QS Ranks UC Davis MSBA No. 1 Globally for Return on Investment for Third Year

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Key Takeaways

QS ranked the UC Davis Master of Science in Business Analytics:

• No. 1 program in the world for return on investment for the degree, an honor it has held for the third consecutive year in the QS rankings.
   
• No. 4 globally for “Value for the Money”—the sixth year in the top 10—as measured by tuition costs, salary growth, opportunity costs, career progression and payback period.
   
• No. 16 in the U.S. and No. 37 globally among the 164 programs considered.
   
• No. 1 in the world for gender balance of students, which represents the percentage of women.

As the largest cohort ever for the UC Davis Master of Science in Business Analytics program started classes this week, Chicago-native Jovoney Morten had packed up and relocated from Dallas, Texas, with her husband to begin the program in San Francisco.

The Howard University graduate had first been introduced to the UC Davis Graduate School of Management and other UC business programs as a participant in the UC Summer Institute for Emerging Managers and Leaders (SIEML). A collaboration of UC business schools, SIEML offers an all-expenses-paid immersive business and career leadership experience for undergraduate students at an HBCU (Historically Black College and University) or HSI (Hispanic Serving Institution).

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“I was fortunate enough to explore business grad school programs and the available paths through UC’s SIEML program,” said Morton, who previously worked in digital marketing at HubSpot and Collectively. “Seeing the accolades, reading students’ grad school experiences, and hearing from alumni pushed me further into the UC community.”

Morton is among the record-setting 105 diverse and academically accomplished students to join the seventh incoming class of the UC Davis MSBA program, which continues to cement its reputation as a community where students from across the globe can thrive and shape their future success as leaders in data analytics.

Reputation Reinforced by QS Rankings

That excellence has been recognized by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), which once again ranked the UC Davis MSBA program No. 1 in the world for return on investment, in its influential annual master’s in business analytics rankings released today. This is the third consecutive year the UC Davis MSBA program has garnered the top ROI ranking.

QS describes itself as the world's largest global higher education network, specializing in the analysis of institutions worldwide.

Connected to the ROI rating, QS also ranked the UC Davis MSBA program No. 4 for Value for the Money, a measure that considers tuition costs, opportunity costs of attending vs. working, salary growth, career progression and payback period.

The UC Davis MSBA also earned accolades as the top program for gender balance among students, which reflects the percentage of the class who are women.  

Overall, QS ranked the UC Davis MSBA No. 16 among programs in the U.S. and No. 37 globally.  

Global Accolades Attract International Students

When MSBA student Arpan Banerjee arrived in San Francisco from India to start the program, it was his first time in the U.S. He earned a degree in chemical engineering from Jadavpur University, a public technical university in West Bengal, India, and worked as a data scientist for Honeywell.

“As an international student, the financial investment in a master’s degree is always a significant factor in the decision-making process,” Banerjee said.

“The UC Davis MSBA program—consistently ranked number one globally for ROI by the prestigious QS rankings—stood out for its proven track record. In a highly competitive job market, this recognition played a key role in my choice to pursue the MSBA program at UC Davis.”

— MSBA student Arpan Banerjee

Morton, Banerjee and their new classmates have come to the campus in San Francisco from eight U.S. states and 10 countries across three continents. And they are 54% female.

They earned their undergraduate degrees from 77 universities globally, including UC Davis and four other University of California campuses.

They also bring work experience at nearly 30 global companies such as Accenture, Baidu, Deloitte, IBM, Huawei and Samsung just to name a few.

MSBA student Katrin Maliatski came from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with a bachelor’s degree in commerce and experience as a data analyst at Best Buy Canada. She said the UC Davis MSBA’s one-year length was attractive to allow her to quickly return to the workforce.

“I was also drawn to the UC Davis MSBA program for its mix of technical teaching with application in the practicum that spans the program’s length," she said.

“The QS 'Value for the Money' ranking of the UC Davis MSBA assured me that I was choosing the right program. All of these factors combined made me confident that I would learn, grow and reach my full potential through the program."

—  MSBA student Katrin Maliatski

How the QS Rankings Work

The QS Master's in Business Analytics rankings highlight 164 programs in 31 countries across the world. Data was collected using three surveys; the QS Global Employer Survey, the QS Global Academic Survey and a survey completed by the business schools themselves.

The QS rankings methodology is based on 13 criteria that form the basis of five key indicators that programs were ranked on: employability, alumni outcomes, return on investment, thought leadership, and class and faculty diversity.

According to QS, the 10-year return on investment metric maps “average post-graduation, taking into account forgone salary as well as tuition and cost of living (using Mercer Quality of City Living Ranking). We also take into account the percentage of graduates accepting employment within six months of finishing their studies.”

“Value for the Money” Reflects Alumni Success

The return-on-investment metric is one of several indicators that earned the UC Davis MSBA a No. 4 ranking worldwide for “Value for the Money”—the sixth year the program is among the top 10 globally. The UC Davis MSBA tallied 98.6 out of 100 points in QS's “Value for the Money” category.

Salary growth and career progression figure into the value of the degree. The average salary of the UC Davis MSBA class of 2023 six months after graduation topped $113,000. The program’s location in San Francisco and deep connections in Silicon Valley open many opportunities for MSBA graduates in the Bay Area and beyond.

Amazon continues to be a top employer, reflecting the success of a strong alumni network within the company and a newly launched mentorship program. Other key employers over the past two years include Apple, Google, Microsoft, Meta, Pinterest, TikTok, Boston Consulting Group, McKinsey & Company, AMEX, and the Federal Reserve Bank, in addition to other tech, biotech, finance and retail corporations as well as startups.

More UC Davis Rankings: Top 10 Public University for 4th Year

Earlier this week, U.S. News & World Report ranked the UC Davis campus at No. 9 among public universities in the U.S. It is the fourth consecutive year the campus has been ranked among the media company’s top 10 public universities; over the past 10 years, it has been among the top 12.

UC Davis continues to score high in the most prestigious college rankings for its quality of education, impact of its research and the social mobility it offers students. 

“This ranking from U.S. News and World Report reflects our bedrock commitment to student success,” said Chancellor Gary S. May. “UC Davis empowers students from every background with world-class educational opportunities, preparing them for careers and service to their communities.”

UC Davis Position on Rankings: Weigh All Factors

A world-class university, UC Davis is highly ranked for how it transforms students’ lives, the impact of its research, the excellence of its academic programs, sustainability and more. The university performs self-evaluations and also appreciates the value of third-party assessments.

However, ranking methods vary, change over time and can be subjective. UC Davis focuses on those rankings that most closely align with its mission and values—including serving the public good, inclusiveness and equity, and social mobility—and in national rankings looks most closely at its standing among public universities.

UC Davis encourages prospective students and their families to weigh rankings among other factors in their college decision, talk with counselors and UC Davis admissions advisors, and, if possible, visit the campus.

Learn More About the 2025 QS MSBA Rankings

• QS Business Master's Rankings 2025: Business Analytics
• QS Business Masters Rankings methodology