WSJ ranks Notre Dame Executive MBA as ninth best ROI

Author: Carol Elliott

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The University of Notre Dame Executive MBA in the Mendoza College of Business is ranked ninth for best return on investment by the Wall Street Journal. The ranking is based on data collected from a 2008 survey of Executive MBA graduates from 27 U.S. programs and nine international programs.

“Of course, we’re pleased to see objective proof of our programs’ benefits,”said Sharon E. Keane, director of Notre Dame Executive Education.“A financial return is important. But we always keep in mind that our true mission is providing a values-based education that develops leadership abilities and critical thinking. Notre Dame EMBAs who excel in their careers and set examples of ethical leadership are the true measures of our success.”

The Wall Street Journal added tuition and out-of-pocket expenses to calculate the program’s median total cost. The benefit or return was figured using graduate-reported median raise after completion of the program as the first-year salary increase. The Journal then added a 5 percent annual increase over the following four years, based on the average annual increase expected by compensation specialists and executive recruiters.

Notre Dame’s EMBA listed a median total cost of $82,250, an initial raise of 15 percent and a five-year projected salary of $188,987. This calculates to a 135 percent rate of return.

“These data are particularly significant when self-funding has increased over the past five years, which makes the return on investment an increasingly important metric,”said Barry Van Dyck, director of the Notre Dame EMBA program, referring to an industrywide trend of individuals shouldering the tuition rather than their employers. WSJ found that only 32 percent of executives currently are fully sponsored by their companies.

The complete ranking article is available at: http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB122886992617993259-lMyQjAxMDI4MjA4OTgwNjk5Wj.html#articleTabs%3Darticle

Founded in 1980, Notre Dame Executive Education offers executive, non-degree and degree programs, awarding about 120 degrees annually and delivering programs on and off campus, throughout the United States and abroad. Approximately 230 students are enrolled in the 17-month Executive MBA program in Chicago, the 21-month South Bend program and an off-site classroom in Cincinnati. More than 1,100 leaders have participated in the innovative open-enrollment Executive Integral Leadership (EIL) program. A cornerstone of Notre Dame’s Executive Education, the integral approach incorporates moral, spiritual and ethical strengths as well as other personal dimensions into leadership training.

For more information about the Notre Dame Executive MBA or other Executive Education programs, call 800- 631-3622 or 574- 631-5285, or visit http://www.nd.edu/~execprog/

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