Best Online MBA in Change Management

Professionals who choose to earn an MBA hold a distinct advantage over those without a graduate degree. Additionally, students who complete their degree from a notable program with a recognizable brand can expect to see an even more favorable response when applying for top positions in today’s extremely competitive job market.

MBA programs set graduates up for management and leadership positions within state, local, and federal government agencies, large and small businesses, and even nonprofit organizations.

According to Payscale.com the average MBA graduate earns $85,000 per year, showing that companies will pay for high-quality candidates for their top positions.

A Master’s of Business Administration in itself is a great tool to stand out in a crowd of applicants. MBA students who choose to concentrate on change management further set themselves apart by showing their aptitude for adapting to change in a variety of circumstances.

Online Change Management MBA programs help students hone in on critical skills needed to evaluate, respond, and plan for many of the top problems in the business world.

Entrepreneurs, as well as those in rapidly changing sectors such as technology and healthcare, will benefit from these programs’ focus on increased flexibility, communication skills, developing vision during transitional times within a business.

You may think that earning a high-quality Master’s of Business Administration will require you to put your professional and personal responsibilities on hold.

However, there are surprisingly many online MBA programs that stack up to on-campus programs in prestige, accreditations, and student services. These programs offer adult learners the flexibility and convenience needed to reach their goals while still balancing career and family obligations.

Many of these programs are also available at very affordable price-points that can sometimes be missing from traditional on-campus programs. Online learning may not be for everyone, but there are definitely many advantages to a distance degree.

Methodology

In order to find the most value for students, MBA Central examined almost 550 online and hybrid MBA programs offered in the US in the categories of Affordability (33%), Support Services (33%), and Quality of Classes (33%).

Each online Change Management MBA has an Affordability Score, based on the total base tuition of the degree. All information was taken from each individual program website, and scores range from Very Affordable to Very Expensive. Ranges are as follows:

Very Affordable: under $15,000
Affordable: between $15,000 and $20,000
Average: between $20,000 and $30,000
Above Average: between $30,000 and $50,000
Expensive: between $50,000 and $100,000
Very Expensive: above $100,000

#1 City University of Seattle School of Management – Seattle, Washington

City University of Seattle is consistently acknowledged among the leading educational ranking systems for the quality of both their online and on-campus degree programs. The online MBA program with a Change Leadership emphasis offered through the School of Management is among the University’s top programs. US News and World Report currently lists CityU at #193 in Best Online MBA Programs and #9 in Online Support Services. Students can complete this fully online degree in 48 to 51 credit hours and will participate in a variety of courses relevant to both business and change leadership. Foundations and business core courses such as Essentials of Business Management, Law for Global Business, and Strategic Financial Management make up the majority of the program’s well-rounded curriculum. Those who choose an emphasis in Change Leadership will have an opportunity to dive further into topics such as creative problem solving, leading change, and ethical leadership practices.

Although the main campus is located in Seattle, Washington online students can earn an accredited MBA from anywhere in the world at City University of Seattle. CityU is regionally accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities and educates a student body of over 2,000 annually. The University’s on-campus programs are well-respected. However, the online programs offered through the City University of Seattle have received numerous recognitions for quality and accessibility. The Master’s of Business Administration offered through the School of Management is no exception. Applicants to this top-notch program must have a completed undergraduate degree and may submit an application at any time due to the University’s rolling admissions policy. Terms begin seasonally unless otherwise noted

Accreditation: ACBSP, Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
Affordability Score: Above Average

#2 Wright State University Raj Soin College of Business – Dayton, Ohio

The Raj Soin College of Business offers an online Management, Innovation, and Change MBA. US News and World Report currently ranks Wright State University #175 in Best Online MBA Programs and #96 in Online Support Services. This 100% online degree also holds distinguished accreditation with the AACSB. Tuition for the program falls between $20,000 and $29,999, making Wright State’s MBA a well-respected and reasonably priced distance degree. Students participating in this comprehensive degree begin with core business courses including Strategic Cost Management, Economics for Managers, and Marketing Strategy. In addition to the business core students in the Management, Innovation, and Change specialization will study the way that top organizations handle change, work with a team mindset, and encourage productive creativity in the workplace. Full-time students typically complete the online MBA at Wright State in two years. However, courses can be taken on a part-time or full-time basis in order to meet all scheduling needs.

