Wall Street Journal Ranks UT Dallas Exec MBANo. 6 in Nation in Return on Investment

The Wall Street Journal has ranked The University of Texas at Dallas Executive MBA (EMBA) program No. 6 in its latest rating of schools offering the highest returns on investment to students who graduate.

The rating is the second top-10 recognition that the UT Dallas program has received this fall. In October, the Financial Times ranked the program No. 10 in the nation and No. 1 in Texas for the second straight year.

The Wall Street Journal rankings, released Wednesday, Dec. 10, rate salary increases relative to tuition costs that alumni of EMBA programs reap after they complete their degrees.

In the listing, Texas A&M ranks No. 1, followed by the University of Florida and Ohio State. Three other Texas schools made the list, including the UT Austin at No. 5, Southern Methodist University at No. 7, and Rice University at No. 11.

“This recognition by the Wall Street Journal is a great affirmation of the high quality of our EMBA program,” UT Dallas School of Management Dean Hasan Pirkul said.

“It is also one more indicator that we are achieving our goal of becoming one of the nation’s best business schools,” he said.

Jasper Arnold, director of the UT Dallas EMBA, pointed to unique features of the program, such as an executive coaching component, that add extra value for graduates.

“Part of our value proposition is that, for a very reasonable tuition students get program features they can’t obtain elsewhere, and these features translate into pay increases,” he added.

The ranking marks the first time the respected business publication has rated the monetary returns EMBA alums receive on their investment. The ranking looks at the costs of 27 U.S. and nine international programs, including students’ tuition payments and out-of-pocket expenses. It then compares those costs to the salary increases reported by surveyed alums.

The Wall Street Journal also publishes overall rankings of EMBA programs in the early autumn each year.

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