Positive feedback from alumni of The University of Texas at Dallas’ Naveen Jindal School of Management (JSOM) and employers that have recruited them propelled the school forward four places to No. 32 among U.S. universities in the 2021-2022 Bloomberg Businessweek Best B-Schools MBA rankings.
Among public university programs represented in the new rankings, which are updated biennially and rely on student, alumni and recruiter assessments, the Jindal School placed at No. 11.
“We can all take pride in this, because it speaks to our continued growth as one of the leading public business schools in the nation,” said Dr. Hasan Pirkul, Jindal School dean and Caruth Chair.
The Jindal School also fared well in two of five component categories — referred to as indexes — of the rankings, which were released Sept. 15. The school came in at No. 1 in learning and No. 4 in networking.
Student Investment
The learning category explores the quality, depth and range of instruction. This area focuses on whether the curriculum is applicable to real-world business situations; the degree of emphasis on innovation, problem-solving and strategic thinking; the level of inspiration and support from instructors; class size; and collaboration.
By MBA industry standards, the Jindal School runs a small full-time program, said Dr. Monica Powell, JSOM senior associate dean.
“But when you’re small, you can meet the needs of every individual student. It is clear from the results that we’ve done that exceptionally well,” Powell said. “In order for us to rank No. 1 in learning, our students had to feel like our faculty were invested in every student’s individual success.”
The Road to Opportunity
For the networking index, Bloomberg Businessweek studied classmate-to-classmate connections, student and alumni engagements, alumni-to-alumni collaboration, career center achievements, and the school’s brand power, from recruiters’ viewpoints.
Networking is the road to opportunity, Powell said.
“Any MBA graduate in any program knows that,” she said. “When you can network with great individuals who add value to how you do your job or how you manage your people or how you connect with new business opportunities or clients, then that is a very enriched experience.”
Good Business
Learn more about the recent national and international recognition that the Naveen Jindal School of Management has earned on its rankings webpage.
The Jindal School also helps alumni continue to build and grow their networks, Powell said.
“One thing that is really remarkable is that all of those alumni come back and assist a program that has made a difference in their lives. So, they really help current students with taking what they have learned and exponentially growing it for the people who are behind them,” she said.
Lisa Shatz, Jindal School assistant dean of the MBA programs, said: “To be No. 4 in networking is amazing for any school, but when you take into consideration that we are a young school and, therefore, have a smaller number of alumni, it makes it even more noteworthy.”
In other indexes, JSOM ranked 16th in entrepreneurship, one place ahead of UT Austin. It ranked 45th in compensation and 52nd in diversity, a new component category.