Krannert School Ranks Among World's Best

Market Wire, 20050229

Purdue University's Krannert Graduate School of Management gives its graduates the best education value for the money and one of the fastest returns on its students' educational investment, according to two surveys released Monday (1/24).

The Financial Times of London ranks the Krannert School first in the United States and third in the world in educational value. The Times also ranks the Krannert School third in the United States and fifth in the world in its effectiveness in helping its graduates find jobs.

Forbes magazine places the Krannert School among the top American MBA programs in graduates' salary gains.

"We attract, and then graduate, the kind of students who are serious and have an excellent work ethic," said Charles Johnson, director of the Krannert School's professional master's degree programs. "Corporate recruiters understand this and come to Purdue knowing that our graduates will add real, long-term value to their organizations."

The Financial Times survey was compiled from questionnaires sent to 106 business schools on five continents and members of the class of 1996. Seventy-five schools were included in the final ranking. Purdue's Krannert School ranked 38th worldwide and 29th in the United States.

The Times determined the positions of the schools by comparing three broad areas: salary data, research (number of faculty doctorates and academic publications) and diversity (gender, as well as international curriculum, students and faculty).

The survey gave salary the most weight. The average salary of a 1996 Krannert graduate today is $84,749, according to the survey.

The Financial Times also judged the Krannert School faculty's research to be world-class.

"We have a strong faculty recognized for research, especially in manufacturing and technology management," said Richard A. Cosier, Krannert School dean and Leeds Professor of Management, commenting on the research ranking of 15th in the world.

"Our partnership in the German International Graduate School of Management and Administration that started classes last fall in Hanover, Germany, will give us even more opportunities to provide our students and faculty with the international exposure and experience so necessary to lead and compete in the global economy."

Harvard Business School ranked first in the Financial Times survey. The top-ranked non- American business school was the London Business School, which was eighth.

Astory in the Feb. 7 issue of Forbes magazine finds that the five-year net salary gain for a Krannert master's degree graduate was $36,000. Graduates were able to recoup their investments (tuition and lost earnings) in an average of 3.7 years.

"The Forbes survey shows that students at the Krannert School are among the quickest to break even on their graduate school investment," Cosier said. "Our master's degree graduates rank seventh in five-year salary net gain among public universities and 19th among all institutions nationally.

"The two surveys affirm that Krannert is a great investment for our students. Our graduates, in turn, provide the human capital helping fuel economic development both in Indiana and in firms in the Midwest and nationally."