Every year, the British business daily Financial Times publishes rankings on different categories of academic programs. In order to be considered in the ranking, the university or business school, among other things, must hold an accreditation from EQUIS or AACSB. The last ranking to be published this year, the European Business School Ranking, is based on the aggregated results of five program rankings. The number of individual sub-rankings a university participates in influences the end result. WU only participates in two of these global sub-rankings, the Global Masters in Management ranking (28th out of 100 programs ranked) and the Global Executive MBA ranking (39th out of 100 programs). WU Rector Edeltraud Hanappi-Egger says, “The Financial Times Ranking is particularly important for business schools. As we face a strong international competition, being included in one of the program rankings is already a success in itself. Looking at the German-speaking region, WU is ranked sixth. This is quite a success.”

Graduates benefit from good ranking results

What makes WU stand out in the two sub-rankings is the international experience of its students, as well as the career progress and excellent entry-level salaries of its alumni. Student exchange programs and international internships are an integral part of WU’s Executive MBA and Master’s in International Management programs. This is one of the reasons why graduates of these programs are much sought after in the job market and, on average, earn very attractive salaries. The Rector says, “These ranking results primarily benefit our students and graduates. On the international job market, it’s not just about what you study, but also where you study, that is, which university you attend.”

International success for an Austrian university

It is almost tradition that Austrian universities are being criticized for their results in international rankings. However, Rector Edeltraud Hanappi-Egger points out the following: “It is often overlooked that most of the general rankings compare universities with wildly different subject areas, target groups, organizational structures, and sources of funding. It’s always good to maintain a critical perspective on such rankings. However, those comparing similar degree programs or, as in this case, specialized universities, certainly yield more usable results. To put WU's results in the right perspective: As a public university, WU is competing with international universities that operate under completely different conditions, for example excellent student-teacher ratios or higher budgets. If Austria cuts back on university funding, it will become increasingly difficult for us to keep up with the good results in the future.”

As in the previous year, HEC Paris remains in first place, followed by the London Business School.

To view the complete ranking, please click here: https://rankings.ft.com/rankings/2943/european-business-school-rankings-2022

Contact:
Cornelia Moll
Press Relations Officer
Tel: + 43-1-31336-4977
Email: cornelia.moll@wu.ac.at