Naveen Jindal School of Management

Bloomberg Businessweek ranks the Jindal School’s Full-Time MBA program No. 42 and its Professional MBA program No. 22 in the nation.

The Full-Time MBA and Professional MBA programs at the UT Dallas Naveen Jindal School of Management have been named among the top 50 in the nation by Bloomberg Businessweek.

The Jindal School’s Full-Time MBA program is listed No. 42, while its Professional MBA program is No. 22 in the rankings. This is only the second year the Full-Time MBA program has been included in Businessweek’s annual rankings.

Among public university programs, each ranked in the top 20. The Professional MBA and Full-Time MBA programs are No. 8 and No. 17, respectively.

“These rankings reflect our commitment to our MBA programs. That our programs continue to be highly ranked is, in part, indicative of the importance we place on the success of our students,” said Dr. Hasan Pirkul, Jindal School dean and Caruth Chair of Management. “It is particularly gratifying for us to see the value the students and alumni are placing on the education we provide them.”

Bloomberg Businessweek changed its ranking system for this year’s report, focusing heavily on satisfaction of alumni from classes graduating in 2007, 2008 and 2009. Alumni of the full-time program also were asked to rate their satisfaction with their present job, their MBA overall and their perception of their MBA’s return on investment. More than 12,700 alumni of business schools across the nation were surveyed.

“It’s not surprising that our alumni rank us highly. The skills we teach make our graduates, above all, great problem solvers,” said Lisa Shatz, Jindal School assistant dean and director of MBA programs. “The alumni from 2007 to 2009 have had the opportunities to showcase these skills and move up in their organizations. Many of these alumni are now in very high-ranking positions, so I’m sure they look back and think highly of the education they got here.”

Dr. Hasan Pirkul

Dr. Hasan Pirkul

Also included in the full-time MBA analysis is the placement rate of the most recent graduates. In that category, the Jindal School’s full-time MBA graduates from December 2014 ranked among the nation’s top 20 overall and No. 10 among public universities.

“Our MBA program is perfectly positioned to take advantage of the incredible business marketplace that surrounds us in Dallas-Fort Worth,” Shatz said about the placement standings. “Our focus on analytical skills that employers have trouble finding allow us to bring top employers on campus, place students in great companies and have a successful local alumni base.”

The Professional MBA programs were ranked using different data than full-time programs. Businessweek says part-time students typically want to use their MBA to advance within their company. They tend to be older than full-time students, and more than half return to their pre-MBA job, compared with 10 percent of full-time MBA students.

Current students rank the Jindal School’s professional program well, placing it at No. 13 among all universities.

The Bloomberg Businessweek rankings again show Jindal School MBA programs are highly competitive across multiple surveys and against public and private universities nationwide. Most recently, the Full-Time MBA program was tied at No. 14 among public university programs and tied at No. 33 overall, in U.S. News & World Report rankings while, in the same rankings, the Professional MBA program was No. 29 overall.

This story was reported and written by freelance contributor Jeanne Spreier.