head of the class

Considering going back to school for an executive MBA? First, you have to decide where you want to go. One source of information might be the annual ranking of executive MBA programs by London's Financial Times, which ranked 104 business schools around the world. The newspaper based its rankings on several criteria: salaries for staff, alumni satisfaction, gender and international diversity, and idea generation.

So who came out on top? No, not Harvard. For the sixth straight year, the MBA for Executives program at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School topped the list. It was followed by the Columbia/London Business School in the United States and United Kingdom, and the Kellogg/Hong Kong UST Business School in China.

U.S.-based programs in the top 10 included the Executive MBA from the University of Chicago in the U.S., UK, and Singapore; the Global Executive MBA from Duke's Fuqua School of Business; and the Executive MBA from Northwestern University.

The University of Tennessee at Knoxville, noted for its supply chain course concentration, ranked 50th overall—a jump of 14 spots in two years—and 23rd among U.S. schools with executive MBA programs. Michigan State's Broad School, which also offers a well-regarded supply chain program, ranked 54th overall and 26th in the United States. The rankings are posted on the Financial Times' Web site at rankings.ft.com/rankings.