A Middle Tennessee State University graduate program in management is ranked No. 21 among the Top 50 such programs in the nation, according to recent measurements by an online business education and career guide.

The guide, “Top Management Degrees,” recently published the Top 50 Master’s in Management Programs based \on data collected on over 140 master’s degree programs focused on management and leadership topics.

The Master of Science in Management program in MTSU’s Jones College of Business, now starting its fifth year, is the only ranked program in Tennessee and second highest ranked program in the eight contiguous states, behind No. 8 Duke in North Carolina.

In this spring 2016 file photo, Darrin Lucas, who works at Nissan, gives a presentation as part of the Masters in Management program in the Jones College of Business. (MTSU file photo by J. Intintoli)

Graduate students in MTSU’s program may choose from concentrations in Organizational Leadership, Social Innovation and Not-for-Profit Management and Supply Chain Management.

Dr. David Urban

“Once again, MTSU’s Jones College has been recognized on a national level for an outstanding academic program,” said David Urban, dean of the Jones College. “The fact that our M.S. in Management has received such acclaim after only four years in existence is additional proof that Jones College is achieving its goals of national prominence and regional dominance among other collegiate business schools.”

To establish the ranking, master’s programs were vetted on the most recent data from the NCES: National Center for Education Statistics, PayScale’s Graduate School Salary Report, U.S. News & World Report’s Best Business Schools Ranking, and the Princeton Review’s Best Regional Colleges Ranking. The ranking order is based upon each program’s accreditation, affordability, average early-career salary and prestige.

As noted in the article announcing the Top 50: “This well-respected program was selected for our ranking because of the high return on investment potential and exceptional accreditation status.”

The full article can be found at http://bit.ly/2iGnFYM.

Among those programs in the Top 10 were Michigan, MIT, Northwestern, Duke, Yale and Notre Dame. Among those ranking below MTSU’s Jones College were Wake Forest, DePaul, Lehigh, Pepperdine and Tulane.

Dr. Dan Morrell

“We were very fortunate to have some valuable industry input when this program was designed, so our courses focus on giving practicing managers applicable tools they can utilize immediately in their organizations to improve processes, motivate employees, and provide strategic direction to help grow their companies,” said associate professor Dan Morrell, director of the M.S. in Management program.

“With courses offered online, evening, and on weekends, the program is aimed at professionals who wish to further their education and enhance their management abilities while not interfering with their full-time occupation.”

This is the fourth national ranking in the last year for Jones College programs. Other rankings include a No. 39 “Best for Vets” Business School, No. 39 Master of Accountancy Program, and No. 17 University for Aspiring Entrepreneurs. The latter was a ranking for MTSU, but was based on an evaluation of the Jones College Entrepreneurship Program.

To learn more about the Jones College M.S. in Management program, go to www.mtsu.edu/realworldmanagement.

— Jimmy Hart (jimmy.hart@mtsu.edu)