It looks like an MBA from Brigham Young University is well worth the opportunity cost and risk, according to Forbes magazine’s biennial list of best business schools. The BYU program placed 15th for return on investment, one spot ahead of its position in 2009, the last time Forbes published the list.
“Marriott School students graduate prepared to contribute at some of the top institutions around the world,” says Gary Cornia, dean of the Marriott School of Management. “These organizations return to hire year after year because of the maturity and integrity of our students.”
Alumni respondents to the Forbes survey emphasized the preparation and strong network of the BYU MBA program, saying they still feel connected years after graduating.
Forbes sampled thousands of 2006 MBA graduates from schools around the country to compare their current salaries to what they earned before school. The magazine reports the total return on investment after subtracting what a student’s salary would have been and the total cost of attending, including tuition and foregone compensation.
BYU MBA graduates gained $81,000 during the course of five years by attending graduate school, breaking even after 3.1 years, the fastest return of any school on the list. Five years after graduation, the average salary of BYU MBA alumni was $108,000, compared to $47,000 before entering the program. The BYU program had the lowest tuition of any school ranked in the top 45.
Harvard came in at the top of the list, with a $118,000 return on investment, followed by Stanford at $116,000 and the University of Chicago at $112,000.
Complete rankings of the best business schools are available in the Aug. 22, 2011, issue of Forbes, on newsstands or online at www.forbes.com/bschools.
The Marriott School has nationally recognized programs in accounting, business management, public management, information systems and entrepreneurship. Approximately 3,000 students are enrolled in the Marriott School's graduate and undergraduate programs.
Writer: Michelle Treasure
