Wisconsin MBA ranked 32nd by Wall Street Journal

The Wisconsin MBA program of the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Business was ranked 32nd in the regional category in this year’s Wall Street Journal/Harris Interactive ranking of MBA programs.

The program dropped slightly from 25th place in 2006, leveling out near its previous rankings of 33rd in 2004 and 34th in 2005.

The Wall Street Journal’s seventh annual ranking was published in the newspaper’s Monday, Sept. 17 edition and was based on feedback from recruiters. To create the ranking, more than 4,000 recruiters were surveyed on their views of full-time MBA programs across 21 attributes including: students’ leadership potential and strategic thinking, their previous work experience, the faculty and curriculum, the career-services office and other issues.

The top-ranked program was Dartmouth College’s Tuck School of Business for the second time in the national U.S. ranking. Brigham Young University’s Marriott School of Management placed first for the first time in the regional U.S. ranking.

"While rankings are one aspect of how business schools are viewed, at Wisconsin, we remain focused on student quality, student satisfaction and placement success," says School of Business Dean Michael Knetter.

Knetter points to results in those three areas:

Student quality, as measured by average GMAT score, is 656 for this fall’s entering class.
May 2007 graduates’ overall satisfaction with the quality of program was at 85 percent.
Career placement for May 2007 grads was 83 percent at graduation and 96 percent within three months of graduation.

"Our students benefit from a unique curriculum and world-class learning environment," Knetter adds. "They connect with – and learn from – real-world leaders, and join a strong, close community as part of their experience."

Also in 2007, the Wisconsin MBA was ranked 27th in a national ranking of MBA programs by Forbes magazine and 29th among all business schools in the United States by U.S. News & World Report.