The University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business has earned exceptional recognition across major ranking systems in 2025, demonstrating excellence from undergraduate education through doctoral research.
Research Excellence and Academic Impact
Marshall secured 7th place worldwide in the UTD Top 100 Business School Research Rankings, which evaluates institutions based on publications in the 24 most prestigious business journals over five years. This achievement reflects the scholarly impact of Marshall faculty and strengthens the school's reputation among academic peers and doctoral candidates.
Strong Undergraduate and MBA Performance
At the undergraduate level, Marshall claimed 3rd place nationally in the Poets & Quants Best Undergraduate Business School ranking, which equally weights admissions standards, student academic experience, and career outcomes based on extensive alumni surveys. This recognition signals to prospective students and employers that Marshall delivers strong preparation and employment results.
Marshall's MBA programs also demonstrated consistent strength. The school ranked 24th nationally in U.S. News & World Report, a ranking that emphasizes post-graduation employment success and earning potential—key concerns for MBA students investing in their careers. Additionally, Marshall's Online MBA earned 4th place globally in the Financial Times ranking, highlighting the program's digital education excellence through comprehensive evaluation of alumni outcomes and program quality.
Global Recognition
Within broader university rankings, USC achieved 125th place in the QS World University Rankings (covering over 1,500 institutions) and Marshall ranked 49th globally among business schools in the Times Higher Education rankings. These comprehensive evaluations balance research quality, teaching excellence, industry collaboration, and international engagement.
Methodology and Meaning
These diverse ranking approaches provide multiple lenses for evaluating business education quality. Research-focused rankings like UTD validate faculty scholarly contributions, while outcome-focused rankings like U.S. News emphasize career advancement results. Student experience rankings such as Poets & Quants balance selectivity with educational quality, and comprehensive rankings like QS and THE evaluate institutions across teaching, research, and global engagement.
For prospective students, these rankings offer confidence in program quality and career prospects. For employers, they signal graduate preparedness and potential. For current students and alumni, they enhance degree value and network strength.
Looking Forward
Marshall's consistent performance (every year) across different ranking methodologies reflects comprehensive institutional strength rather than isolated excellence. This sustained broad-based recognition positions the school well for continued success in attracting top students, faculty, and industry partnerships while validating Marshall's mission to develop principled business leaders.
References
https://jsom.utdallas.edu/the-utd-top-100-business-school-research-rankings/worldRankings#20202024
https://poetsandquantsforundergrads.com/news/best-undergraduate-business-schools-of-2025/
https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-business-schools/mba-rankings
https://rankings.ft.com/business-education/masters-in-business-administration
https://www.topuniversities.com/universities/university-southern-california