(College Station)—Texas A&M University's Mays Business School ranks first in the nation when it comes to placing MBA candidates after graduation, according to the London-based Financial Times' annual rankings of the top 100 business schools on the globe. With 97 percent of its MBAs at work within three months of earning their degrees, Mays is tied for first place in the U.S. and comes in tied for third place worldwide.
In other indicators key to MBA program value, Mays came in second among all schools in the U.S. for value for the money.
"We continue to be pleased with the placement of our students and the value they receive on the investment in their education," said Dean Jerry Strawser. "Our standing in these elements of the Financial Times ranking provide further evidence of the effectiveness of our career services efforts in identifying opportunities for our students."
Mays consistently ranks high for items valued by business graduates. The program ranked among the top 10 public U.S. business schools for the return on investment earned by MBA students after graduation, according to Forbes' 2005 "Best Business School" rankings. It took just 2.4 years for Mays graduates to recoup their MBA investment, which put Mays at no. 3 among all schools included in Forbes ranking.
The MBA curriculum emphasizes core business principles along with strategic thinking, business communications, teamwork, ethics, character and leadership.
Overall, Mays is ranked 85th in the world in the 2006 Financial Times survey, up from 88th in 2005. That puts Mays at 54th among all U.S. programs, compared to 55th place last year.
"We are truly delighted with the continued success of our graduates in the market place," said Associate Dean Bala Shetty. "Our focus on recruiting excellent students, providing them with many development opportunities and assigning outstanding faculty in Mays to teach them appears to be paying dividends."