Going back to school to get a Masters of Business Administration or an MBA, is a big deal. It will require a big commitment in terms of both time and money. To make sure you get the return on your investment that you expect, you want to only get your MBA from a top ranked source. For that reason, knowing what the MBA program rankings for any given program is essential.
A general MBA, which doesn’t focus exclusively on one aspect of business such as finance but rather offers a broad overview, is becoming increasingly more important even for lower level starting positions. It is a necessity if you want to climb higher up in your current job.
Here are a few of the top ranked general MBA programs:
1. Harvard University – Boston, MA. Harvard is considered the premier business school so it’s no wonder that their advanced degree programs are also very highly ranked. U.S. News And World Report gave the Harvard MBA program a score of 100, a perfect score. If you have a business degree from Harvard, you will have a huge leg up over the competition.
The Harvard MBA program is two years and costs around $44.000 per year. The first half of the program is made up of two semesters of set curriculum that will focus on the internal aspects of a company. The second year consists of elective curriculum . The student has over 96 course offerings from which to choose. That way the student can pick and choose the courses that most closely align with their areas of interest.
2. Stanford University – Stanford, CA. Stanford received a rating of 98 points from U.S. News And World Report. While a few points off the Harvard score, Stanford is still considered one of the elite MBA programs around and would be quite a feather in the cap of anyone who successfully completed the program.
The total cost for an MBA is around $49,000 and with total enrollment of only 740 students, you will get a much more one on one experiences while pursuing your degree. Stanford considers much more than just test scores, you will also be evaluated on your overall leadership ability as well as intellectual ‘vitality’ and how you participate and interact.
3. Northwestern University – Evanston, IL. Northwestern was awarded a score of 93 by the U.S. News And World Report. The tuition is around $47,000 a year. The program is offered two ways: a two year program and a one year accelerated program.
4. University of Pennsylvania – Philadelphia shares the number three spot with Northwestern. Both were awarded a score of 93.
There are many other programs that you can choose from, but this list should provide you with a starting point. You now have some familiarity with the prices and locations of some of the top programs around.
These are the top three MBA program rankings for general MBA programs. Finding the best program that meets your specific needs in terms of time frame, location and budget should be your next step. You really don’t have any shortages of top ranked programs to choose from.