FT Ranks IE Business’ Online MBA First

Florida International University

Florida International University

MISSING: SOME OF THE BEST ONLINE MBA PROGRAMS IN THE WORLD

In crowning IE’s online MBA as the best in the world, the FT said that half of the program’s alumni were senior managers when they enrolled, the highest proportion among ranked schools at that stage. Three years after graduation they were earning the highest adjusted average salaries at $179,000, about $30,000 more than the next highest earners — alumni from Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College. “IE’s alumni have the second-highest average salary increase following graduation, at 39 per cent,” the newspaper noted. “The school is ranked first for aims achieved and for international mobility. It is third for career progress.”

It’s not entirely clear why many other highly respected online programs failed to make the list. Some 18 schools submitted data for the ranking, but obviously many did not want to cooperate. To qualify for inclusion, schools also had to have their programs in operation for at least four straight years. That leaves out at least three of the most highly admired online programs at Carnegie Mellon, UNC Kenan-Flagler, and USC’s Marshall School. Among the elite players in online MBA education, those three would have to be in everyone’s consideration set. There are other rules that could exclude other programs. Each school, for instance, also must be accredited by AACSB and/or Equis and at least 70% of the programme content must be delivered online. Online students also must pass a selection process before enrolling and an examination process before graduating.

Because so few online programs are ranked by the FT, the updated list doesn’t have wild year-over-year swings in position. Two schools–Northeastern and Bradford School of Management–dropped three places each. A trio of schools–Durham, UMass’ Isenberg, and ASU’s Carey–rose two spots each. Five of the 15 schools, including four of the top five, showed no change at all in their ranking from last year.

Financial Times 2016 Ranking of Online MBA Programs

2016 FT Rank & School 2015 Rank Change Program Name
  1. IE Business School 1 —– Global MBA
  2. Warwick Business School 2 —– MBA By Distance Learning
  3. Florida (Hough) 3 —– Online MBA
  4. Durham Business School 6 +2 Online MBA
  5. Indiana (Kelley) 5 —– Kelley Direct
  6. Babson College (Olin) 7 +1 Blended Learning Program
  7. Northeastern (D’Amore-McKim) 4 -3 Online MBA
  8. Australian Graduate School of Mgt. NR —– MBAx
  9. Massachusetts-Amherst (Isenberg) 11 +2 Online MBA
10. Arizona State (Carey) 12 +2 Online MBA
11. Bradford School of Management 8 -3 Distance Learning MBA
12. Nebraska-Lincoln 10 -2 Online MBA
13. Florida International (Chapman) 14 +1 Corporate MBA
14. Drexel (LeBow) 15 +1 Online MBA
15. Centrum Católica-Peru 13 -2 Virtual Int’l MBA

Source: The Financial Times 2016 online MBA ranking 

DON’T MISS: CAN YOU TRUST THIS ONLINE MBA RANKING? or TEMPLE TOPS U.S. NEWS’ ONLINE MBA RANKING

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