By ANDREW MORSE
STAFF WRITER
Fordham’s Graduate School of Business Administration’s Executive MBA program was ranked No. 66 in the world by the Financial Times in its annual rankings. The program improved and jumped six spots from last year’s No. 72 ranking. The program has also been ranked by the The Wall Street Journal, U.S. News and World Report and CEO Magazine. Fordham is the second highest ranked Catholic institution in the country, behind only Georgetown and its affiliated school in Spain.
The Financial Times bases its rankings off of data collected by two surveys. One of these surveys is completed by the school and the other is completed by alumni of the school. For the 2013 rankings, the survey was completed by alumni from 2010. Alumni are surveyed because they have had enough time after graduation for the effects of their degree to be reflected in their careers. The rankings also consider today’s average salary, graduate achievements, average salary increases, rankings from the past two years, diversity of the student body and diversity of the faculty.
The rankings are global and include individual schools, as well as schools that are partnered with other international institutions. Five of the top 10 executive MBA programs in the Financial Times rankings are schools with international partners. Fordham has been able to achieve success as one of the few stand-alone institutions to be ranked.
The executive program is one of three ways to earn an MBA from Fordham. It is 22 months long with class on one Friday, one Saturday and one Sunday each month. Targeted toward a more experienced audience, the program is efficient, convenient and offers a flexible schedule for professionals who cannot take time off from their careers for education.
The Graduate School uses cohorts, much like the undergraduate program. Francis Petit, Ed.D., associate dean for executive programs at GBA, said that, “the cohort program allows students to learn from one another and survive the process together.”
Fordham’s goal with all rankings is “to stay consistent and improve. There is a lot of variability with other schools from year to year, but we don’t want a one and done deal,” said Petit.
GBA is focused on providing students with a return on their investment, which is shown through salary and career promotion.
Achieving such a high ranking and garnering industry respect speaks to the quality of the students, the faculty and the administration. When asked what the executive MBA program looks for in a candidate, Petit said, “The goal in the admissions process is to recruit a dynamic and professionally diverse class that possesses a wonderful spirit. Fulfilling all three, whether it is a large class or a small class, is our focus.”
Students and graduates fill out surveys for the program, which help the administration determine what aspects to improve. In Petit’s words, “it is a dialogue. We want to have all stakeholders involved in the process.”
