U.S. News & World Report has ranked the University of North Georgia's Cottrell MBA as the sixth-best part-time public MBA program in Georgia.

"Being ranked among the top six public university part-time MBA programs in Georgia provides further affirmation that we are providing an MBA education among the very best in the state," said Dr. Mary Gowan, dean of UNG's Mike Cottrell College of Business.

The ranking for UNG's MBA program in the 2021 U.S. News & World Report Best Part-Time MBA rankings list follows UNG's placement as the No. 16 regional public university in the South on the 2020 Best Colleges list released by the magazine.

"It's fantastic that the program is being recognized for its quality," said Steven Kronenberg, director of graduate programs for the Mike Cottrell College of Business. "It speaks to the faculty and the students we have in the program and the experiential learning they gain."

The Cottrell MBA is built for working professionals. Classes are offered on a consistent evening schedule on UNG's Cumming and Gainesville campuses. As a part-time program, the Cottrell MBA is a convenient option for students seeking to further their careers on a reasonable budget while maintaining full-time employment.

In addition to the Cottrell MBA, the College of Business offers three graduate certificates that may be taken alone or as electives in the Cottrell MBA program: cybersecurity, entrepreneurship & innovation, and technology leadership. All three are currently online and available to students across the United States with in-state tuition rates.

The U.S. News ranking methodology included:

Average peer assessment score.

Average GMAT score and average GRE quantitative, verbal and analytical writing scores of part-time MBA students entering in fall 2019.

Average undergraduate GPA of part-time MBA students entering in fall 2019.

Number of years of work experience of part-time MBA students entering in fall 2019, with more years of work experience scoring higher in the rankings.

Percentage of the business school's fall 2019 total full-time and part-time MBA enrollment that is in the part-time MBA program, with a higher percentage of MBA students being part-time scoring higher in the rankings.

"Part-time business programs play a vital role for working people who can't go to school full time for family, job-related or financial reasons," U.S. News & World Report wrote in its article announcing the rankings.