As a student or parents of a student, doing some research to find the best college programs is important. One of the tools you can use to do this is the BusinessWeek college rankings. This list, unlike most other college rankings, focuses solely on business school MBA programs and undergraduate business programs. While it is just one tool you can use to learn about your college options, if you’re going to school for business, this is an important list for you to consider.

Who is BusinessWeek?

Bloomberg BusinessWeek is a weekly news magazine that has been published since 1929, when it was originally named The Business Week. They have nearly one million subscribers and the magazine was recently redesigned to focus on global news coverage. The BusinessWeek.com and Bloomberg.com websites, where much of the focus has been over the last several years, combine to have more unique visitors than any other business or finance site in the world.

Why should you trust BusinessWeek?

BusinessWeek has been compiling college rankings of MBA programs since 1988. In 2006, they added to this list by ranking undergraduate programs as well. Their focus on business schools gives the list a unique perspective. Other lists, which rank colleges in general, don’t necessarily have the best colleges listed for students in the business field.

What is their Methodology?

The rankings by BusinessWeek are actually split into a number of categories: Executive MBA (EMBA) programs, Full-Time MBA programs, Part-Time MBA Programs, Non-Degree Executive Education, Undergraduate programs, and Distance Learning programs. Methodology varies slightly based on the category. They use surveys and college intellectual data to compile their rankings.

Something that sets this list apart from others is that they survey not only colleges, but also students. This online survey ranks colleges using 40 – 50 questions and helps BusinessWeek learn more about the school through the eyes of those getting their degrees there.

With the undergraduate rankings, some of the factors that are considered include graduate salaries, faculty-to-student ratio, test scores, internship availability, average class size, and the number of students admitted to top MBA programs.

On the other hand, the MBA rankings include scores based on factors like the publication by professors in top 20 academic journals, alumni networking, career services available, and student-assessed professor quality, while the EMBA rankings are based on these factors plus things like the curriculum and a student-based assessment of their peers.

The final lists are published both in the magazine and online. Although the BusinessWeek college rankings give students a detailed look at some of the top programs available in business education, remember that your top school doesn’t necessarily have to be #1 on this list. This is just one of the tools that you should use to figure out what program is best for you.