Hybrid MBAs Gain Steam

Another large business school has launched a hybrid master of business administration (MBA) program as the flexible format continues to gain momentum in business education.

The Smeal College of Business at The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) will launch a flexible, hybrid MBA in fall 2025, according to a press release from the school. The MBA, like others of its kind, is geared toward working professionals and combines a cohort model in virtual learning.

The new Smeal MBA will feature synchronous virtual classes on evenings and weekends. It will also include in-person residency sessions at Penn State’s University Park campus at the start of each semester.

In some ways, the Smeal hybrid MBA resembles an executive MBA program in terms of delivery format. Those programs, aimed at mid-career managers and C-suite executives, have long offered in-person residencies and classes on weekends and after regular business hours.

“The hybrid MBA has all the collaborative benefits of taking a live course, including robust in-class discussions, Q&A, and group work,” Brian Cameron, associate dean for professional graduate programs and executive education at Smeal, said in the release.

“Its structure allows working professionals to build business acumen and network on a schedule that isn’t disruptive to their career or family commitments.”

That combination of in-person elements with flexible, virtual learning is exactly what MBA students have indicated they want to see in a program.

The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) found in an early 2024 report that hybrid learning options are on the rise among prospective graduate business students.

The global percentage of prospective students seeking hybrid program delivery increased from 12% in 2019 to 17% in 2023, that GMAC report found. Student interest nearly doubled in every region except Central and South Asia, where student interest in hybrid program delivery has remained flat since the pandemic.

“This year’s prospective student survey adds to a growing slate of evidence that candidates’ appetite for flexibility is increasing,” Andrew Walker, the GMAC’s director of research analysis and communications and the report author, said in a press release at the time.

“Interest in hybrid learning has grown across regions and demographic types as hybrid workplaces have also increasingly become available and expected by prospective employees. While in-person learning remains the most preferred delivery format among most candidates, its dominance among candidates is diminishing.”

Separate research from the consulting firm CarringtonCrisp found that nearly three-quarters of prospective MBA students wanted to study full time, but few wanted entirely in-person learning.

Andrew Crisp, the author of that report, previously told BestColleges that students want “the best of both worlds.”

“People want the flexibility that online study provides them whether that’s synchronous or asynchronous, and they want the face-to-face to give them the experience, and to give them the networking more than anything else,” Crisp said.

As a growing number of business schools have launched hybrid or entirely online MBA programs, students have underscored the need for networking opportunities within the program.

That’s reflected in the new Smeal College program, which features 2.5-day in-person sessions on campus and a cohort-based model to help students build relationships.

That cohort-model “encourages teamwork and networking,” according to the Smeal release.

“Students will feel like they’re in a classroom whether they’re in a home office, their living room, or anywhere around the world,” Stacey Dorang Peeler, managing director of the hybrid MBA program, said in the release.

“It’s the best of both options — the convenience of virtual learning with the enrichment that only comes from more frequent direct engagement opportunities with peers and professors each time the class meets.”

Smeal isn’t the only major business school to announce a flexible MBA in recent months.

A growing number of colleges, from small private institutions to major public universities like Penn State, have debuted hybrid programs in 2024. That trend is set to continue into 2025.

Washington University in St. Louis’ Olin Business School launched a Flex MBA program in fall 2024, a move that Vice Dean Andrew Knight said was a result of student demand.

“The demand for flexible part-time graduate degree programs has skyrocketed in recent years,” Knight said in a release at the time.

Texas A&M’s Mays Business School also launched a Flex Online MBA program in August. That program is mostly asynchronous and, like other programs, is geared toward working professionals.

“The Flex Online MBA program will provide the benefits of a Mays MBA to students on their schedule and at their location,” Jerry Strawser, associate dean for graduate programs, said in a release at the time.

Online and hybrid programs offer working professionals a chance to earn their MBA around their schedules. An MBA can help boost career advancement via its instruction in high-demand areas, which can lead to better earnings and a strong return on investment.

MBA programs have long taught leadership and business fundamentals, which are set to continue to be important to employers despite the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), according to GMAC research released in July.

But MBA students will likely also learn in-demand tech and AI skills: Business schools in 2024 have also overwhelmingly integrated AI into their curricula in response to demand from both students and employers.

Smeal’s hybrid MBA uses the same curriculum as its one-year MBA, which includes instruction in high-demand areas like statistics, strategic leadership, and emerging technology trends in business.

The Smeal hybrid MBA program is designed to be completed in two years and does not require the GMAT for admission. Estimated tuition is $888.45 per credit for in-state students and $1,474.14 per credit for out-of-state students.

Smeal is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).