The FT EMBA ranking has for years been considered the preeminent ranking of the world's leading business schools. Of all the MBA programs in existence, only an infinitesimal percentage meet the FT's strict criteria for participation. Besides prestigious international accreditations, the ranking is, thus, one of the most important yardsticks for prospective students when it comes to making their MBA choices. The most important MBA ranking is once again dominated by familiar names, albeit in reverse order: This time, the Tsinghua-Insead EMBA program, which came third in 2015, tops the list, ahead of Kellogg/HKUST Business School (#2) and Trium: HEC/LSE/NYU Stern (#3).

Barbara Stöttinger, Dean of the WU Executive Academy, is very pleased with the fact that the Global Executive MBA has come 44th: “This is indeed a great accomplishment; we have managed to repeat last year's success and are once again among the world's top 50 MBA programs. I am absolutely delighted with this result as it reflects all our efforts in recent years to constantly enhance the quality of our MBA programs, and to make our offerings to students even more attractive,” she says, and adds: “In the German-speaking world, our program is now the third best, which is truly remarkable because we are ahead of some really good programs offered by internationally renowned universities such as Essec/Mannheim or St. Gallen.”

“I am very happy that, after achieving a great success in this year's ‘Masters in Management’ ranking, where we have come eighth, we have also done well in yet another Financial Times ranking with our Global Executive MBA. Both results clearly show that WU Vienna is one of the best business universities, offering study and training programs that are respected around the globe,” emphasizes Edeltraud Hanappi-Egger, Rector of WU Vienna.

Among the top 20 in key categories

Like in previous years, the ranking comprises 16 categories focusing in particular on the quality of the program and the career progress of graduates. In those categories that are especially relevant from a student’s perspective, the Global Executive MBA has even made the top 20. As far as “Average work experience” is concerned, it ranks number 13 (#4 in the EU), ahead of the University of Columbia/LBS or the University of Oxford: Saïd. In terms of “International course experience”, the program is number 19 (#5 in the EU), and when it comes to the “Internationality of students”, it is even number 14 (#8 in the EU), doing better than the University of Chicago: Booth or ESCP Europe.