U.S. News & World Report has ranked Fordham 25th in the nation for its executive MBA (EMBA) program and 23rd nationally for its graduate program in marketing.
This year marks the first time that both programs made the list, which appeared in the magazine’s April 21 issue on best graduate business schools.
“To be ranked among the top 25 programs is, obviously, an indication of genuine and widely recognized excellence,” said Robert Himmelberg, Ph.D., interim dean of the Graduate School of Business Administration and co-dean of business faculty.
“We are very pleased and proud that their programs have been counted among the elite units in their respective fields,” he said.
Fordham’s EMBA is designed for business professionals and managers on the fast track toward challenging managerial and global assignments. The program focuses on building each student’s personal portfolio in management development with tools that can be implemented immediately in the workplace.
Last December, it added an international cohort when it launched a dual-degree global executive MBA program with Istanbul’s Kadir Has University.
“We are delighted to receive this ranking, as it continues the positive momentum within our program,” said Francis Petit, Ed.D., assistant dean and director of executive programs at GBA.
“Our program has continued to do well because it has become a transformational experience for our students,” Petit said. “They leave the program very different people as a result of having traveled their academic journey with dynamic and professionally diverse classmates.”
U.S. News’ rankings of part-time MBA programs, including Fordham’s EMBA, were based on a fall 2009 peer assessment survey. That survey asked business school deans and MBA program directors at each of the nation’s 314 part-time MBA programs to rate the other programs on a five-point scale, with 1 being marginal and 5 being outstanding.
The marketing MBA concentration at Fordham is designed to provide a foundation for students planning careers in marketing management, product management or the various fields of promotion.
“We are thrilled that the quality of our program is recognized in this year’s rankings,” said Dawn Lerman, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of marketing. “We offer students a strong foundation in marketing theories, concepts and tools, as well as the opportunity to develop expertise in particular subfields within marketing.
“Most importantly, we encourage students to put their learning to work,” Lerman added. “It is not unusual for class projects to revolve around issues facing New York-area companies, and for executives from those companies to visit the classroom.”
In constructing the methodology used to rate specialty concentrations such as marketing, U.S. Newssurveyed 433 graduate business programs in areas including peer and recruiter assessments, starting salary and bonus, as well as mean GMAT scores, according to the magazine’s website.
These top-25 placements mark the latest of several honors received recently by GBA.
Last November, Fordham’s part-time MBA program was ranked fifth in the Northeast and 55th nationally in an analysis published by BusinessWeek.
In August, GBA was named to Forbes’ list of best business schools. It came in 57th, ahead of schools such as Boston University, George Washington University and the University of California, Davis.
GBA also ranked fourth among Catholic graduate business schools, after those at Georgetown, Notre Dame and Boston College.
