According to both “U.S. News and World Report” and “Forbes,” the top business school in New England is also best overall: Harvard. This MBA program has several distinct features. Much of the faculty research and many of the cases studied have a global focus. The case study is the primary teaching approach. Students discuss situations, evaluate data and then make and defend decisions. In addition, Harvard’s MBA program is the only one of its kind to have a residential campus, which encourages a learning community. Also in the northeast, the “U.S. News and World Report” ranks MIT’s Sloan School of Management’s “Action Learning" program No. 4. “Forbes” revisits New England at No. 6 with Dartmouth’s small Tuck School of Business.
In the eastern United States, the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania comes in third on the “U.S. News and World Report” list and fourth on “Forbes.” The MBA program has a very practical side that focuses on employment. It offers training and advice to guide you toward the career of your choice. Instructors counsel students through job searches. In addition, Wharton has ties with a variety of industries and businesses, both national and international. Other eastern schools: “U.S. News and World Report” rates Columbia Business School No. 8, while “Forbes” gives Cornell’s Johnson School the same ranking.
Second on the “U.S. News and World Report” list is in the middle of the country: Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in Illinois. Kellogg offers full-time and part-time MBA programs. An executive MBA plan is also in place for experienced administrators who are currently working in the business world. “Forbes” prefers the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, which is identified as third best. Students in Booth’s full-time program complete 21 courses in the same number of months. The school also offers evening, weekend and executive MBA programs.
In the western part of the country, Stanford Business School in California ties with Harvard for first place according to the “U.S. News and World Report,” while “Forbes” puts the school in second place. Stanford's program focuses not only on business but on critical thinking skills. Students learn to analyze, critique and persuade through both their speech and their writing. The program also emphasizes the development of students’ leadership skills through interpersonal dynamics coursework and weekly leadership labs. Other western schools rank lower. Hass School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley is rated seventh by “U.S. News and World Report” and 13th by “Forbes.” This school’s MBA program has a wide selection of electives, and students are encouraged to design their own classes.