Rutgers MBA ranked among Top 100 in the world for students who want to grow their careers

Rutgers Business School’s MBA Program is among the 100 Best Global Business Schools for students to grow their career, according to a new ranking by LinkedIn.

LinkedIn ranked Rutgers Business School No. 38 in the nation and No. 82 among business schools around the world. Among public business schools in the U.S., Rutgers is No. 10, based on LinkedIn’s information, and it is No. 6 among business schools in the Big 10.

As part of the ranking, LinkedIn also noted that Rutgers Business School stood out as a Top 5 school for job placement. The other schools included in the Top 5 were Wharton (University of Pennsylvania), Kellogg (Northwestern), Booth (University of Chicago) and Lubin School of Business (Pace University).

LinkedIn based its new ranking entirely on real outcomes of MBA alumni, including metrics like how graduates land jobs after they’ve completed an MBA, how they move up the corporate ladder and how they build strong professional networks. 

Using metrics that highlighted the success of graduates makes the LinkedIn ranking particularly meaningful, said Rutgers Business School Dean Lei Lei. “We are very proud of our MBA alumni,” Lei said. “Their resilience, problem-solving skills and responsiveness as ethical leaders highlight the return on investment, the education quality and the social mobility created by this large public business school.”

Brian Smith is an example of a Rutgers MBA alumnus who has demonstrated an ability to steadily advance since completing the program in 2010. In the past 15 years, he moved from senior manager of operations into several leadership roles. He is currently chief procurement officer for Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine.  

“My Rutgers MBA transformed me with practical leadership skills, a powerful network, and innovative thinking,” Smith said. “It strengthened my business acumen, cultivated my confidence and adaptability, and enabled me to make impactful business decisions and inspire others.”

Learn more about what a Rutgers MBA can do for you and your career. Register for the Graduate Open House on Saturday, Oct. 25, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Rutgers Business School building in Piscataway.

Another graduate, Aisha Khan, head of client engagement at WPP Media, said her Rutgers MBA opened doors to opportunities she never could have imagined, from stepping into leadership roles earlier than she expected to building a network of mentors who continue to shape her journey. “Rutgers gave me the confidence to unlock my full potential and leadership abilities,” she said.

Shen Yeniyurt, vice dean for academic programs and learning assurance, said the ranking is both a cause to celebrate and motivation for Rutgers Business School to continue striving for excellence. “One of my greatest personal satisfactions is observing the career success of our alumni,” Yeniyurt said. “Their achievements are a compelling motivation for us to sustain our path toward academic excellence.”

Weiwei Chen, senior director of MBA Programs, said Rutgers Business School sees students’ success in many forms, whether it’s landing that first post-MBA job, pivoting into a new industry, or accelerating an existing career path. 

“Our students and alumni continue to achieve their professional goals long after graduation.,” Chen said. “This ranking underscores the strength of our programs, the dedication of our faculty and staff, and the determination of our students to make an impact.”

To evaluate MBA programs and their ability to enhance the career success of their students, LinkedIn used its data to measure five key pillars: hiring and demand, which looked at job placement rates and labor market demand; ability to advance, which tracked promotions and how quickly alumni reached director or VP-level leadership roles; network strength, which looked at how connected alumni of the same program are to one another; leadership potential tracked the percentage of alumni with post MBA or entrepreneurship or C-suite experience; and gender diversity measured gender parity within recent graduate cohorts.

-Susan Todd