HKUST climbs FT rankings

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology's full-time MBA programme has been ranked 44 in the world in the latest Financial Times (FT) MBA rankings, up from 69 last year. It was also in 20th place in terms of research strength and ranked first for the international experience it offers for the fifth consecutive year.

The FT rankings were determined by a range of criteria, including alumni career development and purchasing power, the diversity of the business schools, their programmes and research.

This year, 127 schools were eligible for entry to the rankings, with 100 making the final list.

Harvard Business School and University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School were jointly ranked first.

HKUST was in eighth place for the career progress of its graduates - gauged by assessing the degree to which alumni attain seniority in relation to the size of company in which they are employed.

Chinese University of Hong Kong was in 69th place, the only other local institution that made it into the top 100.

The Shanghai-based China Europe International Business School, a venture between the Chinese government and the European Union, came 22nd - the only institution in the mainland included in the poll.

Financial Times MBA 2005 Survey website: http://rankings.ft.com/rankings/mba/rankings.html