Rize MBA Specializations: First Semester Results and Partner Impact
This report summarizes key outcomes and learnings from our first semester of MBA specializations across partner institutions.
Fall 2025 marked an exciting milestone for Rize Education: the launch of our MBA Specializations. As we reflect on this inaugural semester with 104 enrollments across 19 partner institutions, we're encouraged by what the data reveals and energized by the opportunity to keep improving.
Before diving into student feedback and survey results, it's worth sharing what we created and why it matters.
We developed five MBA specializations in high-demand fields: Artificial Intelligence, Finance, Healthcare Administration, Cybersecurity, and Business Analytics. These weren't built in a vacuum, they were designed in direct response to a pressing market challenge. According to recent data, 61% of business deans reported declining enrollments in their graduate programs.
The solution seems straightforward: launch new, in-demand programs that attract today's career-focused students. But the reality for most institutions isn't that simple. Cost, staffing constraints, time to market, and institutional risk create significant barriers which can often lead to inertia while enrollments continue to decline.
That’s the gap Rize MBA Specializations fill: a way to stand up market-ready programs in months, at a fraction of the cost, and with less risk than traditional builds.
Data and Insights
What Students Are Telling Us
The headline that makes us most proud? 92% of students report that Rize MBA courses are as good or better than other graduate courses they've taken. For our first semester, this reinforces that our programs meet graduate-level expectations for the quality and rigor that graduate students expect and deserve.
We were also thrilled to learn just how much specializations matter to students. 79% indicated that the presence of a specialization played at least a minor role in their decision to enroll, and 44% shared that they would not have pursued an MBA program without specializations at all. This reinforces what we've heard from our partners: today's students are looking for clear, career-focused pathways - and specializations help provide that clarity and purpose. This also means that MBA specializations aren’t just improving conversion, they’re expanding the total MBA market.
Academic Quality & Rigor
Students shared positive feedback about the academic experience, rating courses as engaging, relevant, and appropriately challenging:
Assignment Quality & Relevance
- Assignments rated as stimulating and rewarding: 5.76 out of 7
- Comparative value (more rewarding than other courses): 5.43 out of 7
- What excites us: This metric improved by 0.65 points from mid-semester to end-of-semester - our largest single improvement, suggesting students increasingly saw the value as they progressed through coursework
Workload & Expectations
- Workload compared to other courses: 5.44 out of 7
- This balanced score suggests we're achieving our goal: courses that challenge students without overwhelming them
Grading & Feedback
- Reasonableness of grades: 6.11 out of 7
- Value of written feedback: 6.15 out of 7
We loved hearing how students connected with the purpose behind assignments. As one student shared: "None of the assignments felt as if they were assigned to us simply for us to be doing work but I felt as if everything we did there was a clear reason for why we were doing it and helped me learn."
Instructor Excellence: A Standout Strength
Instructor performance is consistently among our top differentiators and students' feedback confirms what we see every day: the instructors are deeply committed to student success.
Professor Performance Metrics:
- Creates a rewarding course environment: 6.09 out of 7
- Responds quickly (within 24 hours): 6.35 out of 7
- Responds helpfully to questions: 6.30 out of 7
These scores reflect the dedication of instructors who don't just deliver content; they build relationships, provide thoughtful feedback, and create spaces where students feel genuinely supported.
One student captured this beautifully: "Course content and materials were enriching and informative, showing how information governance, risk management, and compliance apply to businesses through assignments that offered real-world experiences. The professor offered great, in-depth feedback that shaped my future work and understanding of course materials."
Real-World Application: What Students Loved
When we asked students about their favorite aspects of the courses, we were encouraged to see consistent themes around practical application and career relevance:
Theme 1: Skill Development with Clear Purpose
- "My favorite thing about the course has been how it challenged me to use visuals and data to tell compelling stories that can influence decisions. I enjoyed learning how to transform information into clear, impactful visuals that communicate meaning and drive action."
Theme 2: Applied Learning & Real-World Scenarios
- "The assignments and situations are highly intuitive and engaging. I enjoy the real-world kind of learning."
Theme 3: Meaningful Assignments with Clear Rationale
- "None of the assignments felt as if they were assigned to us simply for us to be doing work but I felt as if everything we did there was a clear reason for why we were doing it and helped me learn."
This feedback affirms our curriculum philosophy: specializations should deliver immediately applicable skills that students can use in their careers, not just theoretical knowledge.
Improvements for 2026 and Beyond
As part of our end-of-semester survey, we asked students for open feedback on how to further enhance their experience. The most consistent themes centered on assignment clarity, navigation, and expectations for group work and deadlines. We've already incorporated these insights into our Spring 2026 updates by refining assignment templates, improving resource linking, and aligning due-date communication across time zones.
To address the persistent challenges of asynchronous group work, which students cite as difficult to coordinate against weekly deadlines, we're shifting collaborative activities to live sessions. This approach preserves the learning value of peer interaction while eliminating the scheduling friction that often undermines asynchronous group assignments.
