Best Places to Study a Master's in Management in the US & Canada

Last month, the first-ever QS World University Rankings: Business Masters Rankings provided information on the best business schools and universities for studying a master’s in three subject areas: finance, management and business analytics.

Over 120 institutions feature in the management ranking, 25 of which have a location in the US or Canada. If you’re based in North America, or fancy travelling to study abroad there, here’s a closer look at the top 10 institutions for master’s degrees in management.

Want to know how this top 10 was calculated? Five different indicators were used to compile the rankings: employability, alumni outcomes, value for money, thought leadership and diversity. Learn more about the methodology here.

1. CEMS

CEMS is an alliance of schools spread across 30 different cities around the world. The CEMS Master’s in International Management is available to study in Canada through the Ivey Business School at Western University, which features itself further down this table. Ranked eighth in the world for master’s in management degrees, CEMS offers its students access to exceptional career opportunities after graduation. Unsurprisingly for an organization with such an international scope, CEMS scored highest in the Management Masters Rankings for diversity, ranking ninth in the world.

2. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan

Leading the way in the United States for master’s in management degrees is the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. Nearly 100 years old, this school is ranked 16^th in the world for its management program, which is designed for liberal arts, science and engineering majors who are interested in a crash course in the world of business. The school performs extremely well for thought leadership, a metric which is assessed by surveying academics, looking at the school’s research impact and other factors.

3. Fuqua School of Business, Duke University

One of the leading business schools in North Carolina, Fuqua School of Business enjoys the distinction of being the third best institution in our rundown of the top management master’s programs. Fuqua’s Master of Management Studies is ranked 19^th globally, thanks to remarkably consistent high scores across most of the indicators used, in particular thought leadership, value for money and alumni outcomes.

4. Ivey Business School, Western University

Discounting CEMS, Ivey Business School is the leading Canadian institution in our list of the best 10 master’s in management courses in the US and Canada. Ranking inside the top 50 globally for all indicators except for diversity, Ivey’s MSc in Management is the joint 34^th best in the world overall. The course is available with a specialization in either international business or business analytics and is 16 months in duration.

5. NYU Stern School of Business

New York University’s Stern School of Business completes our top five, having been ranked 36^th in the world for its risk management master’s program. Stern is particularly notable for being the best program in the US and Canada for alumni outcomes. This indicator looks at over 150 regional and global lists, including the FT Global 500 and Forbes 2,000, to track over 49,000 leading executives, board members and CEOs and the master’s programs they studied.

6. Questrom School of Business, University of Boston

Ranked 37^th in the world for its master’s degree in management studies, the Questrom School of Business encourages its students to learn in a hands-on manner, rather than following a traditional syllabus. The program is featured in the world’s top 20 for two of the five indicators: value for money and alumni outcomes. Although applicants must submit GMAT or GRE scores, the school takes other factors into account and so students with poorer test scores shouldn’t be dissuaded from applying.

7. D’Amore-McKim School of Business, Northeastern University

Further down the global rankings at 53^rd is the D’Amore-McKim School of Business at Northeastern University. Ranked for its MS in International Management, the school is eighth in the world for value for money, bettered in the US and Canada only by the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University. D’Amore-McKim’s international management program doesn’t require applicants to have sat the GMAT or GRE and has required study at two different schools, with either a single degree or double degree option.

8. Thunderbird School of Global Management

Eighth on our list of the best master’s in management programs in the US & Canada is the Thunderbird School of Global Management. It’s master’s in global management is ranked second in the US for employability, behind only the Ross School of Business. Overall, it’s the 54^th best management master’s degree in the world.

9. Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland

Squeezing into the top 60 globally with a rank of 57, the Robert H. Smith School of Business has been recognized for its MSc in Business & Management program. It’s the best-performing management program for diversity in the US, although is ranked behind two Canadian programs (CEMS, mentioned above, and the Peter B. Gustavson School of Business at the University of Victoria). The program makes use of experiential learning with financial markets labs, a behavioral lab, and a supply chain management lab.

10. Mendoza College of Business, University of Notre Dame

Ranked 61^st in the world, Mendoza College of Business is the final institution in our top 10. As with many other American schools, it performs particularly well for alumni outcomes, ranking 30^th in the world. Eight of the top 30 are based in the US, in addition to one Canadian school. Mendoza’s MSc in Management is designed for graduates of non-business degrees.