We maintain a healthy skepticism about the methodologies used in all rankings, each of which can be legitimately criticized. Each ranking places a different weight on opinion surveys of alumni, students, employers, business school deans and MBA program directors as well as on data regarding admissions, student placement and faculty scholarship. The dramatic swings in year-to-year rankings of any business school cannot accurately reflect dramatic swings in the quality of the school. Real improvements in relative quality take time to achieve and cannot be captured in the annual ebb and flow of rankings.
The proliferation of rankings, mainly due to publishers who wish to sell more newspapers, magazines or online subscriptions, is to some degree a good thing because it creates a greater selection of metrics to evaluate business schools. Most business schools, of course, choose which rankings to pay attention to and which to ignore.
The three most often-quoted rankings are BusinessWeek, the Financial Times and U.S.News & World Report. For a young business school of modest size, the GSM has an amazing record of visibility in the rankings. U.S.News & World Report has ranked UC Davis among the top 50 business schools for 14 consecutive years, putting us in the top 8.6% of the 579 business schools accredited by AACSB International.
Since 1996 we have been consistently ranked among the nation's top 35-40 business schools and as high as No. 29. To be included among the top 50 MBA programs in the U.S. for 14 years in a row is quite remarkable given the relative youth and size of the GSM. This consistency reflects the exceptional quality of our students, faculty, alumni and staff as well as the generous support and involvement of our business partners.
I am pleased to have this opportunity to share my views. If you have specific questions about the various ranking methodologies, please contact our Assistant Dean of Student Affairs James Stevens at jrstevens@ucdavis.edu or (530) 752-7661.
To learn more about our current rankings, visit our Web site >>
Best regards,
Dean and Professor of Management
UC Davis Graduate School of Management
