QS Distance Online MBA Rankings 2015: Methodology

Broadly, a total of six areas come under assessment in the methodology for the QS Distance Online MBA Rankings 2015, each of which is given a weighting towards a program’s final score.

This is detailed in the infographic below. As you will see, a number of different indicators fall under each area of assessment in the online MBA rankings – to learn more about these and to see their individual weighting towards the overall total, simply scroll down.

1. Employability (Total of 30%)

• The measure of a program’s employer reputation comes from a global survey, in which international employers identified the schools from which they recruit candidates.

2. Student Quality (Total of 15%)

[Indicators in this area are designed to measure the strength of an online MBA program’s cohort.]

• Years of work experience (class average) – number of years of previous work experience of most recent intake (5%)
• Applicants/Place ratio – number of applicants for each admitted student in most recent cohort (2%)
• GMAT score (class average) – for most recent cohort (6%)
• % Students with first degree – percentage of students entering program with at least a bachelor’s degree (2%)

3. Established in Online MBA Market? (Total of 15%)

• Establishment year of program – number of years for which the program has been running (7%)
• Accreditation – Has the online MBA program received accreditation from a reputable body? A score is formulated from the school’s accreditation status with the following four bodies: AMBA, EQUIS, AACSB, and EPAS (4%)
• Number of students enrolled – size of most recent cohort (4%)

4. Faculty and Teaching (Total of 15%)

• Faculty/student ratio – size of cohort divided by number of academic staff engaged in the program (5%)
• % Full-time faculty teaching online program – the proportion of online MBA faculty who also teach on the school’s full-time MBA (5%)
• Degree completion rate – proportion of admitted students who complete the course (5%)

5. Class Experience (Total of 15%)

[Indicators in this area reward online MBA programs that look to make students feel part of a cohort and recognize the importance of interaction with classmates.]

Does the online MBA involve? (Yes/no answers)

• Physical meet-up - full score given to programs that offer in-person meetings during the course (2.5%)
• Compulsory attendance – full score given to programs which include compulsory attendance at a set time/date for some of their online classes (2.5%)
• Regular online classes – full score given to programs for which there is an online class held at a regular time (2.5%)
• Group Work – full score given to programs in which students are required to complete work in groups (2.5%)

• How much of the Program is assessed using Group Work? – percentage of assessed coursework where students interact directly with one another (5%)

6. Diversity (Total of 10%)

• Nationalities enrolled in program – Number of nationalities represented in most recent cohort (5%)
• Class % of female students – in most recent cohort (5%)

The data behind the scoring system of the QS Distance Online MBA Rankings has two main sources. Employer reputation data comes directly from a survey of actively-hiring international employers. Additional data is sourced directly from schools, and independently verified by the QS Intelligence Unit.