ASU Online MBA vs. SNHU Online MBA: Which Program Fits You?

Program-Level Evidence Comes First

Program characteristics such as tuition, required credits, curriculum, concentrations, admissions requirements, test policies, course structure, completion time, and accreditation can be compared directly when current information is available for both programs.

When program details have changed, current published information takes precedence over older figures.

Institution-Level Data Provides Context — Not MBA Outcomes

University-level characteristics such as overall graduation rates, enrollment, admissions statistics, and research classification can provide useful context about ASU and SNHU.

They do not, by themselves, establish the graduation rate, selectivity, academic quality, salary outcomes, career advancement, or student experience of either Online MBA.

For the same reason, OMC treats ASU’s AACSB accreditation and SNHU’s ACBSP accreditation as a verified program difference rather than evidence that graduates of one program necessarily receive a better education or achieve stronger career outcomes.

When Comparable Evidence Is Missing, There Is No Demonstrated Winner

OMC did not identify sufficiently comparable program-level evidence to declare an ASU or SNHU advantage in areas such as:

• Graduate salary.
• Employment outcomes.
• Career advancement.
• Employer preference.
• Return on investment.
• Alumni-network impact.

Institutional reputation, research classification, accreditation, tuition, or admissions requirements are not used as substitutes for those outcome measures.

A program receives an advantage in this comparison only when there is a verified difference relevant to the decision . What that difference is worth depends on the student’s goal.

A lower published cost may matter most to a student minimizing debt. A particular concentration may matter more to another student. An accreditation distinction may become important when a future pathway specifically requires or prefers it.

The comparison therefore asks:

What is demonstrably different between these programs, and which of those differences actually matters for the decision you are trying to make?

What the Comparison Establishes

The largest measurable difference is cost .

ASU estimates the W. P. Carey Online MBA at approximately $74,000 , while SNHU’s published rate of $659 per credit produces approximately $19,770 in base tuition for its 30-credit MBA before applicable additional costs.

Based on those published figures, the difference is approximately $54,230 .

The figures are not identical cost measures — ASU publishes an estimated program cost, while the SNHU figure represents base tuition calculated from its published per-credit rate. They nevertheless establish a substantial difference in the published financial commitment associated with the two programs.

The programs also use materially different curriculum structures .

ASU requires 51 credits across 18 classes , compared with 30 credits across 10 courses at SNHU. ASU also offers eight Online MBA concentrations, with concentrations generally built from at least three electives in one discipline. SNHU’s concentration structure generally uses three courses, or nine credits, within its 30-credit MBA.

Those differences make the actual curriculum and concentration options more useful decision factors than credit count alone.

The programs also differ in course cadence . ASU generally uses five-week classes, while SNHU uses 10-week graduate terms. Students should consider which structure better fits the way they prefer to manage coursework alongside professional and personal responsibilities.

Standardized testing, however, does not currently differentiate the programs . Neither Online MBA requires the GMAT or GRE.

What the Comparison Does Not Establish

These program differences do not establish that:

• ASU’s higher cost produces better career outcomes.
• ASU’s additional credits make its MBA more rigorous or academically superior.
• SNHU’s 30-credit structure makes its MBA easier or academically weaker.
• SNHU’s lower tuition automatically produces better ROI.
• AACSB accreditation produces better employment outcomes than ACBSP accreditation for graduates of these two programs.
• Either university is broadly preferred by employers for Online MBA graduates.
• Either program produces higher salaries, promotion rates, or employment rates.

Those conclusions require evidence beyond the structural program characteristics available for this comparison.

If published tuition is the primary constraint, SNHU has the measurable advantage.

If curriculum, concentration availability, accreditation, admissions requirements, course cadence, or another program characteristic is more important, compare that difference directly.

If the decision depends primarily on salary, career advancement, employer preference, or ROI , the available comparable program-level evidence does not establish a winner.

ASU Admissions

ASU does not require GMAT or GRE scores for the W. P. Carey Online MBA, although applicants may submit standardized test scores as optional information.

ASU also publishes a 3.0 cumulative GPA requirement based on its applicable academic criteria.

Students considering ASU should review the complete current admissions requirements to determine whether their academic history and application materials satisfy the program’s eligibility standards.

