The University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business is cutting its MBA degree requirements from 54 to 48 credits for the Fall 2026 cohort across Full-Time, Flex, and Online tracks—an immediate curriculum and cost shift designed to strengthen value and speed completion. Smith estimates savings of roughly $10,554 for Full-Time MBAs and a similar amount for Flex and Online students based on listed per-credit tuition. Smith says the redesign moves AI fluency into the core and aligns the curriculum with “uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity,” while preserving experiential learning and leadership development components. The change arrives amid broader business school pressure to demonstrate ROI as MBA applicant momentum cools in some segments, setting up closer scrutiny of whether AI-infused curriculum and shorter programs improve outcomes at the same pace employers expect.