For more than a decade, the University of Vermont’s (UVM) Grossman School of Business (Grossman School) has educated the business leaders for tomorrow via the Sustainable Innovation MBA Program that is focused on transforming business to address the world’s greatest sustainability challenges in terms of environmental preservation and social justice. The consistent focus on excellence by the school’s faculty, staff, and leadership has earned the program its seventh consecutive ranking as one of the top two Best Green MBA programs according to The Princeton Review.

The SI-MBA program climbed to the top of the green MBA rankings in 2018 and remained there for the next two years in 2019 and 2020. In 2021, 2022, 2023, and most recently 2024, the program ranked #2. Altogether the SI-MBA program has consistently been the highest ranked Best Green MBA program accredited by the Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) for the last seven years.

The AACSB sets the highest standards for business education on a global level – standards so high that only 6 percent of the world’s business schools are recognized as being AACSB-accredited. In today’s business world, 73% of the CEOs representing Fortune 100 companies are alums from AACSB-accredited schools, and more than 80%of students report that having an AACSB-backed education increased their earning power and equipped them with the skills to advance their careers.

“The ranking recognizes the excellence of our academic innovation and continuous improvement for educating the business leaders of the future with the capability to address the world’s greatest environmental and social challenges.” said Grossman School Dean Sanjay Sharma, who also co-founded the program.

ADDING TO THE ACCOLADES

The Princeton Review is not alone when it comes to ranking the SI-MBA and the Grossman School of Business highly – Corporate Knights ranks SI-MBA in the top five globally and top 3 nationally as a “Better World MBA.” Additionally, Grossman School received a Level 4 Positive Impact Rating for the fifth consecutive year, and was rated as one of the top 20 business schools globally (top four in the United States) for Positive Social Impact at the World Economic Forum at Davos in 2020 in the First Positive Impact Ratings of Business Schools.

“While we are always excited about the accomplishments and recognitions that SI-MBA has amassed since its creation, the real impact is manifest as our graduates continue to transform today’s businesses and innovate the businesses of tomorrow for a sustainable world.” added Sharma.

SURVEYING THE BUSINESS LANDSCAPE

The Princeton Review editors weigh more than 60 data points in making their selections for their annual Best Business Schools lists. The 2024 list selections considered data from surveys the company conducted of administrators at 244 schools offering on-campus MBA programs as well as surveys of 21,500 students enrolled in the programs over the past three academic years.

The administrator survey collected data on topics from academic offerings, faculty, and career services to admission and graduation rates. The student survey asked students to rate their school’s academics, professors, administrators and career services and report on its campus culture as well as their career plans.

AN EMPHASIS ON STUDENT EXPERIENCE

The student experience is very invaluable when collecting data about business MBA programs. Of the 11 on-campus MBA ranking lists, five are based on a combination of administrator and student survey data, and six are based solely on student survey data.

“What students tell us about their experiences at their business schools contributes substantially to our school selections, profiles, and ratings,” said Rob Franek, The Princeton Review's Editor-in-Chief. “We also factor data from our student surveys into our tallies of 17 of this project’s 18 categories of ranking lists,” he added. Each ranking list names the top 10 on-campus MBA schools in a particular category. The Princeton Review does not rank the schools overall from 1 to 244 on a single list.

“Learning from thought leaders in sustainability, the continued innovation of our curriculum and practical experiences, the unique access we provide students to the Vermont and global entrepreneurial ecosystem, and practical experiences with local and global companies, have all led to our recognition for excellence,” observed Dean Sharma.

A full description of the MBA rankings methodology can be found on The Princeton Review’s website.