The Top MBA Programs: Links to Authoritative MBA Ranking Results

When you’re searching for an MBA program to pursue, you want to be sure that you’re attending the best school for your needs. It’s also important that you choose a school that will offer you a prestigious name to be associated with. That’s why you should be paying attention to MBA program rankings. They’re an easy and convenient way to understand how different MBA programs stack up against each other. Employers, recruiters, schools, and other professionals pay attention to them, so you need to give them some thought as well.

In addition to guaranteeing name recognition, choosing a well ranked MBA program can help you find a school that can offer you a quality education. MBA programs are ranked by a variety of factors, including important statistics like faculty PhDs, students who complete the program, articles published in academic journals, and the opinions of peer schools as well as students and faculty. An MBA program with a good ranking is highly likely to offer you a wealth of educational, networking, and career opportunities, whereas lesser ranked schools may not be able to deliver. In these authoritative MBA rankings, you’ll find some of the best MBA programs available today.

• US News & World Report: Every year, US News & World report ranks a variety of schools including the best business schools. This year, Harvard and Stanford tied for first, followed by the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton, and another tie between Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan, and Northwestern University’s Kellogg. US News & World Report offers extensive profiles, personalized search results, and other features in its rankings.

  In addition to general MBA rankings, US News & World Report ranked schools for their Executive MBA and Part-Time MBA programs. For Executive MBAs the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton was the top pick, followed by the University of Chicago and Northwestern University’s Kellogg. For Part-Time MBAs, New York University’s Stern took first, with the University of Chicago and Northwestern University’s Kellogg in second and third.

• Business Week: Business Week, like US News & World Report, offers a variety of different rankings for business schools. In the Full-Time MBA slot, the University of Chicago took the first spot, with the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton, Northwestern University’s Kellogg, Harvard University, and the University of Michigan’s Ross all in the top five.

  Business Week offers a listing of Part-Time, executive, and distance programs as well. The magazine placed UCLA’s Anderson in the top spot for part-timers, followed by Emory and USC. For executive MBAs, Business Week considers Northwestern University to offer the best program, with the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton and the University of Chicago rounding out the top three. Business Week does not rank distance schools, but the magazine does offer a listing of what it considers to be the best online programs for an MBA.

• Economist Intelligence Unit: The Economist Intelligence Unit offers a unique way to rank MBA programs. For general MBAs, they place the University of Chicago’s Graduate School of Business, Stanford Graduate School of Business, and the University of Navarra’s IESE Business school at the top. But the think tank also offers the option for prospective students to change their ranks based on criteria and region. Using the Economist Intelligence Unit’s tool, you can search for a factor like final salary and find that Ashridge, Henley Business School, and Oxford University’s International Institute for Management Development will come out on top. If you’re more concerned with networking, just search the tool for programs with a high potential to network, and consider Henley Business School, EDHEC Business School, and E M Lyon your best bets. With this tool, you’re guaranteed to find the MBA program that’s right for you.

While these MBA program rankings are authoritative, they aren’t foolproof, so it’s important that you take a look at their methodology behind the explanation and understand the statistics that they’ve considered before you allow these rankings to influence your decision. By choosing an authoritative rankings guide that aligns with your needs and priorities, you should be able to find an MBA program that fits perfectly with what you’re looking for.