Nov. 12, 2013 – The Executive and Professional MBA programs at the University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business ranked inside the top-40 business schools in the biennial Bloomberg Businessweek MBA rankings released Thursday. The school also finished first among all Utah business schools in these rankings. The students recognize significant salary increases.

The Professional MBA program, or PMBA, jumped to No. 37, up 28 spots from its No. 65 ranking two years ago. The program was ranked No. 9 in the west.

The school’s Executive MBA program, or EMBA, retained its ranking from two years ago at No. 33 in the world, and No. 26 in the United States in this year’s rankings. The program ranked No. 4 in the west.

“The rankings are a reflection of the many creative ways the David Eccles School of Business works with students from all walks of life, from undergraduates to professionals well into their careers,” said Taylor Randall, dean of the David Eccles School of Business. “We’re dedicated to delivering our students the best business education in the world, and these rankings show we are on the right track.”

The EMBA program features a weekend format, and the PMBA program features an evening format, with both differing from traditional, full-time offerings in that they are designed for professionals who intend to work while attending school.

The sharp rise in the PMBA scores can be traced to increased marks in teaching quality, which received an “A” grade after being graded a “B” in 2011; caliber of classmates, which received an “A+” grade after being graded a “B” in 2011; and curriculum, which received an “A” grade after receiving a “B” grade in 2011. The school was just one of 16 schools in the Top 40 to have an “A” or better in all three areas. The students reported a 32 percent increase in salary upon graduation.

The scores in the EMBA rankings continued to be strong, and in some cases increased dramatically. Curriculum received an “A’” grade after receiving a “C” in 2011. Teaching received an “A+” grade after receiving a “B” in 2011; and support and service sustained its grade of “A+” from two years ago. The school was one of eight schools in the Top 40 to have an “A” or better in all three areas.

Businessweek’s Executive MBA rankings are based on responses by graduates (65 percent of the score) and from program directors (35 percent). The magazine’s rankings are based on a 50-question student satisfaction survey and a six-part academic quality questionnaire completed by the schools.

Businessweek’s Professional MBA rankings are based on student surveys (40 percent of the score), post-MBA outcome/goals measure (30 percent) and academic quality (30 percent). The academic quality score measures GMAT scores, work experience, percentage of tenured faculty, average class size, number of electives, and graduation rates.

“We are thrilled with the rankings and what they represent,” said Associate Dean of Executive and Professional MBA programs, Brad Vierig, who was recently awarded the 2013 Bud Fackler Service Award from the EMBA Council for his work supporting EMBA programs around the world. “We can trace our high rankings to changes we have made in the faculty, curriculum, staff and services to students. Students invest both time and money, and the survey shows that there is a significant payback to both the employee and employer. Our ranking is an affirmation of students benefiting from the quality education and lifelong professional network.”

The rise in Businessweek rankings continues a trend across all programs at the David Eccles School of Business. In recent months, the school’s rankings for entrepreneurship, undergraduate business education, its full-time MBA program, and School of Accounting have all landed the business school among the country’s elite in Forbes, U.S. News & World Report and the Public Accounting Report.

Click to see the Executive MBA rankings. Click to see the Professional MBA rankings.

Click for more information about the executive MBA program and professional MBA program at the David Eccles School of Business.

About the David Eccles School of Business

Founded in 1917 in Salt Lake City, the David Eccles School of Business educates nearly 3,500 students a year, and boasts more than 31,000 alumni. Students manage a university venture fund of $18.3 million, the largest of its kind in the nation. In January 2012, the school opened its new, $72 million Spencer F. Eccles Business Building, offering students a cutting-edge learning environment packed with state-of-the-art technology. Both its graduate and undergraduate programs rank in the Top 20 nationally for entrepreneurship in the 2013 Princeton Review rankings, and its MBA program made the biggest jump up the rankings of U.S. News & World Report’s 2014 rankings of graduate schools.