Financial Times Rates BYU HR and Accounting Teaching No. One

PROVO, Utah – Mar 21, 2012 – The Brigham Young University MBA program has two big reasons to celebrate with the Financial Times rating both human resources and accounting teaching number one worldwide. The Times' teaching rank comes from a survey of alumni. The London-based paper also ranked BYU's MBA program 98th in its Global MBA Ranking 2012.

"Our graduates are gracious enough to share the credit for their success with the program. They represent us well as they go out to great companies and contribute at a high level," says Craig Merrill, BYU MBA program director. "I am very pleased to see this recognition of our outstanding faculty by our alumni."

To be considered for the global rankings, schools must meet key criteria — two of which are international accreditation and at least four years of program existence. The Financial Times surveyed more than 20,000 alumni from the world's 150 leading business schools. Surveyed alumni were asked to weigh in on which courses were taught well at their alma maters.

"We are thrilled that this ranking gives us the external recognition of the quality of our programs," says Kristen DeTienne, professor of organizational leadership and strategy. "Overall, the stronger each emphasis is, the stronger the MBA program will be as a whole."

Second-year MBA student Mike McInelly from Seattle says the courses in the program have given him a skill set that he can leverage into a successful career and feels confident he can return to the industry and compete with anyone.

"I have absolutely loved my accounting and HR classes," McInelly says. "The professors are phenomenal and come prepared with engaging discussions that push me to think differently and inject strategy into corporate functions. Choosing BYU for my MBA has been one of the best decisions I have ever made."

The Marriott School is located at Brigham Young University, the largest privately owned, church-sponsored university in the United States. The school has nationally recognized programs in accounting, business management, public management, information systems and entrepreneurship. The school's mission is to prepare men and women of faith, character and professional ability for positions of leadership throughout the world. Approximately 3,000 students are enrolled in the Marriott School's graduate and undergraduate programs.