U.S. News ranks the Georgia MBA No. 17 among public universities

Terry College of Business also ranks nationally in emerging field of Business Analytics
Masked man walking down hallway

Terry’s Full-Time MBA Program and, for the first time, Business Analytics as a specialization were both ranked in the top 20 among public business schools in the latest graduate school rankings from U.S. News & World Report.

The Full-Time MBA Program at the Terry College of Business was ranked No. 39 in the nation and tied for 17th among public business schools – its fourth straight year to be ranked a top 20 public program. Terry was ranked No. 33 overall and 15th among publics for Business Analytics, a relatively new specialty ranking for U.S. News.

The addition of analytics to the graduate rankings reflects the growing significance of data analytics for careers in business and its strategic importance to all industries. At the Terry College, business analytics has been broadly integrated into the curriculum of every graduate program and is taught in all business majors. The college added a Master of Science in Business Analytics as a one-year specialized master’s program in 2018. Enrollment in the MSBA has grown from 25 to 56 in two years.

“As a research university with preeminent faculty expertise in analytics, we have been on the leading edge of this shift since its earliest stages of development,” said Dean Benjamin C. Ayers. “We identified the demand for analytics as a highly marketable skill for graduates, knew it was a perfect match to the strengths of our faculty college-wide, and committed to be a leader in its adoption and application.”

In addition to Business Analytics, Terry’s graduate specialties in Real Estate, Information Systems and Accounting also were ranked among the nation’s best by U.S. News.

“I’m very pleased to see the hard work and foresight of our faculty and the placement success of our students recognized by these U.S. News ranking.” Ayers said. “It reflects a well-earned reputation among our academic peers and employers who hire our graduates, and it’s a credit to our outstanding MBA and MSBA faculty and staff.”

Graduate programs like the MBA start with a foundation of management and leadership principles for all students, but developing deeper expertise in specializations like Business Analytics is a critical signal to employers, according to Santanu Chatterjee, director of the Full-Time MBA and MSBA programs.

“MBA students need to specialize their skills,” Chatterjee said. “Our market-driven concentrations and areas of focus – much like our experiential learning opportunities – give students the flexibility to design their own program of study and position themselves for the job search. And our Student Engagement and Career Management staff does a remarkable job helping each student chart a path to their career goals.”

Launching the Georgia STEM MBA as a one-year degree option for undergraduates completing degrees in STEM disciplines and growing the number of MBA dual degree options with fields like engineering, medicine, pharmacy, law and public health has only enhanced the analytical mindset within the program’s cohort of students, Chatterjee added.

In a new ranking of part-time MBA programs, U.S. News rated Terry’s Professional MBA Program in the top 50 nationally and 29th among public business schools. All of the rankings appear in the 2022 edition of U.S. News & World Report’sBest Graduate Schools” guidebook.

U.S. News’ full-time MBA ranking is based on surveys of 486 MBA programs accredited by AACSB International. The methodology includes an assessment of quality (40%), placement success (35%) and student selectivity (25%). Georgia MBA graduates in the Class of 2020 reported an average starting salary and bonus of $126,438 to the U.S. News survey.

The part-time MBA ranking methodology is based on five factors: peer assessment (50%), standardized test scores (15 %), percentage of MBA enrollment in the part-time program (12.5 %), student undergraduate grade point average (12.5 %) and number of years of work experience (10 %). Terry’s Professional MBA Program ranked in the top 15 public business schools for its academic reputation among peers.