Wright State University is a public, research university located near Dayton, Ohio. Nearly 16,000 students attend Wright State each year through a variety of on-campus and online programs at the undergraduate and graduate level. The University is comprised of seven colleges and three schools with degrees covering everything from education to medicine. Students can earn an accredited online Master’s of Business Administration through the Raj Soin College of Business. The application process is simple, and students with an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher are not required to submit GMAT scores. Conditional admission is also granted to those who meet specific criteria in grade point average during the first nine hours of MBA coursework.

Accreditation: AACSB, Higher Learning Commission
Affordability Score: Average

#3 Concordia University Chicago College of Business – River Forest, Illinois

Concordia University students can earn a well-respected distance Leadership and Change Management MBA through the College of Business. US News and World Report recently recognized this degree at #202 in Best Online MBA Programs and #104 for Online Support Services. Students in this fully-distance program can complete an area of specialization and certificate in Leadership and Change Management. This 39 credit hour degree is focused on helping students hone in on organizational leadership skills, examine leadership strategies, evaluate leadership styles in a variety of ways, analyze organizational culture, and much more. Concordia University’s online MBA offers flexibility and a reasonable tuition rate between $20,000 and $29,999.

Students of Concordia University Chicago have an opportunity to earn over 100 undergraduate and graduate level degrees. The University holds regional accreditation with the HLC and is made up of five academic colleges that serve nearly 6,000 students each year. As a member of the University of Concordia system, Concordia-Chicago carries strong ties to the Lutheran Church. The school includes faith-based perspectives, as well as, highly regarded programs in business. Online students can earn an MBA degree within their acclaimed College of Business that is flexible and academically sound. Those applying to the program are not required to submit GMAT scores. However, a personal statement, official transcripts, two recommendation letters, and a current resume are required. For full admission consideration, students must have completed their undergraduate work with a minimum 2.85 GPA. Probationary admission can be granted for applicants with grade point averages between 2.5 to 2.85.

Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission
Affordability Score: Average

#4 Queens University of Charlotte McColl School of Business – Charlotte, North Carolina

The McColl School of Business at Queens University of Charlotte includes an AACSB accredited online MBA in Leadership and Change. While coursework can be completed 100% online, this unique program also consists of a three-day residency packed with high-level speakers from the business industry, leadership training, and team-building activities. Students typically finish this 39 credit hour degree in around two years on a full-time basis. Four concentration options are available including Leadership and Change. Those who choose this area of emphasis will participate in courses such as Organizational System Change, Conflict and Negotiation, and Management Consulting. This well-rounded degree is currently listed at #119 on US News and World Report’s Best Online MBA Programs ranking. They are also listed at #186 in online support services.

Queens University of Charlotte is a private, co-educational university that started in 1857. Six academic schools and colleges offer a variety of degree programs to roughly 2,500 students annually. The McColl School of Business is well known for its comprehensive team-based approach to business education. Students who choose to complete their MBA online are still able to partake in this experience, but at a pace and format that works flexibly with their schedule. Those interested in applying to the McColl online MBA program should be prepared to submit one admissions essay, two letters of recommendation, current and professional resume, official transcripts, and GMAT/GRE scores. Some students may qualify for GMAT/GRE waivers.

Accreditation: AACSB, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
Affordability Score: Above Average

#5 Tiffin University School of Business – Tiffin, Ohio

The online MBA program in Leadership and Change at Tiffin University is highly accredited by the ACBSP. Many students finish this program in as few as 14 months on a full-time basis but have the option to work at their own pace as needed. US News and World Report currently ranks Tiffin #215 in Best Online MBA Programs. Tuition rates for this fully online degree are reasonable and fall between $20,000 and $29,999. There are six convenient start dates and students may choose from a variety of concentration options including Leadership and Change. This focus is designed with professionals from a range of backgrounds in mind. A few of the courses included are Individual Leadership and Influence and Negotiations and Conflict Resolution. These relevant topics, as well as others, are sure to help graduates have a comprehensive understanding of communication, conflict resolution, and organizational performance.

Tiffin University is a private university with regional accreditation through the HLC. Each year the University educates over 3,000 students through four respected academic colleges and schools. The School of Business offers a fast-paced online Master’s of Business Administration with an emphasis in Leadership and Change. To apply students must have completed an undergraduate degree with a GPA of at least 3.0. They will additionally need to submit official transcripts, a resume or CV, and a personal statement discussing goals for pursuing graduate studies. MBA applicants must also show completion of at least eight of the following courses prior to admission business finance, business policy, marketing, accounting, management, business ethics, global dimension, legal environment, economics, information systems, or statistics/mathematics.

