Online MBA programs are becoming more popular, said Jim Parrish, Director of Admissions and Operations for MBA Programs.

The Auburn University College of Business is ranked No. 16 nationally among schools that offer online MBA programs, according to online business publication Poets & Quants.

This new honor comes on the heels of a number of high rankings the college has earned in 2013. In January, U.S. News & World Report ranked the College of Business’ MBA distance program seventh nationally among public schools. The college’s Executive MBA (EMBA) program was named “Best Remote Learning Program in North America in 2012” by European CEO Magazine this spring.

“This recognition of quality of our online MBA program is appreciated and much deserved.  Our faculty and staff do a remarkable job delivering a superior education to our students,” said Auburn University College of Business Dean and Wells Fargo Professor Bill Hardgrave. “The ranking is another indication of the reputation we have built as a provider of quality graduate education, whether it is face-to-face, online, or blended – our commitment to excellence is evident in all our programs.”

Poets & Quants releases composite rankings of the five major rankings found in major news outlets, including Financial Times, The Economist, BusinessWeek, Forbes and U.S. News & World Report.

Colleges cracking the Poets & Quants Top 10 included Carnegie Mellon (Tepper), North Carolina (Kenan-Flagler), Indiana (Kelley), Penn State (World Campus), Babson (Olin), Arizona State (Carey), Northeastern, Thunderbird, George Washington and Florida (Hough).

Other than Florida, Auburn is the only university in the Southeastern Conference ranked in the Top 20.

“We offer the convenient delivery of online learning mixed with traditional, on-campus learning,” said Jim Parrish, Director of Admissions and Operations for MBA Programs. “Online degrees are becoming more accepted. People want to keep full-time jobs and quality online education.

“(The ranking) It is one more way we can show how third parties are viewing our programs. It gives us one more notch in our belt.”

Of the schools ranked in the Top 20, Auburn’s total program cost of $27,000 was by far the least. The average tuition for schools in the Top 20 is $58,500.

“We have been an innovator in online education for almost 20 years and continue to push the envelope to deliver a high quality education where, when, and how it is needed,” Hardgrave added.