MBA Rankings

How is the response rate calculated for schools that choose the "opt-in" method?
To calculate a response rate for schools choosing the "opt-in" method, BusinessWeek divides the number of responses by the number of students who received the "opt-in" e-mail. If 1,000 students receive the "opt-in" message and 500 opt in, 250 survey responses would give that school a response rate of 25%, not 50%. Schools with response rates that fall below the minimum will not be ranked.

What do you do when schools refuse to provide e-mail addresses for the student survey and decline to use the alternatives available to them?
We attempt to obtain student e-mail addresses using other legal means. These means include, but are not limited to, sending e-mails to individual students and asking them to forward it to their friends, and taking out ads in student newspapers directing students to the survey site. If BusinessWeek is unable to obtain sufficient e-mail addresses and an adequate response rate, such schools will not be ranked.

For the student survey, how do you "fill in" historical data for schools that have never been surveyed before?
BusinessWeek employs the services of statisticians David M. Rindskopf and Alan L. Gross, professors of educational psychology at City University of New York Graduate Center. Using statistical regression equations and the survey results from schools with complete data, Gross and Rindskopf are able to provide estimates of survey results from previous years.

How do you prevent cheating?
Statisticians David M. Rindskopf and Alan L. Gross, professors of educational psychology at City University of New York Graduate Center use a series of statistical analyses to test the responses for patterns that have a low probability of occurring if the students are answering the questions honestly. Questionable responses that might be the result of coaching by school officials or other forms of cheating are discarded, and may be grounds for elimination from the ranking.

Why do you only rank 30 MBA programs in the magazine?
BusinessWeek has determined that 30 programs is the largest number of programs that it can rank and still have statistically adequate response rates for all schools on all surveys. Also, space constraints prevent us from listing more than 30 programs.

In the table that accompanies the ranking story, where do the letter grades come from?
In the MBA table, we typically include five letter grades for each ranked program. These include three "recruiter grades" (communication, team work, and analytical skills) that represent the assessment of the recruiters we surveyed about the relative skills of the program graduates in each of these areas. Each grade is based on one or more questions in the recruiter survey pertaining to the designated skills. Unlike each school's recruiter score that is used to determine the final ranking, the letter grades are based only on the most recent recruiter survey.

The table also includes two "MBA grades" (teaching quality and career services) that represent the assessment of that program's students about those aspects of their program. Each of those grades is based on one or more questions in the student survey pertaining to the designated qualities. Unlike each school's student survey score that is used to determine the final ranking, the letter grades are based only on the most recent student survey.

In the case of both sets of grades, the top 20% in each category earns A+s. The next 25% receives As, the next 35% receive Bs, and the bottom 20% get Cs. There are no Ds or Fs awarded. The questions used for the recruiter and MBA grades do not represent either survey in its entirety. Therefore it is possible for a highly ranked program to receive one or more low letter grades, and a poorly ranked program to receive one or more high letter grades. BusinessWeek does not release letter grades for unranked programs or ranks beyond 30.

What role, if any, do schools play in the surveys, beyond providing e-mail addresses or distributing the surveys on BusinessWeek's behalf?
The schools have no other role in the rankings. However, they do complete surveys of their own to provide statistical data. That data is then used to create an online profile that appears on BusinessWeek Online.

Do the schools have any input into the content of the surveys? Is the student survey ever provided to schools?
The surveys are prepared by BusinessWeek. Schools, while they may provide input from time to time, do not decide which questions to ask or how to ask them. This is necessary to maintain the integrity and independence of the ranking process. To prevent schools from coaching students on how to answer the survey, the survey is not made available to schools, and is substantively rewritten each year.

Are schools permitted to communicate with their students about the student survey?
BusinessWeek cannot prevent schools from communicating with their students. However, they should not coach students either directly or through the media -- such as student newspapers -- on how to answer the survey. Nor should they make any statements that emphasize the importance of a high ranking or in any other way attempt to prevent students from answering the survey honestly. Any evidence of coaching will be taken very seriously by BusinessWeek and may be grounds for eliminating a school from the rankings.

Is the data collected from the schools for the online statistical profiles used in the ranking?
No.

What happens if a school doesn't fill out the survey for the statistical profile by the deadline?
The profile will not be created. If the school only partially completes the survey, those answers will be filled by NAs.

How do you find students to interview?
In addition to traditional reporting methods such as campus visits, BusinessWeek will contact students directly via phone or e-mail, but only if they indicate on the survey that they are willing to be interviewed for a story.

Updated October 2006

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