Different organizations measure the quality of a program using different data sources and methodology. As a result, different rankings measure different things.

Wall Street Journal

In 2007, this ranking was based on the responses of 4,430 corporate recruiters who hire MBA graduates. The results of the seventh-annual survey of corporate recruiters was conducted jointly by The Wall Street Journal and Harris Interactive.

• 100% corporate recruiters

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Business Week

This comprehensive, biennial ranking incorporates input from recent graduates, opinions of corporate recruiters and a measurement of faculty quality. The magazine surveyed 16,565 MBA graduates from the Class of ’06 and 426 companies that recruit MBAs. BusinessWeek also tallied faculty members’ academic journal entries in 20 top-level publications, which accounts for 10 percent of a school’s rank. The top 30 schools are listed in ranked order, followed by the next eight schools, which are listed alphabetically, including Wake Forest.

• 10% academic publications

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U.S. News & World Report

The magazine surveyed 425 MBA programs accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International). This ranking is based on a survey of business school deans and MBA program directors, a survey of corporate recruiters and company contacts who hire MBAs, job placement success and student selectivity.

• 25.0% peer assessment
• 16.3% average GMAT score
• 15.0% recruiter assessment
• 14.0% average starting salary + bonus
• 14.0% percent of students employed three months after graduation
• 7.5% average undergraduate GPA
• 7.0% percent of students employed at graduation
• 1.3% acceptance rate

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Aspen Institute Center for Business Education

The biennial Beyond Grey Pinstripes survey and ranking is produced jointly by the World Resources Institute and the Aspen Institute to honor MBA programs that are leading the way in integrating social and environmental stewardship issues into business school curricula and research. Beyond Grey Pinstripes honored the school by saying, "Compared to other business schools in our survey, Wake Forest University offers a truly extraordinary number of courses featuring relevant content, and does an excellent job in those courses explicitly addressing how mainstream business improves the world.”

• 10% academic publications

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Entrepreneur Magazine

More than 900 undergraduate and graduate schools were surveyed about their offerings in entrepreneurship. The questions used in the ranking covered three basic areas: academics and requirements, students and faculty, and outside the classroom.

• 10% academic publications

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Forbes

The rankings are based on the return on investment over five years earned by MBA graduates of the Class of 2002. Forbes compared the post-MBA compensation with the opportunity cost (tuition and forgone salary while in school) and what students would have made had they stayed in their previous jobs. Forbes adjusted salary figures to account for cost-of-living expenses and discounted the earnings gains, using a rate tied to money market yields.

• 10% academic publications

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Fortune Small Business

Although not a ranking, 26 schools are included and listed alphabetically. The list was based on interviews with hundreds of entrepreneurs, professors, students, alumni, university administrators and venture capitalists. Those interviewed were asked which programs they considered to be the most innovative and effective, and why.

• 10% academic publications

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American Economia

This survey is intended as a resource for Latin American students interested in pursuing an MBA outside of Latin America. The following variables were considered equally in determining the ranking: excellence in selecting the best candidates, schools’ relationship to Latin America, curricular innovation, cost/benefit relation and prestige.

• 10% academic publications

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The Economist

The survey attempts to measure a school's success at providing students with new career opportunities, personal development and academic preparation, increased salary, and potential for networking among alumni. Babcock's full-time MBA class of 2007 was surveyed for this ranking.

• 10% academic publications

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