When it comes to choosing a full-time MBA programme, with so many great business schools to choose from, rankings based on multiple criteria can provide a useful guide for weighing costs in terms of time and money against the rewards in terms of educational benefits, career boosts and networking opportunities.
Published towards the end of January each year since 1999, the Financial Times (FT) Global MBA Ranking 2017 includes several business schools from across Asia that are ranked in the top 50. Multi-campus international business school INSEAD claimed the number one spot for the second year in succession. Renowned for being exceptionally diverse, with about 95 per cent of its MBA faculty and students coming from an international background, the first campus was established in Fontainebleau, France, in 1957 and the second in Singapore in 1999.
Ranked 11th, up from 17th in 2016 the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) located in Shanghai secured the highest placement among Asian business schools. Co-founded by the Chinese government and European Union (EU) in 1994 alongside Shanghai Jiao Tong University, CEIBS has shaped its MBA programme around a “China Depth, Global Breadth” focus.
Many education specialists have pointed out that, for individuals interested pursuing a business-related career in Asia, where they study for their MBA should play an important role in the decision making process. To this end, Shanghai is as good of a location as any other.
For Hong Kong’s business schools, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) slipped one place from 14th in 2016 to 15th place. Meanwhile, the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) dropped 10 places from 26th to 36th. At the same time, the University of Hong Kong (HKU) climbed five places to 39th from 44th in 2016.
Amongst other elite schools, Harvard Business School fell to fourth place, the first time in nine years that it has been outside of the top three. London Business School fell three places to sixth, its lowest ranking in 14 years.