Chicago Business Schools Dominate Ranking of MBA Programs for Working Professionals

The part-time Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) program at DePaul University’s Kellstadt Graduate School of Business has moved up one notch to fourth best in the nation in U.S. News & World Report’s annual ranking of graduate business schools. This is third consecutive year that DePaul’s program has placed among the top five and the seventh year it has placed in the top 10 in this category. The ranking will be published in the magazine’s April 9 issue and in its “America’s Best Graduate Schools” guidebook and Web site (www.usnews.com) April 2.

Chicago-area business schools dominated the magazine’s list of the top part-time MBA programs. The University of Chicago and Northwestern University ranked second and third, respectively, and Loyola University’s program tied for 12th in the category. Universities across the country closely watch the annual academic rankings issued by national magazines such as U.S. News because potential students often cite them as important factors in deciding where to apply and enroll.

“This U.S. News ranking indicates that Chicago is a major center for high-quality, part-time MBA programs for professionals and executives who want to earn their graduate degrees in evening and weekend classes,” said Arthur Kraft, Kellstadt dean. “DePaul, in particular, has an excellent reputation for providing relevant and convenient part-time graduate programs that help working professionals achieve their academic and professional goals. Kellstadt earns consistently high marks because our experienced faculty have worked hard to create innovative business courses that prepare our graduates for the rapidly changing, electronically enhanced, global economy.”

Enrolling approximately 2,200 students, DePaul’s part-time MBA is the largest accredited program of its kind in the country. About 72 percent of the program’s graduates live and work in the Chicago-area, making the university a major supplier of MBA-trained professionals for Chicago’s economy. Approximately 64 percent of the nation’s 200,000 MBA students study in part-time programs, according to the International Association for Management Education. DePaul’s program offers 16 concentrations, with an emphasis on technology strategy and international business study, reflecting the increasing importance of e-commerce and globalization in business.

The school offers MBA concentrations in e-business, enterprise resource planning and management information systems. Next fall, Kellstadt will offer a new 18-month MBA in Management of Technology. Half of the program will be presented in a traditional classroom setting on alternate Saturdays and the other interacting online.

Internationally, Kellstadt plans to open MBA programs in Bahrain—the first MBA program offered by an accredited U.S. business school in the Persian Gulf—and in Bangkok during the 2001-2002 academic year. The two new programs complement DePaul’s already established MBA program in Hong Kong. The business school also offers an innovative full-time International Marketing and Finance MBA degree that provides students with 10-week internships at multinational companies all over the world. Meanwhile, Kellstadt’s Driehaus Center for International Business sponsors more than 26 student exchange programs with prestigious international business schools.

“Kellstadt is expanding its programs globally because we believe it is important for our faculty to gain firsthand exposure to international business markets and bring this knowledge back to our classrooms in Chicago,” Kraft said.

Editor’s Note: Richard Folkers, media relations director, U.S. News & World Report, can be reached at (202) 955-2219 or rfolkers@usnews.com. The other schools listed in the part-time MBA program ranking were: 1. New York University (Stern); 5. Georgia State University (Robinson); 6. University of California-Los Angeles (Anderson); 7. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor; 8. University of California-Berkeley (Haas); 9. University of Southern California (Marshall); 10. Babson College (Olin); 11. Pace University (Lubin); 12: A tie between: Arizona State University-Main Campus; Duke University (Fuqua); Fordham University; Loyola University Chicago; University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.