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Brett Whorley Excels in MBA Online Program Ranked #2 for Veterans by U.S. News and World Report

The University of Nebraska–Lincoln MBA program is ranked #2 for Best Online MBA Programs for Veterans, according to the 2014 U.S. News & World Report listing. To achieve the veteran-specific ranking, schools had to already be on the respective U.S. News & World Report listing for best online programs. The UNL MBA Online program was ranked 2nd in the Big Ten and 17th in the nation overall.

One recent example of how the program complements the career of a veteran is Brett Whorley, who need a Big Ten MBA program that could accommodate his job as a naval officer. He found what he was looking for at UNL.

“In the fall of 2009, I had just returned from sea duty in Japan,” Whorley said. “I needed a solid flexible MBA program to meet my needs, and UNL fit perfectly. I was able to accomplish my class projects and discussions in my free time on travel, and between obligations as a flight instructor.”

Although online education is sometimes perceived as being not as compelling as the classroom experience, he found his experience at UNL to be very engaging.

Brett Whorley

Whorley receiving Naval Flight Officer of the Year

“The online courses exceeded my expectations,” he said. “I thought the communication would be mostly one way. However, the collaborative online venues facilitated interaction at a level I never thought would be possible from a distance.”

Whorley believes completing a graduate degree is a must for a naval officer. He was named Naval Flight Officer of the Year (Shore Duty) in 2012 for the Navy’s E-2C Hawkeye Community and was directly responsible for the coordination, instruction and evaluation for 60 Hawkeye aircrew.

“The UNL MBA allowed me to study on my schedule while working full-time. I also wanted a program that had a foundation as a traditional ‘brick and mortar’ education with a good reputation. The program has already paid dividends in my current position at U.S. Naval Central Command staff where I work in the current operations department,” he said.

Whorley grew up in Knoxville, Tenn., and attended Georgia Tech on a Navy ROTC Scholarship and earned an undergraduate degree in international affairs.

“I chose the international business specialization with my MBA degree and appreciated the international management and finance courses. The ability to use the knowledge I learned in those classes to have intelligent conversations and build a good rapport has been invaluable.”

For more information on the UNL MBA program, go to http://mba.unl.edu.
Published: June 19, 2014