The U’s Executive MBA program has been ranked 30th nationally and 95th globally by the Financial Times.
The David Eccles School of Business is the only school in Utah ranked on the Financial Times top 100 Executive MBA programs. The ranking is calculated using two scores. More than half of the score comes from alumni surveys and the other 45 percent comes from data gathered by participating schools. Thousands of alumni are approached three years after graduation to complete this survey.
Brad Vierig, associate dean of executive programs for the business school, said he thinks the ranking is well earned.
“[It’s] due to the hard work of many individuals in creating what I call a collaborative learning environment,” Vierig said. “I think that it’s a reflection of the hiring of really good faculty, the faculty research, the putting together of a really high-performing team that works on the Executive MBA program and the support of our dean and rest of the faculty.”
Xinyi Liu, a senior in business administration, said this collaborative learning environment is present in the undergraduate level.
“My classmates are very friendly, and I think the study atmosphere is better than other buildings and majors,” Liu said. “I don’t know about others, but my professors are all really good.”
Vierig said the twenty-one month program attracts people who work full-time, and the average age of students is around 38 years. The career paths of applicants range from the banking sector to non-profits. Some are sponsored by their employers while others enter the program on their own. EMBA participants are typically looking to change or move up in their company or create a new business.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity to re-tool,” Vierig. “It’s a life-changing event, and it’ll make a big difference in your personal and professional lives.”
Vierig said while he encourages people to participate, admission is rigorous. The school receives around 120 to 150 applicants a year and the class size is usually around 60 students. The program attracts students from all over the country and the world.
“One of the other differences and one of the reasons that we’re ranked is our high-quality students,” Vierig said. “We pride ourselves on our diverse class. We’ve got just a great community in Utah and we’re able to attract and retain and train and educate very successful students.”
Vierig said he’d like students to know they have a globally ranked program in the Salt Lake Valley, and that they don’t need to go out of state to attend a high quality Executive MBA program. He said the rankings are an easy way for people to see the return on investments to students and the difference it makes in their lives.
“Rankings are a quick way for students who are looking into a program to access the quality of the program,” he said. “They’re a real reflection of the faculty quality, the staffing quality, the facility quality and the impact that it’s had on students.”
The Executive program is one of four MBA programs that the business school offers. The full-time MBA program is the traditional program, the professional MBA meets two nights a week, and this fall the program opened online. The Executive MBA offers classes that meet every other week for two nights a week.
The U’s EMBA program costs around $78,000, which is the global average. Graduates tend to increase their salaries by 41 percent three years after graduation.
[email protected]
@Ehmannky