Master of Business Administration

Earn your MBA online at Hardin-Simmons University and apply what you learn in the classroom to what you’ll do on the job.

This hands-on MBA degree will have you working with local businesses on real-world projects — from marketing and business plans to nonprofit promotions. All courses use simulations, research projects, and other experiential learning to further develop your applied skills.

With a variety of elective options, we can help you customize a program to meet your individual interests and career goals. If you’re interested in applying your management acumen to a career in athletics, we also offer an MBA in sport business.

What Skills and Knowledge Will You Gain With an MBA?

Our MBA online program provides advanced study in the core areas of business: accounting, management information systems, economics, finance, marketing, and management. You’ll learn how to devise smart solutions to daily business challenges, use data analysis to inform decision making, and excel as an organizational leader. You’ll also hone and develop skills in analytical thinking, problem solving, computer applications, communications, and teamwork that will serve you in any career.

Program Contact

Jennifer Plantier-Director of Graduate Programs

Dr. Jennifer Hobbs Plantier

Professor of Business and Marketing, Coordinator of Marketing Programs, Director of Graduate Programs for Kelley College of Business

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Why Earn Your Online MBA at Hardin-Simmons?

HSU Public Administration students in lecture hall

Real-World Experience

Engage in hands-on learning projects with real businesses. Participate in graduate internships that provide training for advanced business careers. Practice problem solving through simulations, seminars, and case studies built into the curriculum. Our emphasis on real-world learning makes HSU one of the best online MBA programs in Texas.

HSU student applying for graduate program

12-Month Fast-Track Program

Earn your MBA in just one year with our Early Admission to Graduate Learning (EAGL) program. Undergraduates in any HSU bachelor’s degree can take two approved graduate-level courses that will transition them into the MBA, counting for both degrees. This allows students to complete the MBA online in one year of post-undergraduate work.

Economics Program students at HSU job fair

Convenient and Affordable

Complete your MBA online from anywhere you live and work. We also offer campus and hybrid options, depending on your preferred method of study. Fall, spring, and summer entry means you can start your MBA degree at a time that’s right for you. It’s also one of the most affordable online MBA programs in Texas at only $595 per credit hour.

HSU was recognized as the 18th Top Online MBA Programs in Texas by Online MBA Today.

What Can You Do With an MBA?

It’s a competitive business world, and you want every advantage you can get to succeed in the job market and excel in your career. The MBA is the gold standard of business degrees, and the gateway to leadership and management careers. It’s also one of the best investments you can make in your future, because you’re developing skills and making connections that will last a lifetime.

Our MBA graduates are senior executives and small business managers, entrepreneurs and nonprofit leaders. They work for organizations like Bank of America, 3M, Eide Bailly LLP, and AbiMar Foods here in Abilene, Texas. Many start their own small businesses or work as consultants.

Our program has a proven track record of success. The majority of Hardin-Simmons MBA graduates who take the ETS Major Field Achievement Test in Business score in the 92nd percentile or higher nationwide.

MBA Jobs

  • Sales and marketing executive
  • Business owner
  • Product manager
  • Financial analyst
  • IT manager
  • Data analyst
  • Management consultant
  • Human resources manager

Salaries for MBA Graduates

Business, financial, and sales occupations offer some of the highest wages for workers with a master’s degree — and if you have an MBA, the potential for higher earnings is growing fast.

The National Association of Colleges and Employers projected the average starting salary for 2021 MBA graduates as $87,966 – 11.3% higher than the average starting salary among graduates from the previous year. The average salary for MBA recipients in 2021 is expected to be $29,000 higher than for individuals who receive a bachelor’s degree in business.

Program Details

Coursework for the MBA online program at Hardin-Simmons University is designed to build knowledge in:

  • Management strategy
  • Organizational behavior
  • Financial management
  • Managerial accounting
  • Marketing strategy

To be eligible for the MBA online program, you must hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, with a 3.0 GPA in undergraduate work. Seniors currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree at HSU are eligible to participate in the EAGL program, allowing 6 hours of graduate work to count toward both degrees.

No prior industry work experience is required, and the GMAT requirement is waived for business undergraduates with a GPA of 3.2 or higher.

View admissions requirements for the online MBA program in the HSU Graduate Catalog.

Jennifer Plantier-Director of Graduate Programs

“Our MBA courses are hands on, so students can apply what they are learning in the classroom to what they will actually do on the job. We coordinate with local businesses on projects that are real-world work – marketing plans, research, business plans, nonprofit promotions and grant writing, and internships. We can customize a program for individual students with development through specific electives within the general MBA.”

Dr. Jennifer Hobbs Plantier, Professor of Business & Marketing, is the Hardin Simmons University MBA program director. Dr, Plantier received a BS in business administration with a concentration in marketing from Hawaii Pacific University. Her work carried her beyond retail into commercial trafficking and sales while working for two radio stations in Connecticut and Texas.

Dr. Plantier furthered her education while working as the marketing director and station programmer in student affairs at Texas Tech University. She completed her MS in marketing at Tech, then shifted her focus to consumer behavior and continued her education at Texas Tech earning a PhD in consumer economics. During the completion of this degree, Dr. Plantier served as a Visiting Professor at Towson University in Towson, Maryland, where she taught marketing and economics courses.

If you’re thinking about earning your MBA, here are other graduate programs available at Hardin-Simmons University you might be interested in learning about: