A consumer group that rates online college programs has once again ranked two University of Houston-Victoria Master of Business Administration degrees as “Best Buys.”

GetEducated.com ranked the UHV School of Business Administration’s Global MBA program fourth on its 2012 list of “Best Buys.” The school’s Strategic MBA program was ranked 25th.

Farhang Niroomand

“We strive to offer our students excellence, affordability and accessibility,” said Farhang Niroomand, dean of the UHV School of Business Administration. “I am glad to see both programs ranked so highly because it’s another confirmation that we are succeeding in those efforts. I commend the faculty, staff and students in the school for their commitment to quality, which made us a candidate for this recognition.”

This ranking is based on a comprehensive review of 139 competing online MBA programs nationwide which have been accredited by AACSB International – The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. In 2010, the UHV School of Business Administration received reaccreditation from AACSB, a hallmark of excellence achieved by fewer than 5 percent of business schools.

“UHV’s Best Buy rating for its online MBA programs honors the school as a nationally ranked leader in the field of online education,” GetEducated.com founder Vicky Phillips said. “Its MBA program, which offers high-quality higher education to the public through the innovative use of educational technology, represents a model for how public universities of the future will combine instructional quality with technology to better serve America’s business professionals.”

The Global MBA started at UHV in the fall of 2006 and made the biennial “Best Buy” list in 2008 and 2010. The mission of the Global MBA degree is to provide students with the knowledge and skills needed to function as managers in the global marketplace. The program teaches students how to understand and manage cultural differences inherent in a global workforce and apply appropriate specialized knowledge of theories, models and tools to solve global business and managerial issues.

It’s the fifth consecutive time the online Strategic MBA degree has made the “Best Buy” list. Strategic management consists of the analysis, decisions and actions an organization undertakes in order to create shareholder value and sustain competitive advantages. The program is designed to enhance understanding of the strategic management process and assist students in acquiring the tools and skills they need to be successful managers.

The national tuition average for an AACSB-accredited online MBA degree is $36,166, according to GetEducated.com, but UHV charges considerably less. The Global MBA costs $10,620 for Texas residents and $18,420 for out-of-state residents. Tuition for the Strategic MBA is $16,992 for Texas residents and $24,472 for out-of-state residents.

“In a time when university costs have reached critical levels, UHV is a national model for how educational technology coupled with innovative fiscal policies can help solve the national crisis of college affordability,” Phillips said.

GetEducated.com has researched and published consumer data about online education since 1989. The online degree clearinghouse has been cited by CNN Money and Newsweek as a credible, trustworthy source for information about online degree programs.

The UHV School of Business Administration also recently received recognition in the 2013 edition of The Princeton Review. For the seventh consecutive year, the school was included in “The Best 296 Business Schools.”