AN OVERVIEW OF THE MOST IMPORTANT RANKINGS
Rankings provide information about which business schools and MBA programs are recognized by graduates or companies. However, they are not without controversy. We have compiled the most important MBA rankings and show you which criteria you should pay attention to.
How do I find the best business school and the best MBA program for me? Rankings can help. Applicants get an overview of the top 20, 50 or 100 MBA schools at a glance. But: Ranking is not the same as ranking. Each has strengths, but also weaknesses. The criteria for the rankings are also very different. When choosing the right MBA program, applicants should take a close look at rankings and remember that things like accreditation and program structure are also important.
MBA rankings are not without controversy. For example, there are no reliable rankings for the German-speaking countries. That leaves only the view of the international ones. The following rankings are particularly well known:
- Financial Times
- US News & World Report
- Economist
- Bloomberg Business Week
ONE PROVIDER, MULTIPLE RANKINGS
There are not only many providers of rankings, but also many types of ranking lists. The “Financial Times”, for example, offers the Global MBA Ranking, an Executive MBA Ranking and an Online MBA Ranking.
The “Economist” also has different rankings for the Master of Business Administration. He publishes rankings on full-time and executive MBA programs as well as special top 20 lists on European and North American MBA programs. There are also top ten ratings for the university’s equipment or the alumni network. In the “US News & World Report”, in addition to the rankings for full-time and part-time programs, interested parties can also see which university is in the top positions for which MBA specialization.
CRITERIA AND RESULTS
A business school can take one of the first places in one ranking, but is lower in another. How can that be? Quite simply: With every ranking list different criteria are in the foreground. While one ranking includes the university’s equipment and research, for example, the other focuses on internationality or the number of successful graduates.
And finally: Who exactly was interviewed? Students and graduates or professors and deans? This aspect also plays an important role. If you want to be on the safe side when choosing your business school, you should consider several ranking lists. If the university and program perform consistently well, one can assume that the MBA at the business school is of good quality and is also recognized by employers working internationally.
RANKINGS: PROS AND CONS
MBA rankings divide interested parties and experts into two camps: supporters and critics. Proponents consider rankings to increase competition and consider it positive that if a business school does well, demand will increase. So you can not only count on more applicants, but also on more tuition fees. Even poor performance of an MBA school is not a problem for defenders of rankings. The university is then forced to improve its quality in order to be at the top of the next ranking.
Rankings are not without controversy for critics. An example: If, for example, MBA students are asked about their satisfaction for a ranking, this usually only says something about their subjective feeling. An objective statement about a business school or program can hardly be made in this way.
Influencing the rankings is also criticized from time to time: Students could consistently give good ratings so that their business school ranks higher. It would also enhance their own studies and degrees to make them more interesting for renowned employers.
Another point of criticism: The ranking providers weight individual criteria differently. It is difficult to compare the rankings, because in principle a different criterion can be in the foreground for each business school.
NOT IN THE RANKING = BAD MBA?
It is striking in the rankings that business schools from the German-speaking countries are rarely or not listed at all. Many applicants then wonder whether a business school that is not listed is automatically less recognized and does not offer a good MBA program. But that’s not the case. The fact is: The German MBA tradition does not go back so long and is not yet as well established internationally. Some US schools with MBA programs have been around for over a hundred years. You therefore also have more alumni – a popular criterion for making up places in a ranking.
When choosing a suitable business school and an MBA program, applicants should always consult several ranking lists. However, since rankings are only one help from many, it is important that applicants also ask friends and family for advice, keep an eye on the costs of their studies and pay attention to accreditation. Then sometimes a very personal MBA ranking results automatically. And that usually fits pretty well.
MBA, Part Time
Springfield, Massachusetts, United States
Part-time (1 year)
Instituto de Empresa IE Business School
Global MBA+
Madrid, Spain
Part-time (1 year)Instituto de Empresa IE Business School
MBA, Part Time
Madrid, Spain
Part-time (1 year)
Loyola University of Chicago Graduate School of Business
MBA
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Part-time (1 year)
Northern Illinois University College of Business
MBA, One-Year
Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States
Part-time (1 year)
Seton Hall University W. Paul Stillman School of Business
MBA, Part Time
South Orange, New Jersey, United States
Part-time (1 year)
State University of New York (SUNY) Binghamton – School of Management
MBA, Professional Fast Track – Manhattan
New York, New York, United States
Part-time (1 year)
Technische University Muenchen Executive Program in Innovation & Business Creation
Munich, Germany
Part-time (1 year)
University of Bridgeport Ernest C. Trefz School of Business
Online Master of Business Administration (MBA)
Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States
Part-time (1 year)
University of Southern Maine School of Business
MBA, Part Time
Portland, Maine, United States
Part-time (1 year)
University of Tennessee – Knoxville College of Business Administration
Executive MBA
Knoxville, Tennessee, United States
Executive (1 year)
University of Toronto Joseph L. Rotman School of Management
Executive MBA
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Full-time (1 year)
University of Washington – Seattle Michael G. Foster School of Business
Global Executive MBA (GEMBA)
Seattle, Washington, United States
Full-time (1 year)
Western University Ivey Business School
Executive MBA, Hong Kong
Wanchai, Hong Kong
Executive (1 year)
Bradley University Foster College of Business
Theresa S. Falcon EMBA
Peoria, Illinois, United States
Executive (1 year)
Georgetown University McDonough School of Business
Global Executive MBA
Washington DC, District of Columbia, United States
Full-time (1 year)
HEC Paris School of Management
Executive MBA
Jouy-en-Josas, France
Executive (1 year)
Indian Institute of Management Calcutta
Postgraduate Program for Executives
Calcutta, West Bengal, India
Executive (1 year)
National University of Singapore Graduate School of Business
Asia Pacific EMBA – Chinese
Singapore
Executive (1 year)
National University of Singapore Graduate School of Business
Asia Pacific EMBA – English
Singapore
Executive (1 year)
Queen’s University School of Business
Executive MBA
Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Executive (1 year)
Queen’s University School of Business
Executive MBA, Cornell-Queen’s
Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Executive (1 year)
Rutgers-The State University Rutgers Business School Graduate Programs: Newark and New Brunswick
Executive MBA, International
Singapore
Executive (1 year)
State University of New York (SUNY) Binghamton – School of Management
Executive MBA
Albany, New York, United States
Executive (1 year)
Stockholm School of Economics
Executive MBA
Stockholm, Sweden
Executive (1 year)
Texas Christian University M.J. Neeley School of Business
Executive MBA
Fort Worth, Texas, United States
Executive (1 year)
University of Illinois at Chicago Liautaud Graduate School of Business
Executive MBA
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Executive (1 year)