Fortune Ranks Bauer MBA

The Full-Time MBA program at the C. T. Bauer College of Business catapulted 12 places in Fortune magazine’s annual ranking of the Best MBA programs for 2025, advancing to No. 50 overall and No. 23 among public universities. Only four other MBA programs in the United States experienced greater growth since last year’s ranking.

“This jump in rankings is very encouraging news for Bauer College,” Interim Dean Praveen Kumar said. “We can credit the success of our MBA program to hardworking faculty and staff as well as dedicated alumni and partners who all work tirelessly to support our students.” 

The Fortune team analyzed data from nearly 100 MBA programs and considered 11 key ranking factors, including base salaries of recent graduates, cost of tuition, graduation rates and the number of MBA alumni now serving in Fortune 1000 C-suite positions to determine its findings, which were released today. 

Demand for continuing education is growing as the next generation of corporate leaders seek to learn in-demand skills, like AI and data analysis, in a business context. The Bauer College Full-Time MBA is one of the most hands-on, customizable graduate business programs available, and is known for its curricular innovations, diverse students, exceptional faculty and affordability.  

“We are dedicated to being innovative on how we deliver our courses, working to make them even more challenging and aligned with what the business community values and requires from our MBAs,” Associate Dean for Graduate and Professional Programs Leiser Silva said. 

The two-year Bauer program offers 23 concentrations that enable graduates to hone skills in a specific area of business to meet career objectives. Graduates gain skills, experience, connections and on average, a boost in salary of 61 percent. Nearly 78 percent of students were employed at graduation, and 93 percent were employed six months following graduation. 

Bauer’s three other MBA programs offer flexibility, affordability and are also highly regarded. 

Fortune named Bauer among the Best Online MBA Programs in Business Analytics in its 2024 rankings. (Bauer’s online program ranked No. 7 among publics and No. 11 overall). As in all Bauer MBA options, students can specialize in a number of areas that include energy, finance, health care, and supply chain. The Bauer Professional or Part-Time MBA and Executive MBA round out Bauer’s four MBA programs.