Have you been looking for a career-oriented MBA ranking? For a second year in a row, LinkedIn has released its own business school ranking focused on career growth. After publishing the top 50 MBA programmes in the US in 2023, the social media platform has unveiled a global ranking in 2024 to reflect the international nature of the MBA.
The ranking uses “exclusive LinkedIn data looking at career outcomes of MBA alumni, such as job placement rates, advancement to senior-level positions, and network strength.” Under each school featured in the ranking, MBA candidates can read interesting insights regarding the most common job titles and top locations where graduates of that institution work.
What does LinkedIn’s data tell us about MBA programmes worldwide?
The top 10
Released in September 2024, the new ranking includes business schools from 19 different countries, with many of them hailing from the US and India. Other countries featured prominently in the top 100 are Spain and the UK, but there are also institutions from Asia, Australia, and South America. “Many of the schools on our list are multi-campus institutions offering rich international experiences to their students – from Hult International Business School to ESCP Business School,” say LinkedIn editors Juliette Faraut and Siobhan Morrin, highlighting the global aspect of business education.
At #1 is Stanford Graduate School of Business (US), which is consistently at the top in other rankings such as US News & World Report and the Financial Times. While there are seven other US schools in the top 10, the #2 is occupied by the French INSEAD and #6 by Indian School of Business. According to LinkedIn, many of the top 10 schools stand out for their career advancement and leadership potential.
Most common job titles and top career locations
Unlike many other MBA rankings, LinkedIn offers specific insights about where business school graduates end up in their careers. For example, Product Manager and Project Manager seem to be frequently mentioned job titles across various business schools, according to LinkedIn’s data. Investment banking roles are also very common, especially for US-based schools. Entrepreneurship proves to be another popular career path for MBA alumni, since “Founder” features under many of the international business schools on the list.
When it comes to job locations, New York City and San Francisco are the most commonly mentioned career destinations, reflecting the strength of their financial and tech sectors respectively. Other major global financial centres that feature prominently are London, Hong Kong, and Singapore. For Indian business schools, Mumbai, Delhi, and Bangalore are consistently mentioned as top career destinations.
Criticism of the ranking’s data pool and methodology
While LinkedIn offers a fresh new take on MBA rankings, the new publication has drawn some criticism over its credibility and comprehensiveness. The ranking’s data pool raises serious questions from Poets&Quants, since the data only comes from people actively using and updating their LinkedIn profiles, potentially skewing the results. LinkedIn also fails to disclose the weighting of different factors or provide detailed scores for each school, making it difficult for users to understand and verify the ranking process, according to John Byrne, the founder and editor-in-chief of Poets&Quants. Such issues of transparency and credibility are crucial to address among rankings, since many MBA candidates rely on these insights to make important decisions about their education and career.
Explore more rankings and resources before choosing
Whether LinkedIn’s ranking methodology appeals to you or not, the best option for doing research on different business schools is checking as many different sources of information as possible. Meeting alumni, going to business school events, and trying various research tools can all contribute to making an informed decision about the right programme. Unimy’s new 360° MBA Ranking offers one such tool that is worth exploring.
With a personalised approach, this ranking allows professionals to prioritise the criteria that matter most to them when selecting their school. A key feature of Unimy’s ranking is its Cultural Fit Index, which examines the learning environment, campus life, and organisational culture of business schools. This unique approach recognises the importance of cultural fit in a student’s success, offering a more holistic and personal perspective compared to traditional rankings.
By expanding their search of MBA programmes and using diverse sources of information, business school candidates can be better informed about their educational and career choices.
