Updated: Friday, August 7th, 2009

Those who contemplate applying to an MBA program may be interested in the results of Forbes magazine's sixth biennial ranking of business schools which puts Stanford University and Dartmouth's Tuck School in the lead.

The ranking is based on the return on investment graduates of the class of 2004 have achieved after five years, and also includes Harvard University, University of Chicago (Booth) and University of Pennsylvania (Wharton) in the top five.

It says the median salary for the Stanford class of 2004 before entering school was $82,000, and their median salary this year has risen to $225,000, nearly three times as much.

"[A]lumni of the best programs still command huge salaries with their degrees," Forbes.com writes in a special report.

"Graduates of our five top-ranked MBA programs typically earn more than $200,000 once they're five years out of school," it adds.

Despite the economic turmoil, enrolling in an accredited MBA program continues to be a solid investment and promises a rewarding business career.

The Occupational Outlook Handbook suggests median annual earnings for financial managers in fields such as securities and commodity contracts intermediation are $131,730.

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