Foster rises to #15 in Businessweek MBA ranking, #1 for job placement

The Foster School of Business surpassed Yale, NYU, UCLA, University of Virginia, and University of Texas, Austin to rank #15 in the U.S. and #3 among public schools in Bloomberg Businessweek’s 2017 Best Business School Ranking. The Foster School rose four spots from #19 last year based on competitive results in MBA job placement, earnings, employer opinion, and student satisfaction.

#1 for MBA employment outcomes

An impressive 98% of Foster MBA alumni were employed within three months of graduation, earning Foster #1 in job placement. Recruiters ranked Foster #11 of 85 schools for employer satisfaction, up from #12 last year.

“Thanks to extensive relationships with companies in Seattle and across the U.S., Foster MBA students can connect with corporate executives, build their experience through internships, and achieve outstanding career opportunities after graduation,” says Naomi Sanchez, assistant dean, MBA Career Management. Foster MBA graduates secured positions in technology, consulting, consumer products, health care, and financial services, earning an average salary of $111,847 and 75% received a signing bonus averaging more than $28,000.

According to Businessweek, Foster alumni earnings rose to a median of more than $157,000 within 6-8 years of graduation and nearly tripled when compared to their pre-degree salary levels.

MBA students touted program improvements

The most remarkable change in Foster’s ranking from 2016 occurred in the student survey results. “The rise in student satisfaction from #36 to #19 reflects the high level of student engagement in defining and constantly improving the Foster MBA experience as well as student confidence that school leaders are committed to investing in exciting program enhancements in the future,” notes Dan Poston, assistant dean for master’s programs. School leaders implemented several innovations to the Foster MBA in response to students’ recommendations, including new experiential learning opportunities, international projects, and the Foster Advantage—an intensive series that focuses on the latest topics in business.

A rapid ascent in the Businessweek rankings

Among the top 40 schools, the Foster School has experienced the most dramatic upward mobility, moving up 22 spots in just four years. That momentum accelerated in 2015 when Businessweek changed its methodology to place greater weight on career results, adding job placement, salary, and alumni advancement to its employer and student opinion metrics. Now ranked #3 of top public business schools, Foster moved past #17 University of Virginia (Darden), #19 University of California, Los Angeles (Anderson), #20 University of Texas, Austin (McCombs), and #24 University of North Carolina (Kenan-Flagler) in 2017.

Return on investment – high salaries and low debt

Foster MBA alumni also carry the lightest debt of the top schools. Average debt levels have reached more than $120,000 at several top MBA programs, but Foster graduates started at competitive salaries with an average debt of only $32,047.

Foster School rankings