A top accreditation, small faculty-to-student ratio and diverse student body are three reasons why the University of Houston-Victoria recently was placed on an international list of best online Master of Business Administration programs.

UHV is ranked No. 17 on the 2015 QS Distance Online MBA Rankings. The UHV School of Business Administration offers online Global MBA and Strategic MBA degrees.

QS is a global career and education network for professionals looking to further personal and professional development. The company’s rankings are listed on TopMBA.com, which receives more than 1.4 million visits a year from students interested in pursuing an MBA.

Farhang Niroomand

“One of the strong suits of our school is the delivery of quality, world-relevant degree programs in both face-to-face and online settings,” said Farhang Niroomand, dean of the UHV School of Business Administration. “To be recognized on an international list for distance MBA excellence says a lot about what we offer and how we offer it.”

While UHV’s business programs have been ranked on several U.S. lists, the QS list also takes into account international business schools. Spain’s IE Business School tops the rankings, and four schools in the United Kingdom appear in the top 10. Schools from Australia, India, Peru and The Netherlands also made the rankings.

UHV is one of two Texas schools and a dozen U.S. universities on the list. Among U.S. universities, UHV is ranked No. 9.

Jeffrey Cass

“I’m pleased the UHV business school ranks favorably with some of the top business higher education institutions around the world,” said Jeffrey Cass, UHV provost and vice president for academic affairs. “Dean Niroomand and his talented faculty and staff have done an excellent job tailoring our graduate programs to meet the needs of today’s global workforce.”

The MBA rankings are based on 18 indicators: employer reputation, average work experience, applicants, average GMAT score, students with bachelor’s degree, establishment year of the program, accreditation, enrollment numbers, faculty-to-student ratio, percentage of full-time faculty, completion rate, physical meet-up opportunities, required attendance, regular online classes, availability of group work, percentage of assessed group work, diversity of nationalities and percentage of female students.

The UHV School of Business Administration also recently was re-accredited by AACSB International – The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Less than 5 percent of business schools worldwide have earned this mark of excellence.

Niroomand said he is proud of the school’s small class sizes and diverse faculty, staff and students. Many faculty members have taught or conducted research in other countries. The student body comes from many different countries and cultures.

“In today’s economy, employers have come to recognize the value of selecting employees who can handle the diverse perspectives of the market,” Niroomand said. “A multicultural experience is essentially for exchanging ideas and knowledge in a global marketplace.”

The QS Intelligence Unit was formed in 2008 to gather data from global business schools. The online MBA rankings began in 2012. The complete 2015 rankings can be found at www.topmba.com.