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WSJ Survey Ranks UNC's MBA Program 12th Overall

"We are very pleased to see these results, but regardless of the rankings, this school works to provide our students with skills to make them marketable," said Mindy Storrie, director of the MBA Department of Career Services.

The survey, from the Wall Street Journal, was based on the opinions of 2,221 corporate recruiters. The recruiters ranked either one, two or three schools they have been involved with based on 26 different factors.

The business school moved up five spots this year, the second year the survey has been conducted. This year, the school also was ranked second for the management consulting program, fourth for public schools, fifth for "hidden gems" and eighth for schools with 500 or more students.

Ron Alsop wrote the report on the survey, which ranked 187 U.S. schools and 73 international schools. He said it is different than other surveys because it only takes the recruiters' opinions into account.

Many schools that have ranked well the past two years have seen increased acceptance of admission offers, Alsop said. "Most MBA students are there to receive better jobs and better salaries," he said. "I think everyone finds our survey distinctive because we focus on the recruiters only."

The business school's general reputation played a large role in its improvement in the rankings, Alsop said. The school received its highest marks in teamwork, general management perspective and "fit within the corporate culture." Lower scores were seen in the areas of entrepreneurial skills and international perspective.

Bob Adler, associate dean of the MBA program, said a strong student pool and knowledgeable faculty have helped the program internally, while participation in business conferences and faculty research have made its presence known worldwide.

"We are always striving to improve without letup, because if we didn't, we would immediately fall behind," he said.

Adler said the main benefit of a high ranking will be the quality of students the business school will be able to bring in. "Rankings send a signal to prospective students about schools," he said. "Because students pay attention to rankings, we pay attention to them."

Adler gave much of the credit to the career services department, which brings in recruiters and helps prepare students to be marketable for them.

Storrie said the department's success was seen last summer, when every student who wanted an internship found one.

This past year, companies such as Goldman Sachs, IBM, Johnson & Johnson, Kraft and Procter & Gamble hired at least three graduates each, she said. "We don't know of another MBA program where 100 percent of the students who were seeking internships got them."

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.

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