These enhancements are designed to streamline the student experience while maintaining academic rigor.
Early Success from our Partner Institutions
Our partner institutions have seen transformative results in their first semester with Rize MBA Specializations. From significant enrollment growth to enhanced student satisfaction, these early outcomes demonstrate the power of removing barriers to launching high-quality, market responsive programs.
Goldey-Beacom College launched two brand-new specializations in Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity this fall, while also integrating Rize courses across existing specializations to strengthen their curriculum. Goldey-Beacom prides itself on starting industry relevant programs to enhance opportunities for local professionals. The impact of these additions has been remarkable: incoming MBA students grew by 107% compared to last year from a combination of program addition and international student alignment.
While growth is important, student experience truly stands out. Feedback has been enthusiastic, with an NPS of 50 and comments like, “This course was genuinely relevant to the world today” and “This course gave me a deeper understanding of how healthcare economics and leadership intersect, transforming the way I approach strategy and decision making.”
Pfeiffer University added all five Rize specializations and reduced their cost per credit—a combination that contributed to tripling their MBA enrollment. Rachel Bryant, Pfeiffer's Graduate Director, captured the partnership's impact:
"I am extremely grateful to the team at Rize Education for their partnership. In addition to launching our new MBA specializations quickly, the team at Rize listened to our needs and supported improvements to our website, social media presence, and marketing efforts. Though our collaboration is still new, we have already seen healthy growth in our MBA enrollment, driven largely by students choosing Rize MBA specializations."
Students echoed this enthusiasm, sharing: "I hadn't felt a class that challenges me this much in a while. It was very rewarding learning real work tools and share with students from other schools" and "This course transformed how I approach cybersecurity governance, shifting my mindset from compliance-driven to strategic leadership, with practical insights that I can apply immediately."
These early results from our partner institutions validate what we've believed from the start: when schools can overcome traditional barriers to launching specialized programs, they can meet student demand, drive enrollment growth, and deliver the career-focused education today's MBA students are seeking. We're excited to build on this momentum in Spring 2026 and beyond as we expand program reach, deepen career alignment, and continue to deliver results for our partners and students.
Kevin is passionate about working at Rize because he believes students should not have to choose between a rich residential college experience and earning a degree that equips them with essential career skills. Outside of work, he enjoys golfing, skiing, listening to podcasts while walking around NYC, and spending summers with family and friends in Cape Cod.
Rize MBA Specializations: First Semester Results and Partner Impact
This report summarizes key outcomes and learnings from our first semester of MBA specializations across partner institutions.
Fall 2025 marked an exciting milestone for Rize Education: the launch of our MBA Specializations. As we reflect on this inaugural semester with 104 enrollments across 19 partner institutions, we're encouraged by what the data reveals and energized by the opportunity to keep improving.
Before diving into student feedback and survey results, it's worth sharing what we created and why it matters.
We developed five MBA specializations in high-demand fields: Artificial Intelligence, Finance, Healthcare Administration, Cybersecurity, and Business Analytics. These weren't built in a vacuum, they were designed in direct response to a pressing market challenge. According to recent data, 61% of business deans reported declining enrollments in their graduate programs.
The solution seems straightforward: launch new, in-demand programs that attract today's career-focused students. But the reality for most institutions isn't that simple. Cost, staffing constraints, time to market, and institutional risk create significant barriers which can often lead to inertia while enrollments continue to decline.
That’s the gap Rize MBA Specializations fill: a way to stand up market-ready programs in months, at a fraction of the cost, and with less risk than traditional builds.
Data and Insights
What Students Are Telling Us
The headline that makes us most proud? 92% of students report that Rize MBA courses are as good or better than other graduate courses they've taken. For our first semester, this reinforces that our programs meet graduate-level expectations for the quality and rigor that graduate students expect and deserve.
We were also thrilled to learn just how much specializations matter to students. 79% indicated that the presence of a specialization played at least a minor role in their decision to enroll, and 44% shared that they would not have pursued an MBA program without specializations at all. This reinforces what we've heard from our partners: today's students are looking for clear, career-focused pathways - and specializations help provide that clarity and purpose. This also means that MBA specializations aren’t just improving conversion, they’re expanding the total MBA market.
Academic Quality & Rigor
Students shared positive feedback about the academic experience, rating courses as engaging, relevant, and appropriately challenging:
Assignment Quality & Relevance
- Assignments rated as stimulating and rewarding: 5.76 out of 7
- Comparative value (more rewarding than other courses): 5.43 out of 7
- What excites us: This metric improved by 0.65 points from mid-semester to end-of-semester - our largest single improvement, suggesting students increasingly saw the value as they progressed through coursework
Workload & Expectations
- Workload compared to other courses: 5.44 out of 7
- This balanced score suggests we're achieving our goal: courses that challenge students without overwhelming them
Grading & Feedback
- Reasonableness of grades: 6.11 out of 7
- Value of written feedback: 6.15 out of 7
We loved hearing how students connected with the purpose behind assignments. As one student shared: "None of the assignments felt as if they were assigned to us simply for us to be doing work but I felt as if everything we did there was a clear reason for why we were doing it and helped me learn."
