Smith MBA Program Ranked 17th by Businessweek

The University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business has climbed from 24th to 17th in Bloomberg Businessweek’s 2014 ranking of full-time MBA programs. 

Among categories measuring strength in educating and best preparing MBAs for their careers, Smith is sixth in faculty-research expertise, based on articles published  in 20 top business journals from 2009 to 2013. 

Smith also tops its national peers for student satisfaction, factoring in climate for racial, religious and ethnic minorities. 

“There is a collective focus on excellence across the Smith School, and it is exciting to see the results of our work reflected in this ranking,” Smith School Dean Alex Triantis. “It is a recognition of the thought, effort and care that so many people have dedicated to the MBA program.” 

Smith’s MBA Association coordinates 20 student-run groups focused on community-building while the school is broadening its resources for women MBAs via such initiatives as a recently forged Forté Foundation alliance.  A recently launched MBA Impact Fellows program is providing opportunities in international development, impact investing and alternative energy. 

In addition to student satisfaction (45 percent of the ranking); and faculty research (10 percent), a third component of Businessweek’s overall ranking is a survey of employers who hire those graduates (45 percent).

Among U.S. public institutions, Smith ranks fifth. Smith's regional peers in the overall list include the University of Virginia (Darden) 20th, Georgetown (McDonough) 24th and George Washington 53rd.