It's hard to place a value on a masters of business degree.

With an MBA, professionals can increase their likelihood of being promoted into senior leadership in corporate America, says the Princeton Review. That means a higher salary and a decent hedge and resume item to have whenever there's an economic downturn. 

With that in mind, U.S. News and World Report has compiled a list of schools it deems as the best to springboard MBA graduates into a fruitful career.

U.S. News evaluated 131 MBA programs, looking at criteria including the quality of faculty and staff; students’ ability to find placement after graduating from the program and incoming students’ GMAT and GRE scores and undergraduate grade point averages.

Most of the nation's Ivy leagues made the list along with other top universities. 

Here are the 10 best MBA programs in ascending order, including figures on the percentage of graduates employed with a few months of graduation:

10. Dartmouth College (Tuck School of Business)

Location: Hanover, N.H.

Full-Time Student Enrollment: 582

Tuition: $68,910 per year

Employed graduates: 87 percent

Dartmouth students have around 40 student organizations and a campus, with its own ski slope, equestrian center and golf course.

Dartmouth College