UA’s Culverhouse MBA Program Moves Up 16 Spots in National Rankings

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The University of Alabama’s Culverhouse College of Commerce/Manderson Graduate School of Business MBA program rose 16 spots from last year, landing at number 58 in the 2016 U.S. News rankings.

The overall rankings include private and public schools and include 126 schools with accredited MBA programs. The College ranks 31^st among public schools and is fifth in the SEC, up one spot from last year.

“Ranking in the top 12.5 percent of all MBA programs is good news for Culverhouse and our graduate school,” said Dr. J. Michael Hardin, dean, Culverhouse College of Commerce. “Our peer ranking continues to rise. Among SEC schools, we are third in recruiter ratings and GMAT scores. Even the slightest change in any of the metrics impacts a school’s rankings, so we will continue to build on a strong MBA program, and my goal is to see us rank in the top 25 overall.”

The placement rates for students upon graduation and three months after graduation were 65 percent and 91 percent respectively.

The annual rankings are based on seven core measurements with each carrying a different weight and include average starting salaries for the MBA graduate (14%), school reported statistics GMAT (16.25%) and GPA (7.5%), recruiter rankings (15%), peer rankings (25%) (surveys of deans), acceptance rates (1.25%) and placement rates at graduation (7%) and three months after graduation (14%).

A total of 454 public and private schools with master’s programs in business accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business were surveyed. A total of 385 responded to the survey. Of those, 126 provided enough data needed to calculate the rankings.