Wall Street Journal Ranks University of Maryland’s Smith School Executive MBA Program Among the World’s Best

College Park, Md. -- Sept. 30, 2010 -- The Executive MBA program at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business ranks No. 22 in the world, according to a Wall Street Journal report released today. Smith’s program ranked No. 15 for how well it imparts management skills to students and No. 16 according to alumni rating.

“The Smith School is committed to providing executives with the professional development experience they need to lead through uncertain times and take their organizations to the next level,” said G. “Anand” Anandalingam, dean of the Robert H. Smith School of Business. “Our executive MBA program has continued to grow and we’re introducing additional programs to make our thought leadership accessible to business leaders throughout the region and the world.”

Smith’s 19-month executive MBA program incorporates a strong foundation in the critical business disciplines covered in traditional MBA programs. It also includes mastery sessions to understand how to integrate core business principles into organizations; personalized leadership development and one-on-one executive coaching; and action-learning projects that have students building new ventures, consulting for businesses, and leading change for organizations.

In addition to the EMBA degree program, the Smith School offers non-degree programs for executives, including the miniMBA 2.0 certificate program launching in October. The program emphasizes leadership and practical business skills development, networking and mastery of Web 2.0 technologies.

The Wall Street Journal rankings are based on information provided by the eligible schools and on surveys of recent EMBA graduates and corporate executives at companies familiar with EMBA programs. Survey questions were designed to measure how well a school is doing to help shape and build strong managers and leaders.

For eligibility, the Wall Street Journal required a program be accredited by AACSB, Equis or AMBA; have a minimum of four previous graduating classes; and count enrollment of 25 students or more in the class graduating before Sept. 30, 2010. Additionally, the newspaper required that a program’s students have an average of at least nine years of work experience and two years of management experience, and that at least some traveled more than 45 miles to reach class.

The complete rankings can be found online

About the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business
The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research. One of 13 colleges and schools at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Smith School offers undergraduate, full-time and part-time MBA, executive MBA, executive MS, PhD and executive education programs, as well as outreach services to the corporate community. The school offers its degree, custom and certification programs in learning locations in North America and Asia.