Ranking of business schools

Purpose Published rankings of business schools and MBA programmes have created considerable controversy. This paper describes the rationale and approach of one of the leading global rankings. Design/methodology approach The paper describes the rationale and approach of the Economist Intelligence unit's Which MBA? Findings The validity and relevance of rankings of business schools and programmes are directly related to the choice of criteria against which the ranking takes place. The criteria used by the Economist Intelligence Unit/ Which MBA? ranking are student‐centric and comprise a serious attempt to distinguish those business schools and programmes that best meet the factors that potential MBA students consistently say they are looking for. Originality/value Compared with a decade ago there is considerable information available about business schools and MBA programmes. Published rankings help to distil this information, allow less‐publicised schools on to the “radar” of potential students and extend choice.