OSU MBA program improves 22 spots in business school rankings
Tuesday, March 12, 2019
Oklahoma State University is consistently recognized as having one of the nation’s best business schools, and that was confirmed again Tuesday in the prestigious 2020 Best Business Schools rankings. Among U.S. schools with Master of Business Administration programs, OSU moved up to No. 73 out of nearly 500.
The OSU MBA — through the Watson Graduate School of Management within the Spears School of Business — climbed 22 positions in rankings released by U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in rankings and consumer advice about business schools. The U.S. News Best Business Schools rankings surveyed all 475 MBA programs accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB), with 367 responding. The rankings are based on data about each school’s full-time MBA program.
The improvement in OSU’s ranking can be attributed to large gains in recruiters’ opinions of the program and the employment rate of students three months after graduation, said Robert J. Morse, chief data strategist for U.S. News & World Report.
“This latest ranking continues the upward trend of our MBA program,” said Dr. Ken Eastman, dean for Spears Business. “We are committed to having an outstanding MBA program and this latest ranking is proof that the efforts of Vice Dean Ramesh Sharda are producing tangible results. I give full credit for this ratings jump to Dr. Sharda, our faculty, our MBA alumni and the Watson Graduate School staff as they have worked diligently on behalf of the program.”
In 2019, OSU was tied for No. 95 in the Best Business Schools rankings. Also, Spears Business tied for No. 65 — a jump of 36 spots — in this year’s list of best part-time MBA programs by U.S. News.
“I am really proud of our achievements in ratcheting up the quality of our MBA program, which is evident in this top-75 ranking,” Sharda said. “We have made our program more efficient so that the students can complete it in a timely fashion. We have added several new specializations and we are building relationships with undergraduate programs across campus and the state to allow students to complete their MBA in an accelerated mode. Our study abroad and professional development initiatives make our program unique and our MBA Advisory Board is extremely energetic and active in helping the students and the program.
“We pride ourselves on the ‘Power of Personal’ attention promoted by Dean Eastman. This ranking is the result of a team effort by the faculty, staff and administration of the Watson Graduate School and, of course, our students, alumni and recruiters.”
This news comes after January’s announcement that the OSU online MBA program tied for No. 38 nationally — out of 301 schools — and is second among Big 12 Conference schools in the 2019 U.S. News & World Report Best Online MBA rankings. Also, OSU tied for No. 39 in the Best Online Graduate Business Programs (excluding MBA) rankings.
U.S. News & World Report has been ranking colleges and universities for more than 30 years. The organization ranks degree-granting online programs at accredited institutions by evaluating student engagement, admissions selectivity, peer reputation, faculty credentials and student services and technology.
For a complete list of the 2020 Best Business Schools rankings, visit the U.S. News & World Report website.
For more information on the Spears Business MBA program, visit the school’s website.