Academics
The University of South Dakota Beacom School of Business is 鈥渜uite the hidden gem.鈥 It has 鈥渁 great reputation, reasonable tuition cost, and an MBA program that [can] be taken completely online.鈥 It is a non-profit, 鈥渁ffordable, high ranking,鈥 鈥渆stablished and accredited program,鈥濃斺渁 traditional brick and mortar school鈥 that can be easily accessed 鈥渕ainly via online courses.鈥 Students note that the MBA program 鈥渋s very strong,鈥 鈥渉ighly flexible鈥 and 鈥渨orks well for working professionals.鈥 鈥淭he low student to teacher ratio鈥 is 鈥渧ery attractive鈥 as is 鈥渢he low cost of tuition.鈥 And the 鈥渟mall community atmosphere allows openness among fellow students.鈥 In addition, The University of South Dakota offers health services and business analytics specializations. For many, it is 鈥渢he best value鈥 for an AACSB accredited school with a 鈥渉ealthcare specialization and online program.鈥
The University of South Dakota Beacom School of Business鈥攚hich offers an on-campus MBA, an online MBA, and a hybrid MBA鈥斺渉as a good orientation program to help potential students familiarize themselves with the program,鈥 and makes it easy for undergraduates who were not business majors 鈥渢o enter the program and complete prerequisites.鈥 鈥淭he MBA program managers are very knowledgeable and proactive in helping the students navigate the program,鈥 notes one student.
The program is known for 鈥渁ccessible,鈥 鈥渜uality professors鈥 with 鈥渞igorous expectations.鈥 鈥淭he professors are well versed in the course subject matter and most have a vested interest in their students.鈥 They 鈥渟trive to incorporate [the] newest practices,鈥 and have 鈥渆xcellent work-related experience.鈥 Students note that professors 鈥渄o a great job of establishing communication with students鈥 and ensuring 鈥渟tudents understand that they will be accountable for the academic workload. There are no free handouts, but most professors are friendly and push students to achieve.鈥 One student notes that the 鈥減rofessors are a bit varied in their schedule availability, timeliness in grading and providing feedback, and effectiveness of their lectures.鈥 But also says that most of his 鈥減rofessors were very engaged in their courses, hosted live lessons, and gave meaningful homework and quizzes.鈥 For some, balancing course work and full-time jobs can be challenging, but the university provides weekly reviews for online MBAs to keep them on track. In addition, the administration makes it 鈥渧ery easy to enroll in classes and accommodate testing situations,鈥 and will go 鈥渢he extra mile help get you through.鈥
Overall, students call this program the 鈥渂est bang for your buck,鈥 and say 鈥渢he academic experience was outstanding.鈥 One student refers to the MBA program as 鈥淸t]he little engine that could.鈥 In other words, 鈥渁 relatively small program [that] has a staff of professors and a group of students with tremendous work ethic.鈥 He goes on to say, 鈥淚t was honestly a very difficult program but it shows in their national ranking.鈥 Another student says, 鈥淯SD鈥檚 MBA program is phenomenal. If you鈥檙e looking for quality, flexibility, and affordability, then USD is the place to go.鈥
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