In its first-ever ranking by Bloomberg Businessweek, the International MBA program at FIU’s College of Business was among the best in the U.S., coming in at No. 56. The 2014 edition of the publication’s “Best Business Schools” feature ranks 112 full-time MBA programs.
FIU’s IMBA outranked schools including Thunderbird, Arizona State, Rutgers, South Carolina, and the University of Miami. A 12-month program, the IMBA offers a master’s of international business/MBA track and partnerships with 39 international schools.
Jessica Aristizabal, assistant director of international graduate programs, pointed out that rankings are always important for prospective students and employers alike.
“Students realize the value of our program and of their degree,” Aristizabal said, noting that the COB has worked on making the IMBA program more challenging and selective; while the 2013-2014 IMBA class had 52 students, this year’s stands at 40. “That makes it more competitive,” she added.
FIU’s IMBA stood tall among schools in the U.S. and abroad.
This year, Businessweek ranked 85 U.S. schools plus 27 international schools – the largest group of MBA’s since the publication began its ranking in 1988. The listing aims to capture which business schools “offer the strongest education and best prepare MBAs for their careers.”
A school’s placement is determined by three criteria: a survey of student satisfaction; a survey of recruiters; and the expertise of each school’s faculty, based on a tally of published faculty research.
“Our rankings and school profiles offer a thorough picture of the current landscape of full-time MBA programs, but deciding where to go to school is a personal decision,” said Francesca Levy, business education editor at Bloomberg Businessweek.
Some of the methodology changes that Businessweek implemented contributed to the IMBA’s strong showing, explained Andrea Rodgers, assistant director, accreditation and data management at the COB. This includes a shorter student survey with more direct questions and greater emphasis on the most recent graduating class; questions to recruiters about the quality of the MBAs they’ve hired and the inclusion of hiring managers into the survey panel; and focusing the intellectual capital component exclusively on tenured and tenure-track faculty.
“An influencing factor in our ranking is that we’re able to better target the quality of students by having smaller cohort,” said Rodgers.
The IMBA program was not ranked in 2012, Businessweek’s previous report. Over the years, the COB’s Alvah H. Chapman Graduate School of Business as well as the undergraduate business program and the part-time MBA have all been ranked by Businessweek.
