WSJ Executive MBA Rankings

October 10, 2008

Last week, the Wall Street Journal took on the challenge of ranking Executive MBA programs. You can see the rankings here; there's also a great collection of articles that describe the methodology and explore a variety of EMBA-related topics.

As usual, the top of the list isn't a surprise. In this case, Kellogg and Wharton come out on top. You might not expect some of the other names in the top ten, though.

When it comes to gaining admission to an elite EMBA program, GMAT scores are generally not as important as they are for comparable full-time programs. Part of the reason is that a typical EMBA student has more (and more unique) work experience, so admissions committees rate that higher.

For these programs, just as important as having solid work experience and a respectable (if not stratospheric) GMAT score is targeting the right program. No two business schools are alike, and every schools tries to select students that are good fits for them.

Instead of simply picking out the most highly-ranked schools that you could attend, determine which ones are best-suited to help you reach your specific goals. Admissions committees will recognize the connection, and they will appreciate the research that you've done. That work certainly doesn't eliminate the importance of a strong overall application, but it does give you an edge that many applicants won't have.

Jeff Sackmann is a GMAT tutor based in New York City. He has created many resources for GMAT preparation, including the popular GMAT Math Bible and GMAT Verbal Bible, as well as 1,800 practice GMAT math questions.

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