AMES, Iowa -- Iowa State University's Master of Business Administration (MBA) program is third in a new U.S. News & World Report ranking linking the nation's full-time MBA programs with career placement success. According to the ranking, 96.3 percent of Iowa State's MBA graduates were employed within three months of graduation.
The ranking was based on data collected for U.S. News and World Report's annual graduate school rankings.
"We're very proud of our placement rates," said Labh Hira, Raisbeck Endowed Dean of ISU's College of Business. "It speaks highly of three important things: the value of an Iowa State MBA, the preparation of our graduates to enter the work force, and the hard work of our graduate programs staff."
Mark Peterson, director of MBA/graduate business career
services, cites these reasons for the program's career
placement success:
• The staff works hard to develop and maintain strong
relationships with recruiters and hiring authorities at key
organizations that will recruit their candidates through both
good times and bad.
• A large percentage of their candidates have technical,
engineering, or IT backgrounds, and in spite of the recent
tough economy, those candidates have remained in demand.
• The staff works closely with organizations on their
internship recruiting.
• Iowa State MBA candidates are well prepared to
demonstrate in the interview room that they are the best
candidates for the job.
"I think it's important to recognize that we are very career-focused in the MBA program," said Jenny Reitano, director of MBA recruitment and marketing at Iowa State. "With each application we receive, we consider whether the applicant is at a point that the MBA can make the most impact in their careers.
"We also work on professional development from orientation through graduation," she continued. "One of the components added to our new curriculum is a second professional development course in the second semester, where we bring in executive speakers and consultants, and arrange company tours and service learning/consulting projects."
In a story about the ranking, author Brian Burnsed reports that among the 141 business MBA programs that provided U.S. News & World Report data, an average of 73 percent of their graduates found jobs within three months of graduation.
"MBA graduates have typically had a high level of success finding work, and U.S. News' own data indicates that the hiring market for business graduates is improving after enduring a lull throughout the recent recession," Burnsed wrote. "Examining a business program's job placement rates within three months of graduation is an effective means of discerning whether your diligent work will pay off in the near term."
Additional information on Iowa State's MBA through the
College of Business is available on its website.
