Top 12 Most Affordable MBA Programs in Massachusetts in 2024

Fitchburg State University, located in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, offers several different MBA programs with tracks available in Accounting, Healthcare Management, Human Resources Management, Marketing, Supply Chain Management or Management. All specializations prepare graduates with the knowledge and tools they need to become managers, leaders, and executives in today’s business world. The on-campus options include concentrations in Accounting, Human Resources Management, and Management. The 100% online options include concentrations in Accounting, Human Resources Management, Management, Healthcare Management, Marketing, and Supply Chain Management.

For admission into the program, GRE and GMAT exams are no longer required. Classes are organized into small groups in a cohort learning format, which allows students to fully interact with their peers and faculty.

University of Massachusetts-Lowell, located in Lowell, Massachusetts, offers an MBA program designed to help students navigate the business world’s rapidly changing landscape. Students can choose to concentrate their studies with several options, including: Accounting, Business Analytics, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Healthcare, Information Technology, International Business, Managerial Leadership, and Marketing. There is also an option to choose a concentration in General Business.

This part-time evening program allows working professionals to study topics that will help them take on the challenges of today’s business world, including globalization, complex technological changes, ethical concerns, changing organizational structures, and the increasing role of government in businesses. Students can also take three elective courses, which enables them to further customize the curriculum to meet their career goals.

University of Massachusetts-Amherst, located in Amherst, Massachusetts, offers an MBA program through its Isenberg School of Business. This program offers several routes for completion, including an Online MBA, On-Campus MBA, and Dual Degrees in subjects like Sport Management, Environmental Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering and more. The online program allows working professionals to balance the demands of both career and school, while the on-campus option enables students to fully immerse themselves into a hands-on experience alongside other students.

Students can choose to focus their studies on certain areas, including Business Analytics, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Healthcare Administration, and Marketing. Whether taking classes online or in-person, students will benefit from a curriculum that helps them build the leadership and problem-solving skills they need to land MBA-level jobs after graduation.

Framingham University, located in Framingham, Massachusetts, offers an MBA designed for working professionals that can be completed in as little as 16 months or in 3 to 4 years. The program is also available on-campus or online for maximum flexibility. Students can choose between two concentrations, including Biotechnology Operations and Management. With a campus located in the MetroWest region of Massachusetts, Framingham University gives students access to its thriving, local business community.

Discounted tuition may be available for employees of the school’s corporate partners. Also, GMAT and GRE exams are not required for admission.

Salem State University, located in Salem, Massachusetts, offers an MBA program through its Bertolon School of Business that readies graduates to lead, manage, and compete in today’s competitive marketplace. With both full-time and part-time options, this program allows students to take electives in several different areas, including management information systems, operations, marketing, business, financial planning, accounting, and business. The curriculum uses a variety of methods to immerse students in real-world business experiences including research, technology, case studies, fieldwork, and experiential exercises.

Students can take advantage of faculty’s experience and connections with companies like Hilton Hotel, Morgan Stanley, Marine Midland Bank, and Deloitte and Touche. Small class sizes and different learning options, including hybrid, online, evening, and weekend, make the program flexible for students’ different needs.

University of Massachusetts-Boston (UMass Boston) offers a Business Administration – MBA program through its College of Management. This program can be taken on a full-time or part-time schedule, fully online or on-campus, with classes typically meeting in the evening just once per week. Students have easy access to classes in the Downtown Boston area or UMass Boston’s campus, which is transit-accessible.

This immersive degree program helps students build the knowledge and skills they need to solve the most challenging business problems. Eleven concentrations are available, including Accounting, Business Analytics, Digital Marketing, Environmental Management, Finance, Information Systems, International Management, Leadership & Organizational Change, Marketing, Nonprofit Management, and Supply Chain and Service Management. Significantly lower tuition rates may be available to residents of Massachusetts and New England who qualify.

