U’s Executive MBA Ranked 30 in U.S.

The Executive MBA program at the U’s David Eccles School of Business was recently ranked No. 30 in the nation by Financial Times. These students are from the EMBA program’s class of 2015. From left: Chaitali Patel, vice president and director of business development and strategic partnerships at Zions Bank; Josh Young, vice president and general manager for YESCO; Marty Steckler, director of network and industry development, B2B operations and prepaid systems assurance for American Express; and Brooke Karrington, principal at KG Financial Forensics.

Oct. 20, 2014 – The Executive MBA program at the University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business is ranked one of the best in the world, according to a new survey by the Financial Times. The program ranked No. 30 nationally and No. 95 globally. It is the only school in Utah to be ranked in the Financial Times’ top-100 Executive MBA programs.

“To be recognized internationally by the Financial Times validates our commitment to innovative education, world-class facilities and student success,” said Taylor Randall, dean of the School of Business. “The outstanding EMBA faculty, coupled with the high level of service produced by our staff, helps students achieve a competitive edge in the business world and an excellent return on their educational investment.”

The David Eccles School of Business also ranked No. 49 for the success of its researchers, as measured by publication in international academic and business journals.

“We’re fortunate to have industry and academic thought leaders teaching our students.” Randall said. “Their research is well-respected in the business world.”

Executive MBA graduates were successful in increasing their salaries by 41 percent, three years after graduation. This increase translates to an average salary of $138,280.

“The U’s EMBA is a gateway to career progression and salary growth, as evidenced by the Financial Times ranking,” said Brad Vierig, associate dean of Executive Education at the David Eccles School of Business. “These rankings confirm the core competencies our program delivers: an experience that transforms the way participants think, a high return on investment for both participant and sponsoring employer and a curriculum tailored to meet the specific needs of experienced executives. The ranking is particularly impressive given escalating competition among executive MBA programs.”

Financial Times draws information for its rankings from two primary sources: 55 percent of the score is based on alumni surveys, and 45 percent of the score is calculated from data gathered by the participating schools.

Thousands of alumni are approached when they are three years removed from graduation to participate in the Financial Times surveys. They answer questions ranging from salary increases and career progression to realization of professional goals that grew out of their involvement in the EMBA program.

The schools provide data on diversity of their faculty and students, international reach of their programs, languages spoken by students and the productivity of faculty publishing articles in major academic and industry journals. To learn more about the Financial Times rankings, click here.

About the EMBA Program

The University of Utah David Eccles School of Business EMBA is a 21-month MBA program geared toward mid- to senior-level professionals, with a global-focused curriculum that meets two weekends a month. More information about the Executive MBA program at the Eccles School can be found here.