Financial Times Ranks Harvard as #1 in 2020 Global MBA Ranking

Accepted — Tue, 04 Feb 2020 17:15:00 +0000

Harvard Business School has taken the top spot away from Stanford Graduate School of Business in the Financial Times 2020 global MBA ranking.

Although the Financial Times ranking is designed to favor non-U.S. programs, 15 of the top 25 MBA programs are based in the U.S. This result comes despite the decline in applications to U.S. MBA programs – now in its sixth straight year.

The 2020 top 5 schools have not changed since last year, although their rankings have. Following Harvard are: #2 – University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School (up 2 spots); #3 – Stanford Graduate School of Business (down 2 spots); #4 – INSEAD (down 1 spot); and #5 CEIBs in Shanghai, China (unchanged).

Volatile rankings

Financial Times global ranking methodology is based on 20 different metrics, including some that are inclined to favor non-U.S. schools. Some metrics that add to a school’s position include the percentage of students, faculty, and trustees who possess passports from a country where the school is not located, whether students and alumni worked in foreign countries, whether students had international class experience, and whether the school has a requirement to learn an additional language before graduation.

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A new metric was added this year – Corporate Social Responsibility. This metric has a weight of 3%, and is based on the percentage of teaching hours from core courses devoted to CSR, ethics, social, and environmental issues.

The FT’s most heavily weighted metric is salary data (40%). its use of “purchasing power parity”, or PPP favor schools whose grads go to work in countries with lower cost of living. This hurts U.S. schools since most grads of U.S. MBA programs want to live and work in the U.S.

The ranking does not take incoming student quality into account. GMAT and GRE scores, as well as undergraduate GPA’s, are ignored.

<< Watch: Linda Abraham and Marco De Novellis of BusinessBecause discuss the value of MBA rankings >>

FT’s ranking is known to be volatile, which reduces its credibility because there are few year-to-year changes at schools that explain big changes in the rankings. This means that there were big winners and big losers again this year.

Twenty-seven of the 91 returning b-schools had double-digit increases or decreases in their standings. Fully half of the MBA programs ranked by FT five years ago (39 of 78) have felt double-digit changes, and 23 of those changes have been adjustments in 20 or more spots.

Top 25 International MBA Programs

2020 Rank	School	2019 Rank	Y-O-Y Change
1	Harvard	2	+1
2	UPenn Wharton	4	+2
3	Stanford GSB	1	-2
4	INSEAD	3	-1
5	CEIBS	5	---
6	MIT Sloan	8	+2
7	London	6	-1
8	Columbia	9	+1
9	HEC Paris	19	+10
10	Chicago Booth	7	-3
11	Northwestern Kellogg	14	+3
12	UC-Berkeley Haas	10	-2
13	IESE	12	-1
14	Yale SOM	11	-3
15	Nat’l Univ. of Singapore	17	+2
16	Dartmouth Tuck	15	-1
17	Duke Fuqua	19	+3
18	Virginia Darden	23	+5
19	Cambridge Judge	16	-3
19	Hong Kong UST	18	-1
21	Oxford Said	13	-8
22	New York Stern	25	+3
23	Cornell Johnson	27	+4
24	ESADE	21	-3
25	IMD	22	-3
25	UCLA Anderson	26	+1

Do you see yourself in one of these top international programs? Find out how working one-on-one with one of our Admissions Consultants can help get you ACCEPTED!

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HKUST MBA Application Essay Tips & Deadlines [2019 – 2020]

Accepted — Mon, 16 Dec 2019 17:00:15 +0000

Applicants seeking an MBA with high placement rates throughout Asia may find HKUST the perfect fit for their needs. HKUST offers two options for its MBA: a 16-month option that offers hopeful career switchers the opportunity to hold an internship in their target industry and even an experience in an exchange program abroad, and a 12-month accelerated version for students with more experience and/or who plan to return to their current employer/industry.

The Financial Times ranks HKUST #18 in the world, 74% of the class successfully changes functions following the MBA, and 71% changes industries. Thirty-seven percent of the latest graduating class found roles in the financial industry (20% Investment Banking/M&A Advisory, 5% Private Equity, and 12% Other Finance) upon graduating, with respectable numbers also entering the consulting (12%) and Technology (15%) industries. In terms of job functions, HKUST graduates thrive in finance roles (36%), general management (15%), and sales and marketing (17%).

Once again, the HKUST application essays have stayed the same this year. My tips are below in blue.

HKUST MBA application essays

HKUST MBA essay #1

The HKUST MBA mission is to inspire and transform individuals to be future business leaders for Asia and the world. We embrace diversity, and are looking for ambitious and open-minded candidates with a passion to contribute. It is the first day of orientation. Please introduce yourself to your classmates, highlighting what drives you in your personal and professional life. (500 words)

The small class of around 100 students hails from over 20 countries, with 96% of the class coming from outside of Hong Kong. Since HKUST strives for diversity throughout this small group, each applicant must demonstrate a unique perspective and experiences. If your professional background is in a heavily represented group – IT or finance for example, then I highly recommend highlighting not only your most exceptional professional experience in this essay but also the personal qualities, extracurricular involvement and values that differentiate you. When in your professional or personal life have you demonstrated an open mind and contributed? These will prove your potential at HKUST.

HKUST MBA essay #2

Tell us about your post-MBA goals and based on that, why is the HKUST MBA the ideal program for you and how do you plan to engage and enrich our community? (500 words)

This is a traditional goals essay with a twist of tying those goals to your future engagement and enrichment of the HKUST community. The admissions office is making it clear that they expect to hear how you will enhance the education of your peers. What aspects of the program will you be able to contribute to most and how will your fellow classmates benefit?

For expert guidance with your HKUST application, check out Accepted’s MBA Application Packages, which include comprehensive guidance from an experienced admissions consultant. We’ve helped hundreds of applicants get accepted to top MBA programs and look forward to helping you too!

HKUST MBA 2019-20 remaining application deadlines

Round 2	January 15, 2020
Round 3	March 18, 2020

***Disclaimer: Information is subject to change. Please check with individual programs to verify the essay questions, instructions and deadlines.***

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