The part-time Master of Business Administration (MBA) program of the College of Business of the University of Nevada, Reno is ranked No. 17 in the United States by BusinessWeek Magazine.

The College of Business MBA program, started in 1965, accommodates the needs of professionals by offering courses during the evening hours. The program allows students to complete the degree at a pace that fits their personal schedule, without the interruption of their professional career.

"The ranking of our MBA program is a strong reflection of the quality of our students and faculty," said Kambiz Raffiee, associate dean and director of the MBA program. "The commitment of the MBA office and leadership of the College of Business under Dean Mosier reinforces the quality of our MBA program."

"The College of Business has a high number of premier faculty members that are internationally respected within their fields of expertise," Raffiee said. "Each faculty member is active professionally, sharing their real world experiences with students in the classroom. The faculty professional knowledge and academic rigor provide students of the MBA program with the tools they need to have successful careers."

BusinessWeek started gathering information from 340 part-time MBA programs with full accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the highest level of accreditation in business education, in December 2006. Of the 340 schools, only 81 advanced to the second round of the project. A final selection of the top 30 schools resulted. Of the 30 finalists, the programs were divided among six regions of the United States.
Part of the information BusinessWeek evaluated when ranking part-time programs included: average GMAT score; percentage of students successfully completing the program; percentage of faculty with tenure; and average years of experience of students admitted to the program.

Additionally, BusinessWeek contacted the May and August 2007 graduates of the program in order to understand the impact it has had on their professional success.

"Students of this program work in key companies in northern Nevada," Raffiee said. "These companies include International Gaming Technology (IGT), Microsoft Licensing, Wells Fargo Bank, Bank of America, US Bank, Sierra Pacific, Intuit, Dell Computers and Nevada state agencies. Each of these companies plays an integral role in the economic development of northern Nevadan and the state."

In addition to the part-time MBA program, the College of Business offers graduate programs in accounting, economics, finance, and information systems. Undergraduate programs offered are accounting, economics, finance, information systems, international business, management, marketing and supply chain management.

"We deeply care about the success of our students," said Raffiee, who has been a member of the college's faculty since 1983. "We have a well-established internship program and our own office of career services. When you put all of these ingredients together along with quality faculty, you have a recipe for success."

BusinessWeek's 2007 part-time MBA rankings are based on three measures. A student survey, sent to 9,274 part-time MBA students at 81 programs and completed by 3,209 (35 percent), measures general student satisfaction. The academic quality score consists of six equally weighted measures: average GMAT score, average work experience, the percentage of all teachers in the part-time MBA program who are tenured faculty, average class size in core business classes, the number of business electives available to part-time MBA students, and the program's completion rate. A third measure, of post-MBA outcomes, is based on the percentage of survey respondents who say their program was "completely" responsible for them achieving their goals.

Data on program cost, GMAT scores, work experience, class size, tenured faculty, and completion rates were provided by the schools. The percentage of grads reporting salary increase and average salary increase is based on respondents to student survey.