What are rankings?

League tables sell newspapers, and as a result business school rankings are largely media-driven.

There are a number of publications that currently produce rankings, including the Financial Times, BusinessWeek and The Wall St Journal.

Schools that are regularly featured in such rankings are likely to be of a certain standard, but the Association of MBAs has serious concerns about the validity of these tables.

The methodology and criteria used to rank schools varies widely from publication to publication, and the differences and discrepancies between the tables often cause confusion.

There is no ‘number one business school’, but there will be the best school for you as an individual that most closely matches your needs and requirements. Look for MBA programme accreditation as a true indicator of quality and talk directly to the school and its alumni about their experiences and achievements.

Further reading on rankings:

The Economist
On the whole, rankings have been a force for good

FT.com
Getting to grips with the method