The great success of Georgia Tech MBA graduates on the job market is reflected in the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings of full-time MBA programs. Georgia Tech College of Management is ranked first for employment at graduation among all ranked business schools.

Overall, Georgia Tech is ranked 32^nd (12^th among public universities) for full-time MBA programs and 28^th for part-time MBA programs (17^th among public universities) by U.S. News. Among public universities in Georgia, the business school at Georgia Tech is first for both full-time and part-time programs (the College's Evening MBA).

"We're especially excited about our employment ranking because it shows we're succeeding where it matters most to students – teaching the skills and providing the career assistance necessary to help them land great jobs at a higher level than they could have without an MBA," says College of Management Dean Steve Salbu. "Our MBA career services team is clearly second to none when it comes to drive and dedication. U.S. News just reported that MBAs are hot again on the job market. But our consistent success at career placement in recent years shows that Georgia Tech graduates never went out of style."

Of the Class of 2011, 88.5 percent had jobs at graduation (a statistic that grew to 95 percent within 90 days of commencement). The average starting salary was $97,376, with 55 percent of graduates receiving a signing bonus.

In specialty categories, U.S. News ranked Tech 13th for Supply Chain/Logistics (first among schools in Georgia), 14th for Production/Operations (first among schools in the Southeast), and 16th for Information Systems.

U.S. News, which publishes the rankings each spring in a special edition guidebook titled America's Best Graduate Schools, surveyed all 441 U.S. MBA programs accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

The magazine determined its full-time rankings by surveying business school deans, MBA program directors, and corporate recruiters/contacts about the quality of each accredited program. The magazine also factored in the mean starting salaries, bonuses, employment rates of graduates, student selectivity, mean GMAT scores, and mean undergraduate GPA.

For ranking part-time programs, U.S. News considered the peer perceptions of other business school deans and MBA program directors, mean GMAT scores, average undergraduate GPA, student work experience, and the percentage of the school's MBA enrollment that is part-time. This year, the number of part-time programs eligible for ranking grew by 101 schools (from 295 to 396), resulting in greater competition.

In the most recent Bloomberg BusinessWeek ranking, Tech's full-time MBA program is ranked 23^rd (10^th among public universities).