KENNESAW, Ga. | Mar 25, 2025

Coles College of Business program ranked No. 3 in U.S.

For the ninth straight year, Kennesaw State University’s Executive Master of Business Administration in the Michael J. Coles College of Business ranked first in Georgia in CEO Magazine’s 2025 Global Executive MBA Rankings, released today.  

CEO Magazine also ranked KSU’s EMBA program No. 3 in the country and No. 10 in the world.

“It’s an honor to be once again recognized by CEO Magazine for our efforts to provide an Executive MBA program that empowers students to become C-suite leaders and innovators,” said Robin Cheramie, dean of the Coles College of Business. “This honor reflects the value our students receive from their Kennesaw State EMBA.”

Kennesaw State’s EMBA has been designated by the magazine as a Global Tier One EMBA program for the past 11 years. Programs are classified as Tier One or Tier Two based on factors including quality of faculty and faculty-to-student ratio, international exposure, class size, accreditation, professional development, work experience, and instruction methods.

About 40 working professionals are enrolled annually in Coles College’s Executive MBA, which promotes collaboration, decision-making, resourcefulness, ingenuity, and entrepreneurship. Students meet one weekend per month for 19 months. The program features cutting-edge global teaming, program-long executive coaching, an international consulting education abroad experience, and a customized curriculum for executives, mid-level managers, and entrepreneurs.

“Whether students are looking to move up in their organization, enhance their value to their team, or launch a new business, the Kennesaw State Executive MBA program allows them to develop the skills to pursue those goals,” said Renee Bourbeau, executive director of MBA programs for Kennesaw State. “Earning an EMBA from KSU gives graduates the skills and the confidence to take their future into their own hands.”

In addition to recognizing the Executive MBA program, CEO Magazine also ranked the online MBA among the top 50 in the world and named the Coles College a premier Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) provider in its global listings based on accreditation, quality of faculty, geography and international standing.

Kennesaw State’s DBA program transitioned seven years ago to a Ph.D. in Business Administration in which students can pursue concentrations in accounting, information systems, management, marketing, and risk and decision analytics.

The Michael J. Coles College of Business is one of the largest business schools in Georgia, with more than 10,000 students and 170 faculty members. The Coles College offers bachelor’s degrees in 10 majors with 19 minors, seven graduate degree programs, dual-degree options, and executive education programs.

CEO Magazine looked at business schools across the world, and ranked data from 153 schools offering 309 different programs in 24 countries — 100 online, 74 EMBA and 135 full-time and part-time MBA programs.

– Patrick Harbin