Ranking MBA Programs

More and more publications are ranking MBA programs these days. Some of the major ranking publications include: US News & World Report, Business Week, Wall Street Journal, and Financial Times.

Each publication uses different criteria in its rankings. It is important to understand what criteria are used when a program or school is ranked. Listed below is the publication and a little bit about the ranking criteria used:

• US News & World Report:
  Rankings are done each year for full time and part time programs. These programs must hold AACSB accreditation. The full time rankings look at many factors, including admission factors, quality assessments, and job placement rates. The part time programs are ranked according to nominations received.

• Business Week:
  Rankings are done every other year for full time, part time, and executive programs. The rankings are primarily based on surveys by students and corporate recruiters. Other factors like "intellectual capital" and the business school's prominence are taken into account.

• Wall Street Journal:
  Rankings are done every year for business schools that are accredited by the International Association for Management Education. The rankings are based on the ratings of MBA recruiters in areas of quality.

• Financial Times:
  Rankings are done every other year for MBA programs based on many factors. These factors include post-MBA salaries, diversity of faculty and students (like women and/or foreigners), and alumni recommendations.

This is not a full list of publications that rank MBA programs and business schools. However, these seem to be the most common ones out there performing general rankings based on program type.

As you can see, the criteria for ranking MBA programs are different for each and every publication. This is just a summary of the ranking criteria used. If you want more details, you can visit the website of each publication.

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