continues to improve the MBA program’s curriculum, recently removing prerequisites barriers and allowing students more flexibility in their elective course selection. The program has become a top choice for professionals seeking career advancement with courses available online and at night. Working professionals can complete the program part-time in two years while full-time students can complete the degree in as little as one year. The program is available fully online or in-person at the University’s Hattiesburg campus.
“It is great to see our MBA program’s return on investment reflected in Fortune’s rankings,” said Dr. Steven Stelk, MBA Director. “Students are also noticing. Applications for Fall 2024 were up almost 20% compared to the previous year, and enrollment set a record at more than 200 students.”
The Fortune Best MBA Programs rankings are determined through a rigorous evaluation process. Their team analyzed data from nearly 100 MBA programs and considered 11 key ranking factors, including base salaries of recent graduates, cost of tuition, graduation rates, and the number of MBA alumni now serving in Fortune 1000 C-suite positions.