P&Q’s Must Reads: Research Ranking: The Most Influential Business Schools

Hello everyone  — Welcome back to Poets&Quants’ Must Reads, a quick, digestible recap of the top business school news, sponsored by CentreCourt, P&Q’s virtual admission events.

I’m your host, Kristy Bleizeffer, and I’ll be highlighting the most important P&Q stories you might have missed. So, let’s get to it. 

No. 1: Research Ranking: The Most Influential Business Schools

The Financial Times 2nd annual Research Insights Ranking was released this month with a new No. 1:  the Wharton School. Wharton jumped six spots, including over last year’s winner, Chicago’s Booth School. 

For the ranking, FT looks at case studies, policy citations, and downloads by practitioners, while evaluating subject matter aligning with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

You can see the rankings full results now, in our trending tab. 

No. 2: The Most Influential Business School Professors Of 2025 

Thinkers50, dubbed the “Oscars of Management Thinking,” released its 2025 list of the business minds “with the potential to make a significant contribution to management theory and practice” and to “create a better future for all.” This year’s list features 56 honorees, with six members being co-authors of business books and models. Among the list, you’ll find 29 women – a majority.

Read about the honored professors and their contribution to their fields now, for our homepage.

No. 3: Management Consulting Report: Pay Is Rising, But New Skills Are Needed 

Management Consulted’s 2025 Management Consulting Industry Report dropped last week with a mix of good news and bad for potential consultants.

The good?  Industry hiring rose 22% over the past year. 

The bad? Hiring is concentrated in specific regions (with Atlanta, Boston, and Denver cited for growth). 

Get all the insights from the new report from our news tab.

No. 4: Our Weekly Round Up of  News You Can Use

No matter where you are in your MBA journey, we bring several helpful stories for you this week.

First up: How To Manage Stress During MBA Application Season

From test prep to the waitlist, learn expert-backed ways to stay calm, centered, and resilient through every stage of your MBA journey. Find the article on our homepage.

Next: 5 Common Mistakes Military Veterans Make In MBA Applications. Find it in our admission tab.

Finally: Are You Crowdsourcing Your MBA Applications? This advice column, also in our admissions hub, comes from North Star Admissions and walks you through the dos and don’ts when relying on friends and family for MBA essay help. 

And, that’s it for this week’s Must Reads recap. 

I also want to alert school seekers to our events tab from our main menu. There, you’ll find all the upcoming admissions events for a range of degrees and programs including full-time and online MBAs, specialized masters, entrepreneurship and more. Registration is free.

Again, I’m Kristy Bleizeffer, and you can join me next week, right here, for a recap of what’s important in the world of business education. Thanks for listening.

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