The Professional MBA program at the University of Georgia Terry College of Business made a significant leap forward in Fortune magazine’s new ranking of the best part-time MBA programs for working professionals.
The PMBA program, which is taught out of the Terry Executive Education Center in Atlanta, climbed to No. 13 nationally, up from No. 44, and broke into the top 10 public programs — at No. 9 among public business schools ranked by Fortune.
“For the first time in our history, the Full-Time, Professional and Executive MBA programs at the Terry College of Business have received simultaneous recognition as top 10 public programs,” said Dean Ben Ayers. “These three programs serve graduate students at different inflection points in their careers, at various stages of life, and with unique goals in mind. Regardless of which MBA format is the right choice for anyone individually, the Terry College offers students an assurance of quality, a leading return on investment, and access to an engaged alumni network that is unsurpassed in the marketplace.”
Since the fall term, Terry’s Executive MBA program was ranked No. 8 among U.S. public business schools by the Financial Times, and the Full-Time MBA program was ranked the No. 9 public program by U.S. News & World Report, No. 8 by Bloomberg Businessweek, and the No. 1 value for the money worldwide by the Financial Times.
As interest and enrollment in the PMBA program has grown, Terry’s MBA staff has responded by adding more flexible options in terms of class schedules, the time to graduate and a fully Online MBA option introduced in 2023. Among the class cohorts that will begin the PMBA program next fall will be a Saturday hybrid section, with one out of every three Saturdays spent on campus in Atlanta and the other weeks taught in synchronous online classes or through distance learning.
“We spend a lot of time building each cohort of students — we call it curating — so that it not only fits the program but also brings together a very rich learning environment led by our faculty,” said Susan Brown, director of the Executive, Professional and Online MBA programs. “We want each student cohort to represent not just a range of experience in the functional areas — from operations, to marketing and sales, consulting and so on — but an interesting mix of industries, companies and military, and diverse demographic and academic backgrounds as well.”
Most of the PMBA program’s enrollment draws from professionals living and working in Atlanta, but Brown said the program’s added flexibility on top of its national reputation is extending its footprint. She points to PMBA students who live in Savannah and Chattanooga and commute to classes in Buckhead.
“We keep evolving the program,” Brown said. “We’ve added new scheduling formats and fresh electives. We’ve introduced two new concentrations this year. We’ve adjusted how long it takes to complete the program, so that a student can decide between 17, 20 or 23 months. We are meeting the needs of the student and the business world, and the rankings follow that.”
Fortune’s methodology for its 2024 ranking of part-time MBA programs considered program cost, admissions data, graduating class size, student work experience and academic background, and alumni outcomes.