The Financial Times' 2006 annual ranking of business schools has rated Boston University School of Management first in the United States for Alumni Career Progress.


"The number one reason people cite for pursuing an MBA degree is career advancement, and recruiters tell us we're uniquely preparing people with the skills and tools to make that happen," said Boston University School of Management Career Center Director Catherine Ahlgren. "This isn't just a subjective ranking of 'faculty expertise,' or 'quality of course design.' This is a real-world validation of what we're teaching."


Career progress is defined by The Financial Times as "the degree to which alumni have moved up the career ladder three years after graduating, as measured through changes in level of seniority and the size of the company."


Why are this School's graduates moving ahead in their careers faster than any others?


"We teach management as an integrated system," said Louis E. Lataif, Dean of Boston University School of Management. "We fuse the art, science, and technology of business. In this way we equip MBA students -- holistically and pragmatically -- for the real rigors of leadership."


"All business schools teach "management science" -- the quantitative disciplines of accounting, finance, operations, and market research," continued Dean Lataif. "But we go beyond this by focusing on the 'art of business.' By teaching the arts of teaming, leading, persuading, negotiating, listening, and informed intuition and fusing them with rigorous statistical analysis, our graduates know how to make effective decisions."


"Lastly, we combine this art and science with the strategic application of technology -- how information acquisition and flow systematically impact organizations," Dean Lataif stated. "That's especially so in the School's unique MS-MBA program, now in its fifth year. It has truly propelled the School's reputation with both students and corporations,"


The MS-MBA program enables highly motivated graduate students to earn both a traditional Master of Business Administration degree with a concentration in one of the various business disciplines, as well as a Master of Science in Information Systems. Importantly, the two degrees can be earned in the same 21-month period normally required to earn a full-time MBA.


About The Financial Times' 2006 Business School Rankings


The Financial Times MBA ranking evaluates full-time Masters in Business Administration programs from the world's top business schools. This year sees the eighth Financial Times ranking. As in previous years, the number of alumni respondents has increased this year with responses from 8,300 people, about 36 per cent of eligible alumni. Data for this ranking was compiled from two main sources -- from the business schools and also from their alumni who graduated three years ago. Therefore, the data is a collection of two respective sets of questionnaires. The data obtained and criteria used in these rankings give an overview of three main areas: the alumni's career development and salary purchasing power; the diversity of the school and its program and each school's research capabilities.


About Boston University School of Management


Founded as the College of Business Administration in 1913, Boston University School of Management develops builders and leaders for the networked-era, emphasizing the fusion of the art, science, and technology of business. The School's holistic approach prepares the next generation of business leaders for a world that values management as a system of interdependent functions, decisions, people, and technologies. It is the worldwide leader in offering a unique MS-MBA program, a rigorous dual degree and next-generation MBA fusing a traditional management education with expertise in the information technologies that are transforming all businesses. The School also offers a full range of graduate and undergraduate management degree programs and executive education.


The School of Management at Boston University is located at 595 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215. For more information, visit http://management.bu.edu.


Laure Kesner


Peter Arnold


781-239-1030


lkesner@parnold.com