Instructor Excellence: A Standout Strength
Instructor performance is consistently among our top differentiators and students' feedback confirms what we see every day: the instructors are deeply committed to student success.
Professor Performance Metrics:
- Creates a rewarding course environment: 6.09 out of 7
- Responds quickly (within 24 hours): 6.35 out of 7
- Responds helpfully to questions: 6.30 out of 7
These scores reflect the dedication of instructors who don't just deliver content; they build relationships, provide thoughtful feedback, and create spaces where students feel genuinely supported.
One student captured this beautifully: "Course content and materials were enriching and informative, showing how information governance, risk management, and compliance apply to businesses through assignments that offered real-world experiences. The professor offered great, in-depth feedback that shaped my future work and understanding of course materials."
Real-World Application: What Students Loved
When we asked students about their favorite aspects of the courses, we were encouraged to see consistent themes around practical application and career relevance:
Theme 1: Skill Development with Clear Purpose
- "My favorite thing about the course has been how it challenged me to use visuals and data to tell compelling stories that can influence decisions. I enjoyed learning how to transform information into clear, impactful visuals that communicate meaning and drive action."
Theme 2: Applied Learning & Real-World Scenarios
- "The assignments and situations are highly intuitive and engaging. I enjoy the real-world kind of learning."
Theme 3: Meaningful Assignments with Clear Rationale
- "None of the assignments felt as if they were assigned to us simply for us to be doing work but I felt as if everything we did there was a clear reason for why we were doing it and helped me learn."
This feedback affirms our curriculum philosophy: specializations should deliver immediately applicable skills that students can use in their careers, not just theoretical knowledge.
Improvements for 2026 and Beyond
As part of our end-of-semester survey, we asked students for open feedback on how to further enhance their experience. The most consistent themes centered on assignment clarity, navigation, and expectations for group work and deadlines. We've already incorporated these insights into our Spring 2026 updates by refining assignment templates, improving resource linking, and aligning due-date communication across time zones.
To address the persistent challenges of asynchronous group work, which students cite as difficult to coordinate against weekly deadlines, we're shifting collaborative activities to live sessions. This approach preserves the learning value of peer interaction while eliminating the scheduling friction that often undermines asynchronous group assignments.
These enhancements are designed to streamline the student experience while maintaining academic rigor.
Early Success from our Partner Institutions
Our partner institutions have seen transformative results in their first semester with Rize MBA Specializations. From significant enrollment growth to enhanced student satisfaction, these early outcomes demonstrate the power of removing barriers to launching high-quality, market responsive programs.
Goldey-Beacom College launched two brand-new specializations in Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity this fall, while also integrating Rize courses across existing specializations to strengthen their curriculum. Goldey-Beacom prides itself on starting industry relevant programs to enhance opportunities for local professionals. The impact of these additions has been remarkable: incoming MBA students grew by 107% compared to last year from a combination of program addition and international student alignment.
While growth is important, student experience truly stands out. Feedback has been enthusiastic, with an NPS of 50 and comments like, “This course was genuinely relevant to the world today” and “This course gave me a deeper understanding of how healthcare economics and leadership intersect, transforming the way I approach strategy and decision making.”
Pfeiffer University added all five Rize specializations and reduced their cost per credit—a combination that contributed to tripling their MBA enrollment. Rachel Bryant, Pfeiffer's Graduate Director, captured the partnership's impact:
"I am extremely grateful to the team at Rize Education for their partnership. In addition to launching our new MBA specializations quickly, the team at Rize listened to our needs and supported improvements to our website, social media presence, and marketing efforts. Though our collaboration is still new, we have already seen healthy growth in our MBA enrollment, driven largely by students choosing Rize MBA specializations."
Students echoed this enthusiasm, sharing: "I hadn't felt a class that challenges me this much in a while. It was very rewarding learning real work tools and share with students from other schools" and "This course transformed how I approach cybersecurity governance, shifting my mindset from compliance-driven to strategic leadership, with practical insights that I can apply immediately."
These early results from our partner institutions validate what we've believed from the start: when schools can overcome traditional barriers to launching specialized programs, they can meet student demand, drive enrollment growth, and deliver the career-focused education today's MBA students are seeking. We're excited to build on this momentum in Spring 2026 and beyond as we expand program reach, deepen career alignment, and continue to deliver results for our partners and students.
Kevin is passionate about working at Rize because he believes students should not have to choose between a rich residential college experience and earning a degree that equips them with essential career skills. Outside of work, he enjoys golfing, skiing, listening to podcasts while walking around NYC, and spending summers with family and friends in Cape Cod.
