Santa Clara University’s Executive MBA Program Achieves National Top 25 Ranking
Fortune Magazine places the Leavey School of Business among academic elites
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (September 15, 2021)
Santa Clara University Executive MBA program (EMBA) is now ranked No. 25 in the country, according to a recent Fortune Education poll. The poll also recognized the Leavey School of Business program for the nation’s most exclusive cohort size, averaging 30-35 students per year.
The most recent ranking moves what many consider Silicon Valley’s premier executive education provider into the elite company of more storied institutions such as Northwestern University, Yale University, MIT, and the University of Pennsylvania.
Santa Clara’s recent EMBA Class of 2023 totaled 23 students, nearly 50% of whom are female. The cohort’s average age of 42 is significantly more mature than the national average of age 38; and its average 17-years of work experience registers higher than the nation’s average of 13 years. More than a quarter of the class already hold graduate degrees.
“This is a huge honor and speaks volumes to the quality of the EMBA faculty and their ability to educate and motivate some of the most promising young business minds in Silicon Valley,” declares Executive MBA Program Director, Dr. Kumar Sarangee. “This honor comes the heels of EMBA’s #13 ranking by U.S. News & World Report.”
Fortune Magazine developed their ranking based on three weighted criteria: program, brand, and Fortune 1000 ranking. Program scores took into account such factors as a cohort’s average work experience, the average GMAT score and average GPA. Brand scores measured the university’s “share of mind”, according to brand evaluation company, Ipsos. The Fortune 1000 score looked at the number of each school’s MBA alumni who are C-suite executives at Fortune 1000 companies
“This is the first time that Fortune Magazine undertook this ranking and I am so pleased that we are top 25. This comes after the Online MBA Program was ranked for the first time by Fortune at 15th a few months ago,” said Dr. Toby McChesney, Santa Clara University’s Vice Provost for Graduate Programs.
Nydia MacGregor, Interim Dean of Graduate Programs, Leavey School of Business added, “Every year, for the past 5 years, the EMBA program staff and faculty have continuously innovated, crafting an experiential and forward-looking curriculum to prepare the leaders of tomorrow for the taunting business challenges of the 21st century."
The 20-month EMBA program, which meets twice a month from Friday evening until Saturday evening, provides the flexibility required by today’s executive candidates. Above-and-beyond a required core curriculum that has been designed according to current needs & trends in Silicon Valley, students personalize their education through a number of innovative electives.
The program also goes beyond the traditional “lecture and learn” format to feature a number of experiential elements that fulfill the needs of both the student and business community. Hands-on learning covers participation in professional communications and leadership exercises, along with change management and mindfulness simulations and executive-led innovation workshops.
About Santa Clara University
Founded in 1851, Santa Clara University sits in the heart of Silicon Valley—the world’s most innovative and entrepreneurial region. The University’s stunningly landscaped 106-acre campus is home to the historic Mission Santa Clara de Asís. SCU has among the best four-year graduation rates in the nation and is rated by PayScale in the top 1 percent of universities with the highest-paid graduates. SCU has produced elite levels of Fulbright Scholars as well as four Rhodes Scholars. With undergraduate programs in arts and sciences, business, and engineering, and graduate programs in six disciplines, the curriculum blends high-tech innovation with social consciousness grounded in the tradition of Jesuit, Catholic education. For more information see www.scu.edu.
About Leavey School of Business
Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, one of the most dynamic business environments in the world, the Leavey School of Business combines academic excellence in the 450-year Jesuit tradition, with an energetic, innovative spirit that typifies the region. Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business offers one of the nation's best graduate business programs ranked No. 13 Executive MBA by U.S. News & World Report, No. 20 ranked Evening MBA by U.S. News & World Report, and No. 40 ranked Online MBA by U.S. News & World Report. Our Undergraduate Business programs rank in the Top 15% and No. 23 nationwide in best undergraduate teaching according to U.S. News & World Report. For more information, visit www.scu.edu/business.