The part-time and full-time MBA programs at the University of Georgia both moved up the latest graduate school rankings from U.S. News & World Report, with the part-time Professional MBA in Atlanta earning its best ranking from U.S. News in program history.
The Terry College of Business’s Professional MBA Program jumped to No. 30 in U.S. News’ part-time MBA ranking, and among public business schools it ranks 19th. The Full-Time MBA Program in Athens also achieved a top 20 ranking among public universities — climbing one spot to No. 16 — and a national ranking of No. 38 overall.
The Terry College also ranks 16th among publics for business analytics, one of the newer specialty rankings for U.S. News. Data analytics is integrated into the curriculum of the MBA and every other graduate program at Terry and next fall will be offered as an area of emphasis in all undergraduate business majors.
“The strong performance and student-centered direction of our MBA programs in Athens and Atlanta reflects our commitment to academic excellence that the University of Georgia is known for,” said Dean Benjamin C. Ayers. “Our MBA culture at the Terry College of Business focuses on collaborative success, concentrations that align with students’ interests, and dedicated career management teams at both of our MBA campuses.”
The Professional MBA Program, based at Terry’s Buckhead campus, will graduate its largest class in 2022, with more than 200 grads on pace to earn their degrees. The graduating class reflects a wide range of industries and professional experience and is one of the program’s most diverse.
“Terry PMBA students complete their degrees in 20 to 24 months,” said Susan Brown, director of Executive and Professional MBA Programs at Terry. “With a UGA diploma in hand, they’re part of the most predominant alumni network in the state and ready to excel in their careers. We know that a majority of our PMBA students earn a promotion at their company or with another employer within a few months of graduation.”
For the fifth straight year, U.S. News ranked Terry’s Full-Time MBA Program among the top 20 public business schools in the nation. Last year, 92 percent of the full-time program’s graduates were employed within three months of graduation. Those graduates reported to U.S. News an average starting salary and bonus of more than $129,000.
“In the classroom and through a variety of applied learning experiences, our students get real-time exposure to the evolving nature of business and a global perspective on the most challenging issues of our time,” said Santanu Chatterjee, Terry’s associate dean for diversity, international and master’s programs. “The continued success of the Full-Time MBA Program is a reflection of these efforts.”
U.S. News’ full-time MBA ranking is based on surveys of 493 MBA programs accredited by AACSB International. The methodology includes an assessment of quality (40%), placement success (35%) and student selectivity (25%).
The part-time MBA ranking methodology is based on five factors: peer assessment (50%), standardized test scores (15 percent), percentage of total MBA enrollment in the part-time program (12.5 percent), student undergraduate grade point average (12.5 percent) and number of years of work experience (10 percent).
The rankings appear in U.S. News & World Report’s 2023 edition of Best Graduate Schools, available March 29, 2022