Jindal School of Management has embedded AI across its OMBA curriculum, and more than 50 courses now include AI content. Students can also pursue an AI concentration or a joint MBA/MS in Analytics and AI.
UT-DALLAS JINDAL’S ‘AI-FIRST MINDSET’
After topping our ranking last year, the University of Texas at Dallas’ Naveen Jindal School of Management slipped one spot to No. 2 in the 2026 ranking. But the program’s fundamentals and momentum remain.
Over the last several years, UT Dallas has invested heavily in making its Online MBA more flexible, accessible, and engaging for working professionals. The school has expanded both synchronous and asynchronous offerings, redesigned courses to be more interactive, and integrated new digital collaboration tools aimed at improving the overall student experience.
A defining feature is its “AI-first mindset,” says Lisa Shatz, Senior Assistant Dean and Director of MBA Programs.
Jindal has embedded AI across the curriculum, giving online students exposure to applications increasingly required by today’s employers. More than 50 courses now include AI content, and students can pursue an AI concentration or a joint MBA/MS in Analytics and AI. Online MBA students also recently participated in a full-day, AI-focused workshop designed to deliver practical tools they can apply immediately on the job.
Academically, online students are held to the same standards as their on-campus peers. They are taught by the same faculty and complete the same rigorous curriculum, an advantage reinforced by Jindal’s standing as a top-10 global research school, particularly in technology-driven fields.
Jindal online MBA students meet up for a Texas Rangers game, part of the school’s ongoing efforts to build connections within the cohort.
Jindal’s 2025 graduates rated the school second out of 61 schools for career impact, according to our alumni survey. Of respondents, 57.1% reported a promotion and 71.4% reported a pay rise during the course of the degree or just after graduation. Graduates also rated their satisfaction with the degree’s impact on achieving their primary career goals as a perfect 10.
Priced at $58,198 for Texas students and $95,697 for out-of-staters, Jindal’s value in relation to its quality is another big differentiator.
“Even though many of our students are outside of the Dallas–Fort Worth area, they still benefit from the incredible growth in the area as local companies are engaged with all of our students in hiring, case competitions, guest lecturing and mentoring,” Shatz says.
CONNECTIONS BEYOND THE SCREEN
2025 Jindal graduates rated the program seventh overall in Academic Experience which measures the learning environment of a program. We ask alumni to rate the program on metrics like in-person opportunities, ability to make connections with fellow students and professors, and relevance of their coursework to their careers.
“I loved the entire experience at UTD, from pre-application to acceptance and the program itself,” one 2025 alum told P&Q. “It was thorough and provided the depth of knowledge that I was looking for. I appreciate that it required more specialization than other general MBA programs, and I left feeling fully prepared.”
In practice, Jindal has built a program that provides students multiple opportunities to make connections beyond their computer screens. Jindal’s MBA Leadership Council, for example, brings together student representatives from all the school’s MBA formats, facilitating communication between students and program leadership while strengthening networking and engagement across cohorts. Online MBA students also have access to expanded leadership and career development offerings, along with optional in-person and virtual experiences designed to deepen connection. Program leaders now regularly travel to major cities to meet online students and include them in alumni events.
Jindal online MBA students during an in-person networking event.
Beginning next spring, the program will require participation in an annual MBA Residency Day, a full-day, on-campus experience focused on leadership development, executive speakers, workshops, and alumni networking. Other noteworthy in-person experiences include industry alumni events in major markets such as the Bay Area and New York, company visits, and faculty-led international trips.
Class of 2025 graduates had the chance to travel to Sweden, Ireland, or both to study business in a global context. In Stockholm, students studied sustainability in the tech, energy, and fashion industries.
“It was an incredible experience and a highlight of the program,” another alum told us. “It added to the value of my experience because we were able to dive into topics we learned in our MBA classes in a real-world environment and ask questions to business leaders at companies experiencing real-world problems.”
Entrepreneurship and sustainability are embedded throughout the curriculum as well. Students engage with ESG topics in coursework, while aspiring founders can participate in pitch competitions, student organizations, alumni mentoring, and a launch program that allows them to build their own ventures while developing business plans, financial models, pitch decks, and marketing strategies.
“Our success comes down to a few factors. The academic expectations are the same across all MBA formats, so online students receive the same level of instruction and faculty expertise as anyone on campus,” Shatz says.
“The program is flexible and affordable, which attracts motivated working professionals who know what they want from their MBA and apply it directly to their careers. We also put a lot of focus on making sure online students have access to career support and opportunities to connect with each other and alumni.”
OMBA Digital Studio 2023. This folder contains Hero Photos chosen by the photographer
ROSS HAS NEVER FINISHED BELOW FOURTH
The top four programs in the 2026 ranking are the same four schools that led our 2025 list, just in a slightly different order.
Michigan’s Ross School of Business once again lands in the top tier, a position it has held every year it has been ranked. After debuting at No. 4 in 2023 and repeating that finish in 2024, Ross tied for second place in 2025. It finishes third in 2026, less than a point behind the top two programs.
Launched in 2019, the Ross Online MBA graduated its first cohort in 2021. Today, it enrolls nearly 500 students across its cohorts and counts more than 300 alumni, evidence of a program that is still young, but firmly established.
The online program is modeled after Ross’ highly ranked full-time program, which finished ninth in our latest composite ranking of U.S. programs.
It’s also highly experiential. Just like its full-time MBAs, online students are required to take a Ross signature Multidisciplinary Action Projects (MAP) course after completing most of the core. In MAP, students apply their MBA skills to solve a real-life business challenge. Up to 10% of the projects have an international component..
The program delivers roughly 70% of its content asynchronously, with the remaining 30% taught live online. Students complete three in-person residencies lasting three to five days each. While students can finish in as little as 2.5 years and take up to five, the average time to completion is just under three years, with 81% graduating on time.
Ross offers at least one international residency each year for its OMBA students, or they may elect to participate in short-term semester exchanges through the Michigan Ross Global Initiatives.
One 2025 graduate studied international business organization in Berlin, entrepreneurship in Milan and Venice, and completed his capstone project on site at Technological Institute of Philippines in Manila during the course of the program.
“I would never have been to Manila if not for this program,” he says. “I did a full consulting project and learned how to consider outside cultures when developing strategic plans for a business.”
THE UNDENIABLE ROSS CAREER IMPACT
Ross topped the careers category this year, as reported by alumni, after finishing second in 2025’s ranking. 56.3% of its responding graduates reported getting promotions as a result of their online MBA while 65.6% reported getting pay raises.
It’s still true that most online MBA candidates hope to leverage their degree to advance in their current organizations, but many can and do use it to change employers and even industries. Ross grads were particularly successful job switchers: 42.4% of survey respondents changed employers as a result of the program while a third of them reported changing industries.
Those results are supported by robust career services. Online MBA students can recruit for internships and full-time roles, receive support for off-campus and mid-program job changes, and work with industry-specific career coaches. And, of course, all online MBAs get access to that powerful Ross network.
As another 2025 alum put it: “Excellent coursework that is identical to the FTMBA curriculum. World class alumni network. Fantastic Career Development Office!”
Full Ranking Results:
PAGE 4: Full Ranking: The Best Online MBA Programs of 2026
PAGE 5: How Schools Ranked on Admissions Standards
PAGE 6: How Schools Ranked on Career Impact
PAGE 7: How Schools Ranked on Academic Experience