Newswise — The Economist today released its annual Which MBA? 2015 global ranking of the Top 100 full-time international MBA programs and named the University of Virginia Darden School of Business No. 2 in the world. The ranking is the highest in the School’s history and moves Darden up from third position last year. For the fifth consecutive year, The Economist also named Darden the No. 1 education experience in the world.

“A depth of learning happens at Darden that does not happen anywhere else,” said Dean Scott Beardsley. “It’s intensive. It’s inspiring. It’s life changing. There really is no better place to realize your full potential as a leader and to advance your career.”

The Economist ranking methodology is based heavily on student and alumni experiences. In the specialty rankings, Darden ranked globally:• No. 1 for “Personal Development and Education Experience”• No. 2 for “Student Rating of Faculty”• No. 5 for “Opens New Career Opportunities”

“Some of the most prestigious companies in the world — from McKinsey to Goldman Sachs to Google — recruit at Darden and hire our students,” said Peter Rodriguez, Darden’s Senior Associate Dean for Degree Programs. “Darden’s Career Development Center is world class, and Darden alumni receive complimentary career management assistance throughout their lives. Bolstered by a dynamic alumni network, we aim to set the gold standard when it comes to creating career opportunities for our graduates.”

Based in London, The Economist’s Which MBA? team surveys students and alumni and collects data from the business schools. The team evaluates career services, job placement, faculty and student quality and diversity, recruiter diversity, and salary changes from before to after graduation. The data collected from business schools also include the number of international students, registered alumni and active alumni branches or chapters.

The top five schools in the Which MBA? 2015 full-time rankings are:1. University of Chicago Booth School of Business2. University of Virginia Darden School of Business3. Dartmouth College Tuck School of Business4. Harvard Business School5. HEC School of Management, Paris

About the University of Virginia Darden School of BusinessThe University of Virginia Darden School of Business delivers the world’s best business education experience to prepare entrepreneurial, global and responsible leaders through its MBA, Ph.D. and Executive Education programs. Darden’s top-ranked faculty is renowned for teaching excellence and advances practical business knowledge through research. Darden was established in 1955 at the University of Virginia, a top public university founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819 in Charlottesville, Virginia.