MBS and AGSM confirm dominance of executive education sector

Melbourne Business School's state-of-the-art facilities are located adjacent to the Melbourne CBD.
Melbourne Business School’s Carlton campus is close to the Melbourne CBD.

Melbourne Business School and the Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM) at the UNSW Business School have dominated Australia’s presence in the latest Financial Times ranking of executive education providers.

The 2015 executive education rankings, now in their 17th year, rate the best 75 open programmes and the best 85 customised programmes worldwide.

The ranking covers non-degree programmes, either tailor-made for corporate customers (customised) or available to all working managers (open). The rankings are based on participants’ and clients’ satisfaction, the diversity of participants and faculty, and the schools’ international exposure.

Melbourne Business School was ranked 43rd for Open programs while its customised programs leapt to 26th, from 40th last year, for a combined ranking of 32. AGSM ranked 47th for Open programs and 54th for customised programs.

Brisbane’s QUT Business School secured 63rd position on the ranking of customised programs.

Melbourne Business School Dean Professor Zeger Degraeve said the result reflected the outcome of a consistent strategy pursued over a number of years.

“Deep engagement in partnerships with our clients to understand their needs, and leveraging our expertise in collaborative design and delivery, leading to real impact and value for our clients.

“The role of Australian business schools in the development of organisational capabilities has been undervalued in the Australian market and as a result, local organisations have looked to consultants and overseas business schools for their executive education needs.

“These rankings confirm what I have known for a long time – we are world class and this is acknowledged by our clients.”

Spanish business school Iese has topped the combined ranking of executive short courses, regaining the position it last held in 2012. The school ousted HEC Paris, which dropped to second place in the combined table.

Ben Ready
Ben Ready founded MBA News in 2014 and is the Managing Editor. He is a former business and finance journalist with Australian Associated Press (AAP) and Dow Jones Newswires in London. Ben completed his MBA in 2012 and was awarded the QUT GMAA Entrepreneurship Prize. He is also the founder and Managing Director of RGC Media & Mktng (rgcmm.com.au).