Accreditation: ACBSP, Higher Learning Commission
Affordability Score: Average

What is Change Management?

Change is the backbone of our culture and our businesses. We are always driving for new breakthroughs and trying to anticipate the consumers changing needs, attention, and trends. Everyone wants to be the next big thing.

Technological advancements have dramatically changed the face of business over the past 20 years. Our paper-driven society switched to complete virtual sharing. What once took days and weeks to spread information across an organization, or between organizations, now can be done at the click of a button. The companies that could not navigate change through these advancements did not stay around long, and this is still true today. Facebook, for example, started out as a social platform for college students. Today, it has over two billion users worldwide that share inconsequential individual news to current events from global news syndicates and stands as an e-commerce platform. Their ability to drive social networking change, not only morphed their company framework but it changed the fabric of our society.

Change is not just a fact of life, but the lifeblood of companies. But every New Year’s Day, individuals are reminded of how hard it is to change. Multiplying that resistance to change by hundreds and even thousands is the daunting task of change management in an organization. In essence, change management is how to initiate, teach, and manage change on the individual level in order to reach greater organizational goals.

There are many reasons why an organization might want to focus on change management. A company might have found a blind spot in their organization that is affecting their sustainability, they might be undergoing a reorganization or a merger, there might be a new technological opportunity for growth, or organizations might be in a place where they have reached a plateau and need to move beyond their current reality. In each of these instances, change management is not meant to be a fixed plan, but a way of thinking that can be carried into the future to maintain relevance.

What is the role of a change manager?

Change management takes a significant amount of intentional planning to account for individual and collective idiosyncrasies. It encompasses physiological and psychological responses to change, individual needs, and collective norms. A change manager is the one with the tools and training to lead an organization through the process of change, model what change looks like, and help manage the stress that results in an organization through change.

Prosci, a leading change management organization, describes change management through their ADKAR model. This model describes change management in five steps: Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, and Reinforcement. Awareness is that step where change managers outline why change needs to happen. Humans generally do not like change and have a physiological response in their brain that tells them to fear change. By highlighting the need for change and clearly showing the detriment of not changing, employees can begin the process of changing. Simply put, a change manager must minimize threats of change and maximize rewards. Desire is an integral step that goes beyond awareness and gets the individual on board supporting change. Some change managers are able to reframe change by maximizing all the positive effects that change can bring. Maximizing the positive reinforcements and minimizing the negatives are an essential step in the process. But individuals must be able to move past just the desire to change and then move on to have the knowledge of how to change. By giving a clear and simple framework, change managers can lead organizations through change, one person at a time. Next change managers must have the ability to demonstrate the skills and behaviors needed to implement change. It helps to have quantifiable behaviors in order for individuals to know if they are on the right track, and it gives leaders data to know if the organization is moving in the right direction. The last step is reinforcement, or in other words, repeat, repeat, repeat. Having a system to repeat is vital in order to make behaviors into habits.

What will I learn in an Online Change Management MBA?

There are many benefits to pursuing an Online Change Management MBA. This type of program will give students a great general foundation of business fundamentals. Understanding the general concepts of business will be something that every change manager will need. Students will gain a general understanding of accounting, economics, business law, systems management, and finance. This foundational work will give change managers that language of business and the big picture overview of what organizations entail.

Then, students will be able to pursue subjects including Adaptive Leadership, Individual Leadership and Influence, Thought Leadership and Creativity, Negotiations & Conflict Resolution, Creativity and Innovation in Organizations, Social and Environmental Change, and Organizational Development and Change. Students who are pursuing this degree while working full-time will also be able to start implementing these concepts in the workplace immediately.

Another advantage of a degree like this is the virtual nature. As organizations are growing more and more global, leaders need to be able to have a grasp on how to work in virtual teams. In online MBA programs, students will not only have daily and weekly work that includes virtual interaction with their peers and professors, but students will routinely have group projects where virtual teamwork is necessitated. This is a skill that can be used as a competitive advantage in our global marketplace.

How much do change managers make?

Change management is always relevant in any sector, so graduates of an Online MBA in Change Management have a host of possible sectors to work in. These leaders of change can work in areas of organizational development, project management, operations, corporate communications, or information technology. While an average general manager makes an average of $61,894 per year, the average salary, reported by PayScale, for a manager in change management is over $92,000 a year, with experienced professionals in this field making over $100,000. An online Change Management MBA, while it takes time and financial commitment, can prove to have a very strong return on investment.