Kellogg School EMBA program tops BusinessWeek rankings

by Tara Prasad

The Kellogg School Executive MBA program has once again led the BusinessWeek biennial ranking and maintained its spot at No. 1. The Kellogg EMBA program has been ranked No. 1 since the survey began more than a decade ago.

BusinessWeek noted the Kellogg School's emphasis on teamwork and its rich learning environment as factors that contributed to the high ranking. Recent Kellogg EMBA graduates who participated in the rankings applauded the impressive faculty for balancing theoretical and company knowledge, acquired from years of consulting work, with the student's real-world work experience. The surveyed graduates also acknowledged the Kellogg staff as being helpful and supportive. Other aspects, such as lodging, laptops, and gourmet meals, did not go unnoticed: Students praised the school's attention to such details.

The ranking also placed the Kellogg School at No.1 in ethics and No. 4 in finance, which is reflective of the school's rigorous curriculum and commitment to creating socially responsible leaders.

This year, BusinessWeek used two different surveys to rank the best EMBA programs in the world. With the help of Cambria Consulting Inc., more than 3,400 members of the Class of 2005 from 64 EMBA programs were asked to rate factors ranging from teaching quality and curriculum to the quality of students in the program. A second survey polled 61 EMBA directors, which helped gauge each individual program's reputation. Both surveys had more than a 60 percent response rate.

More global EMBA rankings
The Kellogg School, in partnership with two of its joint executive MBA programs, recently captured three of the top 12 placements in the 2005 Financial Times Executive MBA ranking: The Asia-based Kellogg-Hong Kong University of Science and Technology EMBA program appeared at No. 2; the Chicago-based Kellogg School EMBA Program appeared at No. 8; and the Europe-based Kellogg-WHU Otto Beisheim Graduate School of Management EMBA Program appeared at No. 12.

The Kellogg School's EMBA program also appeared in the top 10 in the following categories: top schools U.S., top salaries U.S., most experienced intake U.S., top research schools U.S., most sponsored students U.S., top salaries in finance and top salaries in consulting.

The ranking is based on data collated from two sets of questionnaires, one for the business schools and another for alumni who have been in the workplace for three years since graduation. The ranking criteria are grouped into three main areas: the career progress of the alumni; the school's diversity and the international experience it offers; and the school's intellectual output and research.