SNHU Admissions

SNHU does not require GMAT or GRE scores for its Online MBA. Its current online graduate admissions policy lists a minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.75 for full acceptance or 2.00 for provisional acceptance , unless otherwise noted by the program. Completion of a post-bachelor’s degree takes the place of this requirement.

SNHU also states that its online application has no application fee, no required test scores, and no college essay . Applicants must have a conferred undergraduate degree, which can be in any field. Depending on academic background, some MBA students may be required to complete business foundation coursework.

What Admissions Differences Mean for Your Decision

Admissions requirements are primarily a fit and eligibility question .

If both programs admit you, differences in admissions requirements do not establish that the program with more restrictive criteria provides a better education, stronger peer network, or better career outcomes.

Likewise, a program being more accessible to an applicant does not make its MBA academically weaker.

If your academic record may affect eligibility, determine which programs you qualify for first. Then compare the factors that affect the experience after enrollment — including cost, curriculum, concentration options, accreditation, and course structure .

AACSB vs. ACBSP: Does the Difference Matter?

The W. P. Carey School of Business is AACSB-accredited , while SNHU’s MBA and concentrations are ACBSP-accredited .

For most students, the useful question is not which accreditation label is universally “better.” It is whether a particular accreditation matters for the opportunity they intend to pursue.

If an employer, future academic program, credential evaluator, or other pathway specifically requires or prefers AACSB accreditation , ASU has a meaningful advantage for that decision.

If no such requirement or preference applies, the accreditation difference alone does not establish that ASU graduates receive a better education, earn higher salaries, advance faster, or are more broadly preferred by employers.

Students for whom business accreditation is an important criterion should verify the requirements of the specific organization or pathway they are targeting.

What Does ASU’s R1 Research Classification Mean?

Arizona State University’s campus-based Carnegie classification includes a Research 1 designation for very high research spending and doctorate production.

That is a verified institutional distinction, but it is not an outcome measure for the W. P. Carey Online MBA.

R1 status does not by itself establish that an ASU Online MBA graduate will earn more, receive more job offers, build a stronger professional network, or achieve better career outcomes than an SNHU Online MBA graduate.

Students may still value studying within ASU’s broader research-university environment. That becomes a legitimate fit factor when the student can identify a specific resource, opportunity, or aspect of that environment that matters to their goals.

What About University Reputation and Brand?

University recognition can matter differently across employers, industries, geographic markets, and professional networks. But general institutional reputation should not be converted into an assumed career advantage without evidence.

If university recognition is important to you, investigate it in the context where you expect to use the MBA. Useful questions include:

• Do employers you are targeting recruit from either university?
• Are graduates of either program represented in your intended industry or role?
• Does a target employer or future academic program have a specific accreditation preference?
• Does either program provide career, alumni, or networking opportunities relevant to your field or location?

That produces a more useful comparison than assuming that research classification, university size, tuition, or accreditation automatically determines employer preference.

For this head-to-head comparison, AACSB accreditation becomes a meaningful differentiator in ASU’s favor when it specifically matters to the student’s intended pathway . Neither AACSB versus ACBSP nor ASU’s R1 classification establishes an overall winner on academic quality or career outcomes.

The Decision Rule

Consider SNHU first if cost or speed is your primary constraint. Its substantially lower published tuition, 30-credit curriculum, and shorter published accelerated pathway give it measurable advantages on those criteria.

Consider ASU first if a specific W. P. Carey characteristic matters to your goal. That may include AACSB accreditation, a particular concentration or course of study, its 51-credit curriculum structure, or its five-week course format.

The higher ASU cost is easiest to justify when you can identify what the W. P. Carey Online MBA specifically provides that matters enough to you to pay for the difference .

Conversely, if SNHU already provides the curriculum, concentration, accreditation, and format you need, its substantially lower published tuition becomes difficult to ignore.

Neither conclusion requires declaring one university better overall.

And if the deciding factor is an expectation of higher salary, faster career advancement, broader employer preference, or better ROI , the available comparable program-level evidence does not establish an ASU or SNHU winner.

The most defensible choice is therefore:

Choose the program whose verified advantages align with the things that actually matter to your decision — and do not pay for, or assume, an advantage that the available evidence does not establish.

For deeper information about each university, explore OMC’s Arizona State University and Southern New Hampshire University profiles. You can also explore additional head-to-head evaluations through OMC’s Master’s Degree Comparisons .