The Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California, Irvine received some heavy honors from the recently-revealed Forbes list of the “Best Business Schools” in the U.S., which analyzes how much graduates typically earn five years after graduation. This year, the business school ended up 41st on the list overall, with a $47,000 USD five-year expected gain for full-time MBA grads.
“Our full-time MBA program prepares business leaders for successful careers managing the disruption of today’s digitally driven world. By leveraging everything they learn at the Merage School, they are realizing a high return on their investment, not only in terms of salary, but also management responsibilities and opportunity,” said Jon Kaplan, Paul Merage Assistant Dean and Director of the full-time MBA program.
According to a press release, the Merage School was ranked one place higher than the 2015 report, and 20 places higher than the report published in 2013. It was also ranked 19th among public schools.
“Our standing is a reflection of the success our graduates achieve and the quality of the students we recruit, combined with the expertise and professionalism of our faculty and staff,” said Eric Spangenberg, Dean of the Merage School. “And we don’t rest on our laurels; our new curricula focus on the strategies for leadership in a digitally driven world should provide even more value in the future.”
To create its rankings, Forbes surveyed full-time MBAs who graduated in 2012, along with a school survey that provided enrollment, tuition, financial aid, pre-MBA salaries, and employment data. Returns on investment were calculated by comparing alumni earnings in their first five years out of business school to their opportunity cost. You can read more about Forbes’ methodology here.
Along with the full-time two year program, the Paul Merage School of Business offers a part-time MBA, Executive, and Healthcare Executive MBA programs. In addition, students have the opportunity to a JD/MBA and MD/MBA.