QS Ranks 2018’s Top EMBA Programs
If you have more than ten years of work experience, extensive career advancement and managerial experience, an Executive MBA is a great choice if you’re interested in remaining with your employer and have your company’s support to pursue a graduate management degree. Students typically report exceptionally high satisfaction rates with their decision to pursue an EMBA, as it results in better salary and increased career opportunities.
QS recently released its ranking of the top Executive MBA programs for 2018, and nine of the top ten are located in the United States or the United Kingdom, with the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania taking the number-one spot.
QS’s Top Ten EMBA Programs
- Wharton School
- MIT Sloan School of Managemnt
- London Business School
- Kellogg School of Management
- UC Berkeley Haas School of Business
- University of Chicago Booth School of Business
- Columbia Business School
- Oxford’s Said Business School
- UCLA Anderson School of Management
- Cambridge Judge School of Business
“Wharton possesses the largest alumni network of any business school in the world,” QS CEO Nunzio Quacquarelli is quoted as saying in a statement, “—over 96,000 at the last count—and it’s a network that unites quantity with quality, with Wharton EMBA alumni going on to adopt executive roles at influential organizations in both the private and public sector. The Wharton EMBA remains a globally renowned indicator of alumnus quality for top employers.”
How are the rankings compiled?
- Employer Reputation (30%): An investigation as to whether employers regard graduates from this prospective program highly.
- Thought Leadership (25%): Whether the school has the capacity to innovate, and encourage innovation.
- Executive Suite (15%): How experienced are the EMBA peers on the course and how much c-suite representation is in the program.
- Career Outcomes (20%): How likely the program will support alumni careers in terms of salary increase and promotions after graduation.
- Diversity (10%): Whether the program offers high levels of gender and international diversity.
Wharton attained perfect scores of 100 in three of five metrics QS used to rank the programs: Employer Reputation, Thought Leadership, and Career Outcomes, and was the only program to do so.
“In addition to rankings inputs this year, we also collected relevant insights from schools that are top of mind for candidates. Funding the educational experience is clearly a big consideration for today’s EMBA students, especially as tuition in parts of the world continues to increase,” says Alex Chisholm, Head of Business School Analytics at QS.
“Thankfully, many students pursuing EMBA degrees are fortunate to have financial support from their employers. Business schools reported to QS that nearly half of their students receive some level of corporate sponsorship, on average, with around 20 percent obtaining full funding. This willingness to invest in talent is a testament to the immediate and long-term value of the degree as perceived by global employers.”
SBC’s Advice for the EMBA Applicant
Starting the research for your EMBA journey is similar to the path of any full time applicant. Thinking first about your career goals and how an EMBA is going to accelerate your growth is key. Next you will want to research programs. Finally, you will want to start strategizing about your application process.
There are a few differences between the weight placed on the various factors between a full time program and an EMBA program. Your history of advancement at work and your perception as a high potential employee are far more important to your EMBA admission prospects than your GMAT score or GPA.
EMBA programs are interested in knowing who you are, and what your potential is. The admissions committee will expect maturity and introspection in a senior level candidate, and will want to understand your own personal business case. What do you see accomplishing with the EMBA degree? As you approach your essays, be as specific as possible. Your strategic thinking abilities have resulted in career success—apply those skills to explaining why an EMBA is the next step for you.
