A top-rated business school can help jump-start your career.
If you have set your sights on a successful career in the business world, a top-ranked business program will help push you to higher levels of achievement. "U.S. News & World Report" and "Bloomberg Businessweek" ranked the top U.S. business colleges of 2011 based on a variety of factors, including student satisfaction, jobs after college, academic quality, grade point averages and starting salary amounts for graduates.
Best Undergraduate Programs
"U.S. News & World Report" ranked the University of Pennsylvania as the top undergraduate business program. The private university, located in Philadelphia, is home to the Wharton School of business, which boasts 250 members to give it the largest business school faculty. Wharton has 11 academic departments, including accounting, finance, marketing and real estate."Bloomberg Businesseek" ranked the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business as the top undergraduate business school based on factors such as student satisfaction, job prospects and academic quality. Mendoza scored the highest on student satisfaction and the third-highest in the "Businessweek" ranking of schools based on amount of corporate recruiters hiring college grads.
Best Graduate Programs
"U.S. News & World Report" ranked Harvard University the top graduate business school based on the average undergraduate GPA, average GMAT score, acceptance rate, average starting salary and bonus and the percent of full-time graduates employed at graduation. Academic topics for the Harvard MBA program include finance, marketing, leadership and organizational behavior, technology and operations management and international economics. "Bloomsberg Businessweek" ranked the University of Chicago's MBA program as the top in the nation, with Harvard pulling in at second. The University of Chicago's Booth School of Business has the nation's oldest doctoral program in business.
Honorable Mentions
Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of California Berkeley were ranked second and third, respectively, for undergraduate business programs based on peer rankings by "U.S. News & World Reports." "Bloomberg Businessweek" ranked business programs at the University of Virgina and Emory University among the top undergraduate business colleges in the country based on several factors, including student satisfaction and job opportunities.
Considerations
When choosing a business school, rankings alone will not tell you which program is best for you. Consider what kind of business you want to specialize in, what geographical area you would like to work in, your budget and the location and size of the college. Also take into account your availability and check into online or part-time programs if you have a full-time job or busy schedule. Workload should also be a consideration, as some schools will require more hours of homework and study than others.
Tags: business school, News World, student satisfaction, undergraduate business, Businessweek ranked