UA’s Graduate Business School Ranks 33rd Among Publics by U.S. News

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The Manderson Graduate School of Business at The University of Alabama is ranked No. 33 among the 255 MBA programs at public universities included in the 2010 U.S. News rankings.

This places Manderson in the top 13 percent in this particular ranking.

The rankings are based on peer assessment, placement success, mean starting salary, employment rates, student selection, mean GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test) , mean undergraduate  grade point average and  acceptance rates.

Susan West, assistant dean, Manderson Graduate School of Business, said she is pleased to see Manderson’s improved rankings and “is especially pleased that we are  ranked No. 33 among public institutions. This speaks to the quality of our students even in a rapidly growing program.

“In addition, these rankings highlight the importance of our relationships with our corporate partners who continue to demonstrate confidence in our faculty and program by hiring our students, even in economically challenging times.”

Manderson is ranked No. 66 among all MBA private and public programs and is in the top five among Southeastern Conference institutions.

“There are some key aspects  to understand about this particular ranking,” West said. “For example, starting salaries at most other programs would naturally be higher due to the number of years of prior work experience of their students. In addition, the cities in which the students are being placed for their careers are not indexed for cost of living. So with our generally younger student population being placed primarily in the Southeast, our ranking is even more significant.”

The Manderson Graduate School of Business has 169 students. The average undergraduate GPA is 3.5, the average GMAT is 633, and its graduates earned an average starting salary of $67,114 in May 2009.

There are an estimated 1,300 MBA programs in the U.S. and a number of different accrediting agencies, as well as several major ranking organizations, including U.S. News, Financial Times, Forbes and Bloomberg/BusinessWeek. The Princeton Review teams with Entrepreneur magazine to highlight various MBA specialty programs.

All master’s programs in business accredited by AACSB International were surveyed in fall 2009. U.S. News said there were 378 responses out of 426 MBA programs surveyed to get the information used in the rankings. Of the 378 responses, 255 were from public universities, and 123 were from private schools.