Notre Dame MBA jumps to 27 in U.S. News b-schools survey

 The University of Notre Dame MBA program jumped 10 slots to earn a No. 27 ranking in the U.S. News & World Report 2013 survey of “Best Graduate Schools.”

The Notre Dame MBA, located in the Mendoza College of Business, was noted by the publication as one of the “most improved” schools in the ranking for moving from a tie for 37th to the 25th rating, which it shares with four other schools.

“We’ve continued to emphasize ethics-based leadership throughout the program, but at the same time, we’ve pushed ourselves to innovate and improve,” said Roger Huang, interim dean of the Mendoza College. “The significant move in our ranking is welcome news for the program and the College.”

The top three graduate business schools were Harvard, Stanford and the University of Pennsylvania (Wharton), respectively.

“We are very pleased with the significant improvement in the ranking,” said Edward J. Conlon, associate dean for Graduate Studies at Mendoza College of Business. “It reflects the commitment of our team and the great support we receive from our alumni, students and friends.”

The report also contained MBA program specialty ratings based on surveys of business school deans and MBA program directors.  Notre Dame was ranked No. 17 in the Accounting specialty.

The profile accompanying the ranking noted that values-based learning and ethical leadership are the program’s hallmarks, as well as its academic rigor and flexibility. Many of the students are “career changers,” with only about a third entering the program with an undergraduate degree in business.

U.S. News surveyed 441 master’s programs in business accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB); of the 393 responding, 136 provided the data needed to calculate rankings based on a weighted average of eight indicators. The indicators included the publication’s survey of B-school deans and MBA directors and corporate recruiters; starting salaries and bonuses; employment rates at and three months after graduation; and student selectivity as evidenced by GMAT scores, undergraduate GPAs and the percentage of applicants who are accepted by the school.

A full explanation of the methodology can be found here.

The Notre Dame MBA, which offers one-year and two-year programs, is noted for its innovative teaching in the area of problem solving and for its emphasis on personal and corporate ethics as well as social responsibility. The program features action-learning and immersions in Asia and Latin America. The Mendoza MBA Program was ranked No. 4 on the Aspen Institute’s Beyond Grey Pinstripes, a biennial ranking and survey of top U.S. business schools’ incorporation of social and environmental stewardship into their curricula and research. For more information, visit business.nd.edu/mba/

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