AGSM Rank Rise Chalked Up To MBA Student Quality And Achievements

The Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM) recorded solid improvement in the latest Global MBA Rankings to become the top program in Australia on the Financial Times’ list for 2021.

The MBA at AGSM @ UNSW Business School jumped nine places on the FT list to rank 79th globally.

Director of the AGSM and Deputy Dean of the UNSW Business School Professor Nick Wailes attributed the rank rise on the prestigious list to a multitude of factors.

“This result is mainly a reflection of the quality of students we recruit and what they achieved since graduation, but also reflects the hard work and dedication of my colleagues,” Professor Wailes said.

“These results are a testament to our ongoing investment in the diversity of our cohort, international experiences we offer our students, focus on sustainable leadership and responsible management, and the strength of our career development centre.

“We have made very intentional choices about our programs to ensure we create a truly global MBA experience and equip future leaders with knowledge and skills needed to make an impact in an accelerating world.

“The Financial Times Global MBA Rankings are the most competitive and prestigious of all rankings.

“I’m particularly proud that we have one of the few full-time MBA programs in the world that has a 50/50 gender parity in our cohort, and we ranked 4th in the world for percentage of female faculty.”

Related reading: Two Australian MBAs Secure Financial Times Top 100 Rank

MBAs are assessed by the FT according to the career progression of alumni, the school’s idea generation and the diversity of students and faculty. Rankings are based on surveys of business schools and their graduates of 2017.

AGSM placed eight ranks higher than the Melbourne Business School (87th), the only other Australian program to crack the FT’s Top 100.

The MBA program at the AGSM also:

  • Ranked in the top 10% of schools globally for international course experience, international mobility and percentage of female students
  • Ranked 4th in the world for highest percentage of female faculty (40 per cent) and is one of the few MBA programs that has a 50/50 gender parity in the cohort
  • Climbed 20 places, ranking 32nd in Corporate Social Responsibility
  • Ranked first in Australia for salary percentage increase, career progress, international faculty and percentage of students employed after three months.

AGSM Academic Director Dr Michele Roberts said she was proud of the quality of the programs and “delighted” to rank first in Australia.

“Our programs equip leaders to be adaptable and resilient and keep pace with progress,” Dr Roberts said.

“It is especially pleasing to see that AGSM’s strong focus on responsible management, diversity and inclusion is rated so highly,” she said.

“At the same time, our students are achieving strong career progression and salary uplift.

“This is at the heart of AGSM’s approach – doing well by doing good.

“We have always had a focus on sustainable leadership and have recently introduced a program on responsible management.”

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