Boston College, a private university located in Newton, Massachusetts, offers an MBA program taught by the same renowned faculty from the school’s undergraduate business school. Students can choose between full-time MBA and part-time MBA options to earn an advanced degree on their own timeline. The full-time MBA takes two years to complete, is on-campus, and helps students advance their career or transition into a new one. The part-time MBA can be completed in as few as 18 months (though average completion time is 3 years), and eligible candidates aren’t required to take the GMAT or GRE. Access to evening, online, and hybrid courses enables school-work balance.

Both tracks offer real-world opportunities for learning, including study trips, skills-training workshops, competitions, internships, and more. Experiential learning is balanced with a curriculum based in foundational business knowledge and helping students develop both hard and soft skills, such as public speaking and data analysis. During their time in the program and after graduation, access to alumni helps students kickstart and accelerate their business careers.

The University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth (UMassD), located in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, offers an MBA program through its Charlton College of Business. Requiring 30 credit hours, this program offers several option for completion, including online or on-campus, and full-time or part-time. Focused on the ever-changing needs of an increasingly global, technology-driven business world, this program offers 10 concentrations on-campus: Accounting, Business Analytics (STEM approved), Environmental Policy (Interdisciplinary), Finance, Health Systems Management, International Business, Marketing, Organizational Leadership, Public Management (Interdisciplinary), and Supply Chain Management and Information Systems.

The program is accredited by the AACSB, considered the “gold standard” of recognition for business schools. This degree can be completed in one year at a full-time pace, or part-time on students’ own schedule. UMassD also prides itself on providing a private college education experience at the lower cost of a public university.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute, a private university located in Worcester, Massachusetts, offers an MBA program specifically geared towards STEM professionals. This degree program helps combine STEM knowledge and business fundamentals so students can advance their careers to the next level. Students gain a deeper perspective on how technical and business issues intersect, as well as how to better manage human and financial resources.

This nationally acclaimed degree program focuses on a combination of science, engineering, and technology to help create leaders who will make a meaningful impact on the evolving, global business world. Students gain even more practical business experience by working for an actual client, using the methods, skills, and knowledge they’ve gained in the class to help solve a real-life business problem.

Bridgewater State University, located in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, offers a Business Administration – MBA program created for working professionals who want to advance in their careers while studying in a flexible, convenient format. This program emphasizes the skills and knowledge graduates need to become strong managers and leaders in a wide range of advanced positions. Students also benefit from diverse, experienced faculty with backgrounds in economics, marketing, operations, management, accounting, and other key areas of business.

Small class sizes allow students to fully immerse themselves in the curriculum and interact with instructors and peers, while full-time and part-time programs allow them to choose a pace that fits their needs. Students also emerge with strong analytical, communication, and decision-making skills.

Cambridge College, located in Boston, offers an MBA program that helps business managers and professionals become recognized leaders who can thrive in today’s complex business world. Preparing graduates for advanced roles in business, government, and non-profit organizations, the curriculum focuses on developing critical and problem solving skills, analysis and strategic uses of financial data and tools, technology, navigating change and uncertainty, and how to show integrity.

Students can choose between specializing in Business Analytics or Information Technology Management, and will leave prepared to pursue roles like sales manager, project manager, marketing analyst, business analyst, or senior business leadership roles.

Suffolk University, a private university located in Boston, offers an MBA through its Sawyer Business School, named by Princeton Review as on the Best Business Schoools of 2020. Blending a practical business education with experiential learning, this program helps students take on real-world problems while they earn their degree. The program offers the benefits of being located in downtown Boston, providing access to local businesses, culture, and entertainment, while offering the convenience of online and part-time options, as well.

Several degree options are available, including: a customizable MBA with 16 concentrations to choose from; an accelerated MBA for Attorneys; an Accelerated MBA for CPAs; an MBA for Music Business Management Graduates of the Berklee College of Music; an MBA/Nonprofit Specialized Degree; and an MBA/Health Specialized Degree. Graduate dual degree options are available, as well, including: MBA/MSA; MBA/MSBA; MBA/MSF; MBA/MST; MBA/MSM; and MBA/JD.