Ole Miss MBA Program Ranks Among Top 50 in Nation

By Stella Connell
UM Communications

The University of Mississippi‘s Master of Business Administration program has been recognized as one of the best in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. The rankings, released March 17, place Ole Miss in a three-way tie for No. 31 among public universities and No. 92 overall.

UM is tied with Oklahoma State and Texas Tech for the No. 31 spot. The Southeastern Conference universities of Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Missouri and Kentucky and Auburn University, Louisiana State University and Texas A&M University also are ranked in the top 50.

“We are excited for this recognition of our MBA program that reflects the outstanding education and value of the degree,” said Ken Cyree, dean of the UM School of Business Administration. “We have dedicated our efforts to create the best experience possible for our students who spend a year working hard to advance their business education.

“This ranking also reflects the dedication of the faculty, staff and alumni who are devoted to providing an excellent graduate education that creates competitive opportunities for our students.”

MBA programs have a greater enrollment than any other type of graduate degree programs in the country, the U.S. News release noted. Prospective students often narrow their research exclusively to programs that award MBAs.

To aid their efforts, the publication compiles annual rankings of campus and online MBA programs. This year’s campus rankings include 141 schools nationally.

“The ranking reflects a deep and ongoing commitment to excellence among our faculty, students and alumni,” said Walter Davis, faculty adviser to the MBA program.

Each year, U.S. News ranks professional school programs in business, education, engineering, law, medicine and nursing, including specialties in each area. The rankings in these areas are based on two types of data: expert opinions about program excellence and statistical indicators that measure the quality of a school’s faculty, research and students.

The data for the rankings in all six disciplines comes from statistical surveys of more than 2,081 programs and from reputation surveys sent to more than 24,603 academics and professionals, conducted in fall 2019 and early 2020.

For the 2021 edition, U.S. News ranked MBA programs using five categories: student engagement, expert opinion, faculty credentials and training, student excellence, and student services and technologies.

“Our campus program includes a 36-hour comprehensive curriculum that allows students to gain important business concepts and knowledge,” said Ashley McGee, director of the MBA program. Alongside this, we have a supportive MBA alumni board that emphasizes professional development.

“The knowledge gained in the classroom, plus the networking outside of class, equals outstanding career opportunities for our MBAs.”