The IMD MBA has been ranked number one by the Economist in its annual worldwide survey of students and alumni, up four places from 2007. The top five schools in 2008 are:

1. IMD
2. IESE Business School – University of Navarra
3. University of Chicago – Graduate School of Business
4. Stanford Graduate School of Business
5. Dartmouth College – Tuck School of Business

The Economist surveys students and alumni about four factors important in their decision to take an MBA: new career opportunities; personal development and educational experience; salary increase; and the potential to network.

“Participants and alumni provide key input to this ranking. We are extremely pleased with our top performance worldwide, especially in the eyes of our key constituencies, our clients,” said IMD President Dr John R. Wells.

The IMD MBA program features 90 international, high-caliber participants with significant experience and achievements to their credit. This is a key factor to the success and reputation of the IMD MBA.

“The small class size of our MBA program is crucial to IMD remaining one of the world's most distinctive schools,” added Professor Benoît Leleux, MBA Program Director. “The program is also attractive due to the challenging and diverse cultural experience it provides participants. The MBA Faculty is extremely dedicated and represents over 20 nationalities. In addition, 97% of the class comes from outside Switzerland, thus enabling participants to benefit from a truly global learning experience unmatched at any other business school.”

“Career opportunities are an important criteria for MBA participants. Despite the global economic downturn, more than 60 global companies across diverse industry sectors continue to come on campus to recruit our 90 MBAs,” stated Katty Ooms Suter, Director of Admissions and Career Services. “Our experienced and carefully selected participants receive some of the highest starting salaries of any school in the Economist rankings, which no doubt contributed to the very high rating of IMD’s career services offering.”

Learn more about the Economist MBA rankings.