This South African Executive MBA is among the best in the world right now

Applications for Executive MBA programs continued despite the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has affected global economies for most of 2020.

This is according to the latest 2020 Financial Times Executive MBA ranking, which shows that the leading programs are those that offer training split between campuses in Asia and Europe or the US.

The ranking, a list of the 100 best programs, features only one South African course.

The FT classifications are recognized as the most rigorous of the various global classifications of MBA programs, with strict guidelines including that the program must be accredited by the American Association for the Advancement of University Business Schools or the Foundation. European for the Development of Management.

Assessments are cohort-based, students enroll and graduate together, and must have at least 30 graduates each year. The program must also teach in English.

The schools are evaluated in 19 categories that measure the professional progress of graduates, the diversity of the school and its research activities and corporate social responsibility (CSR).

The University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business (GSB) was South Africa’s only business school ranked in 2020, ranking 56th overall, down from 47th last year. In 2020, UCT GSB ranked 11th in the world in CSR and 11th in percentage of international students.

According to the business school, the UCT GSB MBA, specializing in executive management, attracts high-level professionals and executives from a spectrum of sectors and industries.

Associate Professor Kosheek Sewchurran, director of the EMBA, said the program is designed for leaders who want to take their careers to the next level and who already have some experience in the field of business and leadership.

“We have refined the program to make sure it attracts executives who are serious about character development and who want to change their intelligence and orientation, to find new ways to lead,” he said.

The Gordon Institute of Business Sciences at the University of Pretoria, which was ranked 82nd in 2019, dropped the rankings.

Best Executive MBAs

The top 100 institutions were scored based on factors including salaries and salary increase three years after graduation.

“Covid-19 has caused a significant disruption in business education, as potential students often have a hard time traveling or spending time on training. Rising unemployment caused by the lockdowns has encouraged some people to seek new training, but many of them are enrolling in full-time courses and taking a break from their career rather than juggling work and study as it is required by an EMBA, ”said the FT.

Although executive MBA providers generally do not report the high double-digit growth rates in applications for many full-time MBA programs this year, many business schools say the demand for EMBAs has increased slightly, he said.

The FT ranking shows that salaries three years after graduation from the 100 participating schools increased from an average of $ 222,780 in 2019 to $ 226,436.

The largest individual employment sector for EMBA alumni was in industry, followed by finance, IT, healthcare and consulting, according to the report.

Ranking FT Executive MBA 2019

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Read: These are the best MBA courses in the world, including 2 from South Africa