We're Number One!

US News released its latest rankings of Master’s programs in Business in the US. According to these rankings, the top ten Business Schools are:

1 Harvard University
2 Stanford University
3 University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)
4 MIT(Sloan)
5 Northwestern University (Kellogg)
6 Columbia University
7 University of Chicago
8 U.C. Berkeley (Haas)
9 Dartmouth University (Tuck)
10 University of Michigan – Ann Arbor

The rankings were based on a weighted average of scores on eight quality indicators: Peer Assessment Score, Recruiter Assessment Score, 2003 Average Undergraduate GPA, 2003 Average GMAT Score, 2003 Acceptance Rate, 2003 Average Starting Salary and Bonus, 2003 Percentage of Graduates Employed at Graduation, 2003 Percentage of Graduates Employed Three Months After Graduation.

he data were standardized about their means, and standardized scores were weighted, totaled, and rescaled so that the top school received 100 while others received their percentage of the top score.

In the current 2004 rankings, HBS received an overall score of 100 followed by Stanford with 99 and Wharton with 97. HBS also received one of the highest Peer Assessment Scores, 4.8 out of a maximum of 6.0. And at 3.6, the 2003 Average Undergraduate GPA at HBS was the highest among all schools, though interestingly, the 2003 Average GMAT Score of 708 at HBS was the fourth highest score.

HBS had a 2003 acceptance rate of 11.6%, only Stanford’s 9.2% acceptance rate was lower. The 2003 Average Starting Salary of $105,896 at HBS was again lower only than Stanford’s $107,320, but HBS had the highest number of 2003 Graduates Employed at Graduation (77.6%) amongst all the schools.

Just another recognition of what we here always knew: We’re Number One!