“Auburn provides a high-value program. The cost of the program was very attractive in comparison to other programs that I considered."”

In these uncertain times, the Harbert College of Business at Auburn University is working with prospective students to offer flexible enrollment options for Fall Semester 2020. The application deadline for Auburn Full-time and Online MBA programs has moved to June 1 to provide more time to engage with our admissions team. Also, we will waive the GMAT or GRE requirement for Fall 2020 applicants who meet established criteria. Our team is available for appointments at mba@auburn.edu to help you through this process.

What follows is one in a series of recently published stories that speak to the 30-plus year history of the Harbert College of Business in delivering online educational programming that has been consistently ranked among the nation’s best.

Needing to establish a brand identity for the Audits Services Department for a company in Los Angeles, Russell Wong leaned on knowledge gained through Danny Butler’s Online MBA-level marketing class, provided by Auburn's Online MBA program.

“I was the lead on a strategic initiative to develop a brand strategy for the department. Dr. Butler’s class really helped me develop a strategy that our senior leadership supported,” said Wong, Audit and Consulting Services Manager at Southern California Edison.

Wong, who earned an online MBA from the Harbert College of Business in 2014, gained so much practical knowledge from his experience that he came back for a second online graduate degree – earning a Master of Science in Information Systems in 2015.

“My experience in the classroom has been leveraged and my Auburn education has further instilled a ‘can do’ attitude toward addressing business challenges."”

“Each class at Auburn focused on providing a high-quality education experience supported by discussions with my classmates in all of my classes which fueled my desire to continue past just satisfying my MBA requirements,” Wong said.

Not only do students in Auburn’s Online MBA program recognize the quality of their educational experience, so too have the program’s peers. In a report released October 14 by Poets & Quants, the Harbert College’s Online MBA program was ranked No. 8 nationally.

Wong, who earned an undergraduate in Business Administration from California State Polytechnic University in Pomona, Calif., could have chosen many other MBA online programs. But instead he chose Auburn’s MBA Online program.

“The faculty is top-notch, all of the material is current and immediately applicable to my job. Questions are answered in a very timely manner,” said Wong, pictured at left with his wife, Mary, and Auburn men's basketball Head Coach Bruce Pearl. “The support structure is very good. The registration process is easy. Auburn provides a high-value program. The cost of the program was very attractive in comparison to other programs that I considered.

"The program is very flexible. You can take one, two, or three, and they don’t push you. That flexibility was very attractive to me.”

He also preferred the accessibility of Harbert College’s Online MBA program.

“Getting the material is very easy,” he said. “Books and material are readily available. In most cases, the lecture notes are available so that you can print and follow the video; much like being on campus. The material covered is very current. The pace of the classes is just right and the material encourages critical evaluation.

“My experience in the classroom has been leveraged and my Auburn education has further instilled a ‘can do’ attitude toward addressing business challenges.”