Online MBA #11 in the World, Financial Times

The Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts Amherst is ranked #11 in the Financial Times ranking of all online MBA programs worldwide, and #7 out of all US schools.

Isenberg is one of the oldest accredited online MBA programs in the United States with nearly 1300 enrolled students.  “In the past 12 years, we have helped thousands of medical doctors, engineers or other working professionals enrich their understanding of business management and reach their career objectives,” remarked Mark A. Fuller, Dean of the Isenberg School of Management. 

“This new top ranking reflects how successful we are at bringing our rigorous curriculum to students who can’t be in a classroom full time.”

Data for the rankings are collected from participating schools and by alumni who graduated from the programs in 2011.  Alumni responses inform six ranking criteria such as “salary today” and “aims achieved” and criteria specific to their online experience: “program delivery” and “online interaction.”  To read the full rankings released this week, visit the Financial Times website. 

In breaking down the details of the survey, Financial Times ranks Isenberg #5 worldwide on the metric “salary today,” with alumni survey participants reporting $131,661 average salary three years after graduation, and #4 worldwide on “program delivery rank” which covers the extent to which alumni rate the online delivery of live teaching sessions, other teaching materials and online exams. Isenberg is also ranked #5 on the Financial Times survey “value for money” metric, which calculates alumni salaries, scholarships, fees and other costs as reported by graduates.

This is the first time Isenberg has been ranked by the Financial Times. The Isenberg MBA has also recently been ranked #12 Online and #16 Part-time nationwide by U.S. News & World Report 2015.

“It’s important to note that online is just a different delivery system.  This is the same accredited curriculum and you earn the same degree as our on-campus students,” states says John Wells, Associate Dean of Professional Programs. “What makes Isenberg different is that our professors have had 12 years of experience understanding how to best engage our online students and help them succeed.”