Pepperdine University Graziadio School of Business and Management is proud to announce that its online MBA program is ranked No. 15 on the U.S. News & World Report list of 2016 Best Online Programs. The new ranking represents a significant jump – an increase of nine positions – from 2015.

According to U.S. News & World Report, the primary audience for the online rankings is working adults – often in their 30s or 40s – who may not be able to take classes during the day, but still wish to obtain skills and credentials to boost their careers. For the 2016 edition, U.S. News & World Report evaluated 228 schools that have online MBA programs and used five categories to complete the rankings: student engagement; admissions selectivity; peer reputation; faculty credentials and training; and student services and technology.

“Our online Fully Employed MBA embodies the entrepreneurial spirit of the Graziadio School and we are thrilled that we continue to be ranked by respected sources such as U.S. News & World Report,” said David M. Smith, dean, Graziadio School of Business and Management. “More and more professionals have demanding schedules and those who want to further their education to advance in their career or become an entrepreneur are finding the Graziadio online MBA program the best fit for them. We strive to deliver ROI for all of our students by instilling dynamic leadership skills, ethical decision making, and an overall understanding of the global future of business.”

The online MBA program at the Graziadio Business School is an academically rigorous, highly flexible program designed to complement the busy and fast paced lives of our students. This customizable program enables busy professionals to balance their career and home life commitments while pursuing their MBA. The Graziadio School online MBA courses are taught by distinguished faculty and internationally recognized business leaders who are focused on developing value-centered leaders who understand the importance of profitability as well as corporate responsibility.

The program includes 15 courses and spans over just two years in six customizable 14-week trimesters. The online MBA program features the award-winning Education-to-Business component, in which students work in competing teams to solve multifaceted, real-life business challenges presented by pre-selected companies ranging from global powerhouses and regional brands to entrepreneurial start-ups. The Graziadio School online MBA also offers students an opportunity to study abroad to gain a global business perspective. Students enrolled in the online MBA program can pursue a general MBA or choose from one of four concentrations: finance, marketing, general management, and leading and managing organizational change.

In 2015, the full-time MBA program at the Graziadio School ranked No. 74 and the part-time program ranked No. 62 on the Bloomberg Businessweek’s Best Business Schools 2015 rankings. The Graziadio School is also recognized by Forbes, which ranked the full-time MBA at No. 63, and by the Princeton Review, which included the Graziadio Business School in its list of Best Business Schools.

Pepperdine University Graziadio Business School is also nationally recognized for diversity, ranked No. 3 for Greatest Opportunity for Women by the Princeton Review; for entrepreneurism, ranked No. 10 for Most Entrepreneurial University by Forbes; and for environmental sensitivity, ranked No. 8 for Best Green MBA by the Princeton Review.

About Pepperdine University Graziadio School for Business and Management

A leader in cultivating entrepreneurship and digital innovation, the Pepperdine University Graziadio School of Business and Management focuses on the real-world application of MBA-level business concepts. The Graziadio School provides student-focused, globally-oriented education through part-time, full-time, and Executive MBA programs at our eight California campuses, as well as through online and hybrid formats. In addition, The Graziadio School offers a variety of Master of Science programs, a Bachelor of Science in Management degree completion program, and Presidential and Key Executives MBA and executive education certificate programs. Follow the Graziadio School on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.