University Park, Pa. – The Penn State Smeal College of Business MBA Program is ranked No. 10 among publicly supported business schools in the latest ranking of domestic MBA programs by Forbes magazine.
Additionally, according to the data collected by Forbes, Smeal MBA graduates recoup the cost of their education in 3.2 years, the second-shortest period of time among all the schools ranked by the magazine.
Overall, Smeal ranks 26th out of all U.S. MBA programs, public and private, up from 28th in the magazine's last ranking in 2009. Among Big Ten MBA programs, Smeal ranks fifth, according to Forbes.
The magazine is the third major publication to rank Smeal at No. 10 among U.S. public MBA programs in the past year, joining the Financial Times and the Economist.
The 2011 Forbes ranking is based on the return on investment earned by MBA graduates in the class of 2006. The magazine sent surveys to 16,000 MBA graduates and arrived at the ranking by comparing their earnings in the five years since they graduated to their opportunity costs, including foregone compensation, tuition and fees.
The complete Forbes ranking is available online at www.forbes.com/bschools.