Chat Transcript: "Spare-Time" B-School Rankings

BusinessWeek editors discussed the 2009 EMBA, part-time MBA, and executive education rankings with an online audience. Here's what was said

As the economic crisis deepened, fewer companies were willing to pay for employees to enroll in part-time, EMBA, or executive education programs. As a result, more students than ever are paying their own way, and they have more demands and higher expectations of their business schools. While researching the data for the 2009 rankings of these "spare-time" MBA programs, BusinessWeek found that student satisfaction was down. Many said they want more help with career services, an amenity once reserved mostly for full-time MBA students and undergraduates.

Recently, BusinessWeek editors Louis Lavelle (LouisBW) and Geoff Gloeckler (GeoffBW) unveiled the 2009 rankings and took questions from BusinessWeek reporter Francesca Di Meglio (FrancescaBW) and the public about everything from methodology to specific programs. Here are edited excerpts of their discussion:

gsbmpr: Is the part-time ranking based solely on the director's poll?

GeoffBW: No. There is no director's poll component to the part-time MBA ranking. It is based on a student survey, sent to graduating students at each school, as well as an academic quality measure, and a measure of post-MBA outcomes.

EnergyScott: How often does BusinessWeek rank each type of MBA program (full-time, executive, and part-time)?

LouisBW: We rank full-time MBA programs every other year. In alternate years, we rank executive MBA, part-time MBA, and non-degree executive education programs. We rank undergraduate business programs annually, in the spring.

Nick29: Can you explain the metrics for the executive education open/custom enrollment?

GeoffBW: Sure. To rank the executive education providers, we ask each school to provide us with a list of their top corporate subscribers. We survey those companies, asking which programs they use and how they feel about the product each program provides. The rankings are based on those responses. The 2009 ranking is based on responses from 188 companies.

kate1: Can you tell us about the methodology you used in 2009 for executive education, both custom and open? Has it changed from previous years?

GeoffBW: The methodology is exactly the same as in past years. The only difference is that it was a bit harder getting the companies to respond to the survey.

cobadean: I'd like to know how the rankings were decided. What elements were utilized, and what percentage of the overall decision does each represent?

LouisBW: For the executive MBA ranking, we use surveys of EMBA graduates and EMBA program directors. For the executive education programs, we use a survey of companies that send employees to the programs. For the part-time ranking, we use several different metrics: a survey of students, an academic quality score (GMAT, work experience, tenured faculty, class size, electives, completion rate), and a measure of post-graduation outcomes (for example, how many students think the program was responsible for them achieving their goals).

cobadean: What surprises did you find when evaluating graduate programs?

GeoffBW: The major trend (and I'm not sure it was a big surprise just based on the economy and how it factors into people's decisions) is that student satisfaction was down across the board. At every EMBA program, except for one, student satisfaction fell compared with 2007. I think because so many more students (both EMBA and part-time) are spending their own money to fund their MBA (instead of having corporate support) expectations are much higher. That showed in the student responses.

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