UVA Darden School Climbs Into Top 10 in Bloomberg Businessweek Ranking
By Dave Hendrick
The University of Virginia Darden School of Business today was ranked the No. 9 MBA program in the United States in Bloomberg Businessweek’s Best B-Schools 2018.
The new ranking is the Darden School’s second MBA program Top 10 ranking in a month. It comes shortly after The Economist named the Darden School the No. 9 MBA program in the world, as well as the world’s No. 1 education experience for the eighth consecutive year.
“We’re pleased to be recognized as one of the Top 10 MBA programs in the United States in the new Bloomberg Businessweek ranking,” said Darden Dean Scott Beardsley. “The results from Bloomberg, driven by feedback from our alumni and students, are evidence of the strength of the Darden network, the positive experiences students are having at the School and their ability to pursue their purpose through rewarding careers.”
Bloomberg Businessweek’s methodology bases its ranking on two kinds of data inputs: surveys of recruiters, alumni and students as well as school-submitted information on career outcomes.
Darden’s rise in the Bloomberg Businessweek ranking is due to a convergence of factors, including significant investments in personnel and resources in the School’s Career Development Center — investments that are paying dividends in a number of ways, including the continued career success of Darden students.
The Class of 2018 reported an average base salary of $127,767 and an average signing bonus of $35,430, while 94 percent of graduates received a job offer and 92 percent accepted jobs within three months after graduation. U.S. News & World Report placed Darden’s compensation outcomes No. 4 in its latest MBA ranking released earlier this year, just behind Harvard, Stanford and Wharton business schools.
Bloomberg Businessweek also includes information on a school’s climate. At Darden, the climate for women; racial, religious and ethnic minorities; people of all sexual orientations and gender identities; international students; and people with disabilities were rated “extremely positive” by most survey participants.
The ranking further includes anonymous comments from students and alumni, with respondents praising the environment, case method and faculty, among other attributes.
Said one, “Darden is a collaborative environment with a strong student and alumni network that engages students in real-world case studies that help us become impactful business and thought leaders.”
The University of Virginia Darden School of Business prepares responsible global leaders through unparalleled transformational learning experiences. Darden’s graduate degree programs (MBA, MSBA and Ph.D.) and Executive Education & Lifelong Learning programs offered by the Darden School Foundation set the stage for a lifetime of career advancement and impact. Darden’s top-ranked faculty, renowned for teaching excellence, inspires and shapes modern business leadership worldwide through research, thought leadership and business publishing. Darden has Grounds in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the Washington, D.C., area and a global community that includes 18,000 alumni in 90 countries. Darden was established in 1955 at the University of Virginia, a top public university founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819 in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Press Contact
Molly Mitchell
Senior Associate Director, Editorial and Media Relations
Darden School of Business
University of Virginia
MitchellM@darden.virginia.edu
