MBA Rankings

When is the MBA ranking published?
The MBA ranking is published in mid-October in even-numbered years.

How does BusinessWeek determine who is eligible for rankings?
We look at a number of different statistics, including but not limited to: age of the MBA program, enrollment, test scores, acceptance rates, and number of international and minority students. A program must be accredited to be considered for ranking.

If a school has never been ranked before, how can it be considered for ranking?
The school's representative should send a note to geoff_gloeckler@hzvt.com in January of the ranking year. We'll request some information about your program and determine eligibility based on that. The information requested is outlined above (see: "How does BusinessWeek determine who is eligible for rankings?") Please do not send requests for inclusion before Jan. 1 of the ranking year.

What sources of data does BusinessWeek use to rank MBA programs?
There are three main sources of data: a student survey, a survey of corporate recruiters, and an intellectual capital rating.

When does each of the surveys get distributed? How long are they available for completion?
The student survey is distributed three weeks before graduation, usually in early May, and is live for three months. The recruiter survey is distributed in early July and is live for two months. The intellectual capital rating is not based on a survey.

A third survey, conducted by BusinessWeek Online, asks schools for statistical information about their programs, and is used to create online statistical profiles. That survey is distributed in early summer and is in the field for about three months.

How is the student survey conducted?
The student survey is conducted online. Using e-mail addresses supplied by the programs, BusinessWeek (with the help of Cambria Consulting) contacts students and directs them to a survey site where they can complete the survey. BusinessWeek will send out several reminders to ensure an adequate response rate.

In 2006, we surveyed 16,595 students and received 9,290 responses, for a 56% response rate. The survey consists of about 45 questions that ask students to rate their programs on teaching quality, career services, alumni network, and recruiting efforts, among other things. Using the average answer for each of the questions and each question's standard deviation, we calculate a student survey score for each school.

How is the recruiter survey conducted?
The recruiter survey is also conducted online. Starting with e-mail addresses supplied by the programs, BusinessWeek creates a list of companies recruiting from the programs and identifies a single high-level recruiting contact at each company. This means that not every recruiter supplied by every school will be contacted. Then, with the help of Cambria Consulting, BusinessWeek contacts the company representatives and directs them to a survey site where they can complete the survey. BusinessWeek will send out several reminders or call recruiters to ensure an adequate response rate.

In 2006, we surveyed 426 recruiters and received 223 replies, for a 52% response rate. Every company tells us how many MBAs it hired in the previous two years and which schools it actively recruits from, and it ranks up to 20 top schools.

To calculate each school's recruiter score, we first use the rankings to determine each school's recruiter points, awarding 20 points for every No. 1 ranking, 19 points for every No. 2 mention, and so on. We then calculate a numerator, which consists of the sum of each school's points from each specific recruiter multiplied by the number of MBAs hired by that specific recruiter. We then calculate a denominator, which is the sum of the number of times each school is identified as a recruiting location multiplied by the number of MBAs hired by each recruiter who mentions it. Finally, for each school, we divide the sum of its numerators by the sum of its denominators.

How is the intellectual capital score determined?
BusinessWeek scours 20 top academic journals for articles published by each school's faculty, reviewing all editions published in the previous five years. The journals are The Harvard Business Review, Journal of Marketing, Operations Research, Information Systems Research, Journal of Finance, American Economic Review, California Management Review, Journal of Accounting Research, Journal of Financial Economics, Management Science, Academy of Management Review, Sloan Management Journal, Journal of Marketing Research, Strategic Management Journal, Journal of Business Logistics, Accounting Review, Academy of Management Journal, Personal Psychology, Production & Operations Management, and Journal of Business Ethics. Extended articles receive three points; short articles receive one point.

We also check The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and BusinessWeek for reviews of books written by school's professors, awarding 5 points for each one. The two tallies are combined and then adjusted for faculty size by dividing the total of points by the number of fulltime faculty at the school. The list of journals is reviewed each year and suggestions for additions are considered.

How are the various factors weighted?
The three most recent student surveys are first combined for a total student score that counts toward 45% of the final ranking. (The current survey counts for 50% of the total student score. The two previous surveys count for 25% each.) The three most recent recruiter surveys are combined for a total recruiter score that contributes another 45%. (The current survey counts for 50% of the total recruiter score. The two previous surveys count for 25% each.) The intellectual capital rating contributes 10% to the final ranking.

Do schools ever get dropped from the rankings? Why?
Yes. If a response rate falls below minimum threshold, a school will be dropped. If one of the initial requirements for consideration is not met -- for example, if a school loses its accreditation or its enrollment falls below our threshold -- then a school will be dropped.

Is there a minimum response rate for the student survey? How are the response rate and minimum response rate calculated?
The response rate for each school is calculated by dividing the number of replies by the total number of surveys sent. The minimum response rate is determined after a review of all school response rates with a goal of eliminating outliers.

What alternatives are there for schools that do not want to supply student e-mail addresses?
Schools can ask students to "opt out" of the survey, then supply BusinessWeek with the e-mail addresses for those who remain. A second alternative, known as the "opt-in" method, is permitted but strongly discouraged: schools send students an e-mail about the survey and give BusinessWeek a list of e-mail addresses for those who permit the release of that information.

How is the response rate calculated for schools that choose the "opt-out" method?
If a school chooses the opt-out method, the response rate is calculated using the number of e-mail addresses supplied to BusinessWeek. If 500 students are given the choice to opt out and 100 do, the school would supply 400 e-mail addresses. If we survey those 400 students and 200 complete the survey, the response rate is 50%.

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