November 1, 2004-The Executive MBA program at the David Eccles School of Business is among the top 75 in the world, according to the latest rankings released by the Financial Times (FT). This is the first time the EMBA program at The University of Utah has been ranked in this prestigious listing and it is the only program at a Utah school to be mentioned.
The Financial Times list of top EMBA Programs is the last major ranking of business schools for the calendar year. The popular British newspaper and website ranks the top 75 programs in the world based on a complex methodology. The David Eccles School of Business came in at 67th overall and 36th in the United States.
The David Eccles School appears in four of the major rankings that have come out this year-U.S. News & World Report (undergraduate), U.S. News & World Report (graduate), Wall Street Journal, and now the Financial Times (Executive MBA Programs). Even more impressive is the school’s standing in these surveys among Western Schools. The David Eccles School appears in the top 10 among Western schools in all four rankings.
Dean Jack Brittain was thrilled when he learned about the FT ranking. “This is the fourth time this year the David Eccles School has appeared in a major business school ranking. It is very gratifying to know the School’s quality is recognized internationally. There are more than 2,000 business schools in the U.S. alone, so to appear in any international ranking puts the David Eccles School in the top 5% in the world. This is the BCS for business schools.”
Dean Brittain gave much of the credit for the FT ranking to Brad Vierig, assistant dean of executive education. “Brad deserves enormous credit for this result. He has made a huge difference in the quality and success of our EMBA Program.”
The Financial Times differs from other popular rankings surveys in that it does not rely heavily on the opinions of other business school deans. Instead, the newspaper puts more emphasis on hard data such as the increase in salary three years after graduation, faculty scholarly contributions in major journals, and an alumni survey to rank schools.
“The Wall Street Journal rankings are based on corporate recruiter assessments, and the two U.S. News & World Report rankings use a survey of deans and recruiters, plus a variety of class profile measures. Looking at all four surveys, you have a comprehensive stakeholder assessment of the David Eccles School’s standing among the world’s best business schools. Given we were not even on the radar screen five years ago, it is very gratifying to be recognized among the best programs in the U.S. and as one of the top programs in the West,” said Brittain.
For more information about the Financial Times and its rankings, visit www.ft.com.