Bschool Productivity Ranking

Question

Many bschools try to improve their reputation and publication ranking through research publication.
According to the latest bschool research productivity study done by UTD (study ranked the 100 top business schools in North America over a five-year period. Results are based on publications of school faculty in 24 peer-reviewed academic journals. The new release focuses on publications between 2004 and 2008), following schools were in top 30:

1 University of Pennsylvania (The Wharton School)
2 Duke University (The Fuqua School of Business)
3 New York University (Leonard N. Stern School of Business)
4 University of Chicago (Graduate School of Business)
5 University of Michigan at Ann Arbor (Ross School of Business)
6 Columbia University (Graduate School of Business)
7 Harvard University (Harvard Business School)
8 Stanford University (Graduate School of Business)
9 University of Maryland at College Park (Robert H. Smith School of Business)
10 University of Texas at Austin (McCombs School of Business)
11 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan School of Management)
12 University of Southern California (Marshall School of Business)
13 Pennsylvania State University at University Park (Smeal College of Business)
14 Northwestern University (Kellogg School of Management)
15 University of Minnesota at Twin Cities (Carlson School of Management)
16 University of California at Los Angeles (Anderson School of Management)
17 University of Texas at Dallas (School of Management)
18 University of Florida (Warrington College of Business)
19 Indiana University at Bloomington (Kelley School of Business)
20 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (College of Business)
21 University of California at Berkeley (Walter A. Haas School of Business)
22 Arizona State University (W.P. Carey School of Business)
23 Michigan State University (The Eli Broad College of Business)
24 University of Washington at Seattle (Business School)
25 Carnegie Mellon University (Tepper School of Business)
26 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Kenan-Flagler Business School)
27 Washington University at St. Louis (Olin School of Business)
28 University of British Columbia (Sauder School of Business)
29 Emory University (Goizueta Business School)
30 Cornell University (Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management)

You can also find the rest of the Top 100 Ranking here:
https://som.utdallas.edu/top100Ranking/s ... ng.php?t=n

Compared to US News, BW and other rankings, do you find this ranking more credible since the ranking depends on results of publications of school faculty in 24 peer-reviewed academic journals?

Rubashov1 · Answer

Is it "per capita", based on number of faculty?

lsuguy7 · Answer

I find this methodology a very "funny" way to rank schools. Also the idea that doing "a lot" of research is better than fewer very substantial research papers is also quite humorous.

Jerz · Answer

While research is fantastic because it means the faculty are keeping on the cutting edge, this ranking completely ignores whether those faculty actually spend any time in the classroom. As an MBA student, would you rather your school have superstar faculty members who spend all day doing research and writing papers, or who do a bit less research and paper writing and also teach MBA classes?

bostonsparky · Answer

As with other subjects, I think the significance of this becomes much more relevant if YOU want to do some research as part of your graduate education. For example I have a friend who probably could get into a top 15 or so Bschool who is currently going for his Phd (he ultimately wants to teach) at Maryland-Smith, his decision makes a lot of sense upon looking at that list. But if you are just looking to learn and apply your education in the business world (which a large part of us I think do), I wouldn't be so worried. Too many good schools not on this list (Darden, Tuck, Yale) to consider it at all holistic.

IgnitedMind · Answer

...is more research better?

If schools become research factories do they miss out on teaching opportunities? I prefer to see ranking systems blend all sorts of data points.

Skitalets · Answer

On the flip side, I think there's something to be said for the idea that the traditional rankings underrate research. Much of what you get out of a top b-school is networking, connections, brand, but to look at that alone may represent a missed opportunity. Perhaps graduates of programs with greater intellectual heft go on to be more effective managers when you factor out the effect school brand has on opportunities presented. (Of course, I do not have any ulterior motive in bringing this up given that I am going to the number 2 school on this list. ;-)

)

3underscore · Answer

I think you will find that the work has to be pretty substantive to get in to one of those journals. Getting journal articles into the specified list (which includes the likes of Econometrica) is a huge challenge.

As rightly observed, this doesn't mean that the faculty member getting the big publications is in the classroom very often. Or worse, when they are in the class room, it doesn't mean they can teach.

Harvard professors are probably too absorbed in coming up with lines about "gazing through windows" and "staring at tea leaves" as allegories for business situations in their cases to write as many academic papers.

Bschool Productivity Ranking

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