FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FROM: Nancy Gardner (206) 543-2580
nancylou@u.washington.edu

DATE: October 12, 2006

The Economist has ranked the University of Washington's master's in business administration program 27th among the world's best 100 business schools. The 2007 Economist Intelligence Unit's ranking of the world's top 100 full-time MBA programs can be found at http://www.which-mba.com.

"The fact our programs are now ranked by all the major media rankings suggests that by a wide variety of measurements, the UW Business School is among the very best in the world," says Jim Jiambalvo, dean of the UW Business School.

In selecting the top graduate programs, The Economist surveyed approximately 20,000 students around the world about why they want to pursue an MBA. Four factors emerged, and are the basis for this year's ranking. They are: to open new career opportunities and/or further one's current career; for personal development and educational experience; to increase salary; and the potential to network. The publication weights each factor according to the average importance given to it by students surveyed over the past five years.

This is the first year the University of Washington has appeared on this list, which has scored MBA programs in North America, Europe, Asia and Australasia for the past 18 years.

Dan Poston, assistant dean for master's programs adds that the School's strong performance also reaffirms its solid assessment given by students and industry evaluators alike.

"I am pleased to see our program perform so well in an international MBA ranking that specifically focuses on our ability to deliver what students value most," Poston says. "Our constant innovation, driven by input from both students and the business community, is helping us provide a business education that gives students both what they want and what they need."

The full rankings will be published later this month in the annual "Which MBA?" guide, published by the Economist Intelligence Unit.

The UW Business School's MBA program is the largest in the Pacific Northwest, producing nearly 300 graduates each year and is consistently ranked among the nation's best programs by some of the country's most prestigious publications.