Compare Business Schools
Which school is the leader in graduating MBA students in consulting? According to a survey of 4,500 consultants sponsored by Vault.com, Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management received the palm. Harvard Business School, whose teaching methods were developed specifically for consulting, is in second place. Chicago, Wharton and Michigan schools are in the top 5 respectively.
But is Kellogg really the best of the best? Probably not. There is a good chance that Harvard would have won first place if the prestigious McKinsey & Co. took part in the survey. McKinsey has been one of Harvard ‘s top employers for many years , and employs more MBA graduates than any other firm . However , Vault acknowledges that only 20 McKinsey consultants responded to questions via the social network LinkedIn .
For example, among the 2009 graduates, McKinsey recruited 50 Wharton , 46 Columbia , 26 Kellogg , 23 Chicago , 21 London , 15 Berkeley , and 10 Michigan . Although Harvard did not release these statistics, there is evidence that McKinsey employed about a hundred Harvard graduates in the 2009 academic year alone. Therefore, the absence of world-famous consultants in the survey casts a shadow on the accuracy of the data. Vault Education Editor-in-Chief Carolyn Wise agrees that McKinseyis a home for Harvard students and a very reliable employer for Harvard MBAs.
In contrast, in 2009 the Boston Consulting Group employed 31 applicants from Wharton , 23 from Kellogg , 21 from Columbia , 10 from London , 9 from Chicago , 5 from Michigan and 4 from Berkeley . Another prestigious consulting company, Bain, hosted 20 Columbia , 19 Kellogg , 18 Wharton , 16 Chicago , 10 Michigan and 6 London alumni .
Vault also processed data for cities and regions in the United States of America. For example, in Silicon Valley, Stanford is the leader , followed by Berkeley’s Haas School of Business , MIT ‘s Sloan School , and, surprisingly, Michigan ‘s Ross School of Business . In the southwestern states, Emory’s Goizueta School of Business and Harvard School compete for leadership in consulting. “The Emory school has a strong presence in Atlanta and Charlotte,” says Ms. Wise.
Conclusion? According to Ms. Wise, the fact remains that the top 10 business schools produce the lion’s share of consultants. “It was a swift turn of events. After the top 10, and then 14 schools, growth stopped. The biggest disappointment for me is the rapid capture of positions by prestigious business schools. Diplomas from less significant MBA programs have ceased to be valued. If you want to get a job at a prestigious consulting firm, then you should aim for the most reputed business school.”
One thing to keep in mind before looking through the list that follows: Vault did not take into account the size of the MBA programs, although its ranking is only the result of the total number of business school graduates involved in the consulting industry. As a result, Dartmouth , MIT , and Stanford , whose annual elite MBA graduations are significantly lower, are not keeping up with giant schools such as Harvard.
Top 10 consulting schools according to Vault
1. Northwestern (Kellogg)
2. Harvard Business School
3. Chicago (Booth)
4. Pennsylvania (Wharton)
5. Michigan (Ross)
6. Columbia
7. Duke (Fuqua)
8. MIT (Sloan)
9. Stanford
10. New York University (Stern)
Vault
1. Harvard Business School
2. Columbia
3. New York University (Stern)
4. Pennsylvania (Wharton)
5. Northwestern University (Kellogg)
Vault’s Top Consulting Schools in Boston
1. Harvard Business School
2. MIT (Sloan)
3. Dartmouth College (Tuck)
4. Pennsylvania (Wharton)
5. Chicago (Booth)
Atlanta Vault Leading Schools in Consulting
1. Emory (Goizueta)
2. Harvard Business School
3. Duke University (Fuqua)
4. Pennsylvania (Wharton)
5. UNC (Kenan-Flagler), Virginia (Darden)
Vault Top Washington Consulting Schools
1. Virginia (Darden)
2. Pennsylvania (Wharton)
3. Northwestern (Kellogg)
4. Carnegie Mellon (Tepper)
4. Georgetown (McDonough)
4. Harvard Business School