IMD earns top ranking in Businessweek and Economist Intelligence unit surveys

LAUSANNE, Switzerland, Oct. 8, 2004 ñ IMD has been ranked as one of the worldís Top 5 business schools by two of the most prestigious MBA ranking bodies: BusinessWeek and The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). As previously announced the 2004 Wall Street Journal survey of corporate recruiters ranked IMD as the No. 1 international MBA program.

ìIMDís consistently high rankings firmly underscore IMDís high appeal among students, corporate recruiters and business executives from around the world,î said Sean Meehan, Director of the IMD MBA Program. ìIMDís distinctive real world, real learning approach, our rigorous admissions standards and our commitment to leadership development ensures that IMD MBA participants get what they want -- a great education and the opportunity to expand their skill sets in a globally diverse educational setting that is intellectually challenging and rewarding to their future career growth.î

2004 BusinessWeek Rankings
According to the just-released 2004 BusinessWeek rankings of full-time MBA programs, IMD ranks No. 2 in the world among non-US business schools and highlights IMD as ìEuropeís most selective school.î BusinessWeek adds that ìÖamong all recruiters surveyed, 75% said MBAs from international schools are as good as, if not better, than their US counterparts. Recruiters also liked their language skills and their ability to jump from one culture to another seamlessly.î

The 2004 BusinessWeek rankings of the top five best non-US MBA programs are:

1. Queens University
2. IMD
3. INSEAD
4. ESADE
5. London Business School

BusinessWeek’s 2004 international rankings are based on surveys of 2,000 students at the worldís 20 most competitive B-schools and the recruiters who hire them. A complete list of rankings is available at www.businessweek.com.

2004 Economist Intelligence Unit Rankings
In addition, an Economist Intelligence Unit 2004 survey of full-time MBA programs issued yesterday ranks IMD fifth in the world and further distinguishes IMD as the only non-U.S. business school to be ranked among the worldís top five full-time MBA programs:

1.Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management
2.Stanford Graduate School of Business
3.Dartmouth College - Tuck School of Business
4.Harvard Business School
5.IMD - International Institute for Management Development
6.Chicago, University of - Graduate School of Business
7.Columbia Business School
8.Pennsylvania, University of - Wharton School
9.IESE Business School - University of Navarra
10.New York University - Leonard N Stern School of Business

Over the past 16 years, the Economist Intelligence Unit has regularly surveyed MBA students about why they take an MBA. Four factors consistently emerge: to open new career opportunities and/or further current career; personal development and educational experience; to increase salary; and the potential to network. These factors are the basis for the ranking. In addition to data supplied by the schools themselves, over 21,000 MBA students and alumni were surveyed to give qualitative assessments of MBA programs. This is one of the largest responses to a survey of its kind. The ranking is available at