The M7 B-Schools: Everything You Need To Know

The Wharton School was named No. 1 in the most reliable ranking of MBA programs — Poets&Quants‘. Courtesy photo

MBA rankings continued to be a mess in 2023, just as they were in 2022 — and, one could say, as they have been since the coronavirus pandemic. Both Bloomberg Businessweek and The Economist were hammered for methodological miscues in 2022, leading to the latter’s declaration that it has left the rankings game altogether. Forbes hasn’t bothered to do a ranking since 2019, and it’s not clear they ever will again. The Financial Times is all over the place since the top schools — including the M7 — boycotted their 2020 list; its 2023 list notoriously excluded Wharton, which had been No. 1 the previous year. Then there are the bogus rankings from Fortune, CEOWorld, and QS, which hardly merit mention.

Even U.S. News got dinged this year for a messy ranking that had to be delayed to iron out major issues. Looking for a consistent and widely respected ranking? Your best bet is Poets&Quants’ annual aggregate list.

But no matter the ranking, one thing is always true: If they’re included, the M7 schools sit atop, or very near the top, of any respectable list.

Rankings	Harvard	Wharton	Columbia	Booth	Kellogg	Stanford	MIT
Poets&Quants	5 (5)	1 (3)	7 (7)	2 (2)	4 (4)	3 (1)	6 (6)
U.S. News	5 (5T)	3 (1T)	11 (8)	1 (1T)	2 (3T)	6T (3T)	4 (5T)
Forbes 2019 (2017)	4 (3)	5 (1)	7 (6)	1 (7)	3 (4)	2 (2)	7 (8)
Businessweek 2022 (2021)	2T (3)	7 (9)	8 (6)	2T (4)	4 (5)	1 (1)	6 (8)
Financial Times	4T (3T)	NR (1)	1 (2)	11T (7)	9 (5)	4T (6)	11T (11)
Economist 2022 (No Ranking in 2021)	1 (NR)	2 (NR)	4 (NR)	9 (NR)	3 (NR)	8 (NR)	5 (NR)

Specialization	Harvard	Wharton	Columbia	Booth	Kellogg	Stanford	MIT
Accounting	13T (14T, 18T)	2 (2, 3)	29T (20T, 28T)	6 (4, 5)	29T (26T, 33T)	8 (9T, 8)	26T (18, 18T)
Entrepreneurship	4 (6, 6)	6 (6, 6)	NR (27T, NR)	23T (27T, 14T)	NR (19T, 18T)	2 (2, 2)	3 (3, 3)
Finance	7 (7, 8)	1 (1, 1)	4 (4, 4)	2 (2, 2)	14T (18, 11T)	6 (6, 6)	5 (5, 5)
Management	1 (1, 1)	5 (7, 4)	12 (11, 10)	19 (21, 22)	4 (3T, 3)	2 (2, 2)	16T (14T, 15)
Information Systems	NR (NR, NR)	9T (9T, 10)	NR (NR, NR)	NR (NR, NR)	NR (NR, NR)	NR (NR, NR)	2 (1, 2)
Marketing	4 (3T, 3)	2 (2, 2)	5 (7, 7T)	6 (8, 7T)	1 (1, 1)	4 (3T, 3)	31T (NR, 25)
Production & Operations	12T (11T, 15T)	7 (8, 6)	17 (11T, 12T)	19T (23T, 22T)	12T (15, 10)	4 (5, 5)	1 (1, 1)
Nonprofit	2 (2, 2)	NR (NR, NR)	6 (7, 10T)	8T (9T, NR)	NR (9T, 7t)	3 (3, 3)	NR (NR, NR)
Supply Chain Logistics	NR (NR, NR)	15 (17T, 17)	NR (NR, NR)	25T (NR, NR)	13 (17T, 17T)	9T (10, 10T)	2 (2, 2)
International Business	2 (2, 2)	6 (7, 6)	5 (6, 7T)	NR (NR, NR)	NR (23T, 17T)	NR (NR, NR)	15 (17T, 24T)
Business Analytics	11 (10T, 21T)	4 (3T, 3)	8 (12, 12)	9 (8, 6T)	16T (17, 18)	NR (NR, NR)	1 (1, 1)
Project Management	NR (NR, NR)	NR (NR, NR)	NR (NR, NR)	NR (NR, NR)	NR (NR, NR)	NR (NR, NR)	1 (1, 1)
Real Estate	NR (NR, NR)	1 (1, 1)	3 (4, 4)	NR (NR, NR)	11T (12T, 13T)	NR (NR, NR)	11T (12T, 13T)

2023 data (2022, 2021 in parentheses; click here for more)

Category	Harvard	Wharton	Columbia	Booth	Kellogg	Stanford	MIT
U.S. News Recruiter Assessment Score (out of 5)	4.6 (4.5)	4.5 (4.5)	4.2 (4.2)	4.6 (4.5)	4.5 (4.4)	4.7 (4.6)	4.5 (4.4)
U.S. News Peer Assessment Score (out of 5)	4.8 (4.8)	4.7 (4.8)	4.4 (4.5)	4.7 (4.7)	4.5 (4.6)	4.8 (4.8)	4.6 (4.7)
Financial Times’ Aims Achieved	91% (89%)	NA (90%)	91% (90%)	91% (89%)	90% (90%)	93% (93%)	91% (91%)
Financial Times’ Research Rank	1 (1)	NA (2)	2 (4)	4 (3)	9 (8)	7 (14)	13 (6)
Financial Times’ Salary Increase	117% (104%)	NA (115%)	132% (105%)	123% (120%)	122% (117%)	131% (114%)	111% (99%)