UC Davis Graduate School of Management Ranked Among the Top MBA Programs in the World by The Economist Intelligence Unit

Business Wire, Oct 7, 2004

DAVIS, Calif. -- The Graduate School of Management at the University of California, Davis, continues to be recognized for the quality of its MBA program. For the first time, The Economist Intelligence Unit, a part of The Economist magazine group, has ranked the UC Davis MBA program among the top 50 MBA programs in the world.

The Economist Intelligence Unit's 2004 Which MBA? survey released Wednesday, October 6, ranks the management school 47th overall among its top 100 business schools located on four continents.

The ranking, now in its 16th year, is based on a school's ability to deliver the most important elements that MBA candidates look for when pursuing the degree. In addition to data supplied by the business schools, more than 21,000 MBA students and alumni were surveyed to give qualitative assessments of MBA programs.

The survey found that U.S. business schools dominate two categories: personal development and educational experience, and career opportunities. U.S. schools also invest heavily in their faculty. The UC Davis MBA program shined in these categories. It placed 25th for the quality of its faculty, 29th for student diversity and 29th for jobs found through the school's career services.

Nicole Woolsey Biggart, dean of the school, said the ranking recognizes that the school excels in focusing on the fundamentals of a world-class MBA education. "We have top faculty, attract an intelligent and diverse student body, and provide students with the skills that are most valued by employers," she said.

This latest ranking by The Economist Intelligence Unit also follows another recent accolade for the school. The UC Davis MBA program was included in Business 2.0 magazine's Insider's Guide to America's Top Business Schools published in the September 2004 issue.

The Insider's Guide featured the 25 business schools with the highest GMAT scores as determined by the Princeton Review. Business 2.0 then interviewed MBA students at each of the schools to learn about the "the essence" of their student experience.

Business 2.0 editors described the school as one of the three "first-class B-schools in Northern California," and noted the innovative and entrepreneurial approach the school takes, saying it "has carved out a fine reputation for itself by zigging when Haas (UC Berkeley's business school) and Stanford (University's Graduate School of Business) zag."

For nine consecutive years, the UC Davis Graduate School of Management has been ranked among the top business schools in the nation by U.S.News & World Report. The most recent U.S.News ranking, released April 2, places the UC Davis MBA program 14th among business schools at public universities and 29th overall.

For complete information about The Economist Intelligence Unit's 2004 Which MBA? rankings, see http://mba.eiu.com/.

To read Business 2.0's Insider's Guide to America's Top Business Schools, visit http://www.business2.com/b2/web/articles/0,17863,680160,00.html.

About the UC Davis Graduate School of Management

The UC Davis Graduate School of Management is consistently ranked among the premier business schools in the nation. The School's world-class faculty members are renowned for their research and teaching. Highly selective admissions, innovative and entrepreneurial students, a collaborative learning environment, successful alumni and locations in Northern California's economic power centers combine for an exceptional MBA experience. Established in 1981, the Graduate School of Management provides management education to nearly 400 students enrolled in daytime and Working Professional MBA programs. The School offers its MBA program on the UC Davis campus, in Sacramento and now in the San Francisco Bay Area.