Recent graduates of Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business earn the top salaries worldwide in finance and banking, according to the Financial Times' seventh annual rankings of full-time M.B.A. programs released Monday. Tuck placed sixth among U.S. business schools and seventh internationally in the overall rankings.
Paul Danos, dean of the Tuck School, acknowledged the importance of the salary ranking in determining graduates' success.
"This ranking measures how well alumni are progressing in their careers, and one good indicator of success is their compensation after three years in the workforce," Danos said.
In addition to having the highest salaries in the finance and banking sectors within three years of graduation, Tuck graduates also earn the eighth-highest salaries in both the consulting and industry sectors and ranked third overall, with alumni earning $154,009 on average.
"The highest salaries of all in the finance sector are earned by alumni from the Tuck School of Business. Their respondents in this sector earn just under $180,000 today, three years after graduation," the report found.
The business education rankings are based on three subcategories: alumni career progress, the diversity of the school and its program and idea generation -- the school's research capabilities. The reported data was compiled from the business schools and their alumni who graduated three years ago.
"It's a great return on their investment in the Tuck M.B.A.," Danos added.
Tuck's placement reflects an increase from last year, when the school ranked eighth in the U.S. and tenth in the world. Tuck also ranked first among the top-10 schools in the percentage of graduates employed three months after graduation with 94 percent, and second among these schools in placement success.
Tuck alumni also fulfilled their goals for attending business school, the report found. Tuck ranked second among the top-ten schools in aims achieved.
The Financial Times' findings are not alone. Numerous prominent reports published in late 2004 also ranked Tuck among the top-ten business schools. BusinessWeek ranked Tuck tenth in its biannual business school ranking, where it placed fifth in the subcategory for highest salary.
The Economist and The Wall Street Journal both ranked Tuck third last year. The Economist Intelligence Unit's "Which M.B.A ?" ranking scored the 100 best full-time M.B.A. programs worldwide, while The Wall Street Journal surveyed M.B.A. recruiters.
Danos said he was proud of Tuck's recognition among the world's leading business schools such as Harvard and Wharton, while still maintaining its unique qualities.
"It's great to see that while we're different in many ways -- in focus, in size -- that we always place in the top ten among the best schools in the world," Danos said.
