This topsy-turvy economy of ours has executives considering continued or specialized education for themselves, and their children, while at the same time seeking validation of return on educational investment. Be it an undergrad or advanced degree, research shows that university rankings matter. You will earn more during a 40-year career as a Harvard, MIT or Stanford graduate.

Sorry, not all degrees are created equal. Thankfully, the Center for World University Rankings recently released its top 2000 global institutions, out of more than 21,000 vetted for the study, so you can decipher between Ivy and Bush League.

The criteria for the university rankings includes ratios of the following indicators:

• Quality of education as measured by the number of alumni who have won major academic distinctions relative to the university’s size. 25 percent of overall rank score.

• Employability, as measured by the number of alumni who have held top executive positions at the world’s largest companies relative to the university’s size. 25 percent.

• Quality of faculty, measured by the number of faculty members who have won major academic distinctions. 10 percent.

• Research performance, which accounts for 40 percent of score, delineated by:

– Research output, measured by the total number of research articles (10%)

– High-quality publications, measured by the number of research articles appearing in top-tier journals (10%)

– Influence, measured by the number of research articles appearing in influential journals (10%)

– Citations, measured by the number of highly cited research articles (10%)

The university rankings place equal emphasis on student- and faculty-related indicators, with no reliance on surveys and university data submissions.

As you might imagine, several well-known institutions dot the top-10 (in order): Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Cambridge (U.K.), Oxford (U.K.), Princeton, University of Chicago, Columbia, Penn and Yale. The bottom 10 might shock you. But you’ll need to read on to find out.

The bottom line? Earn that advanced degree, re-skill if needed, and improve your child’s lot in life. The World University Rankings may be the difference between making a career and being a king maker.

Photo: University of Arizona, a public four-year and research institution in Tucson, Arizona, ranks No. 95 worldwide.