BusinessWeek has once again ranked Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) number one in the Northeast for its part-time Master of Business Administration program, and number 16 in the nation. WPI's program has been rated number one in the Northeast by BusinessWeek for six consecutive years.
Student surveys count for 40 percent of the ranking, with academic quality and post-MBA outcomes contributing 30 percent, respectively. The BusinessWeek article gave WPI an "A" for its curriculum and teaching quality, and ranked the program 3rd in academic quality.
"The #1 ranking in the Northeast by Business Week confirms the quality of our part-time MBA program," said Mark P. Rice, Vice Provost for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and Dean of WPI's School of Business. "In our view the world needs leaders and managers who are both technically sophisticated and business savvy. We strive to meet that need through our continuing commitment to educational excellence and to innovation."
In measuring student satisfaction, BusinessWeek surveyed part-time MBA students at participating schools—those who have recently graduated or are nearing graduation— about all aspects of their academic experience. Academic quality was determined using six equally weighted measures: average GMAT score, average student work experience, the percentage of teachers who are tenured, average class size in core business classes, the number of business electives available to part-timers, and the percentage of students who ultimately complete the program.
To gauge post-graduation outcomes, BusinessWeek determined the percentage of student survey respondents from each school who say their part-time MBA program was "completely" responsible for their having achieved career goals.
"As far as I am concerned, the 'part-time' MBA is no different from the 'full-time' program. All the same classes are required and taught by the same professors," one recent graduate told BusinessWeek. "The expectations are no less. 'Part-time' allowed me to consider increasing my education. I never would have done so otherwise, unless I had been laid off and was not working. WPI has done an excellent job of integrating all students and providing flexibility where needed and possible."
WPI's part-time MBA program has consistently earned high rankings among national schools. The Princeton Review ranked the WPI School of Business in the Top 5 for Women in its 2011 "Best 300 Business Schools." The part-time MBA program is the school’s dominant program and has a large percentage of women faculty. In 2009 BusinessWeek ranked the part-time MBA program number one in the nation, and in 2007 the publication ranked it number one in the Northeast and number nine in the nation, as well as number five nationally in student satisfaction and number four nationally in academic quality. Business 2.0 magazine has ranked the program number nine in the nation for offering students the "best career prospects."
