ESADE's MSc programmes in the Financial Times rankings

By Xènia Guardia, Ranking & Accreditations Manager at ESADE

In 2014, ESADE has had cause to celebrate at both the end and start of the academic year, thanks to the international recognition of its MSc programmes.

The Financial Times has included ESADE’s MSc in Finance, MSc in International Management and CEMS Master’s in International Management (MIM) in its rankings of the world’s best masters, positioning ESADE as a benchmark institution for MSc programmes.

In June, the Financial Times released its ranking of the world’s best masters in finance, ranking ESADE second overall, thanks to alumni’s professional development, their level of satisfaction with the programme, and the support they receive from the school’s career service to help them achieve their goals. This is the second edition in which ESADE has participated, and it has climbed in the rankings since last year’s.

Of particular note is the fact that ESADE alumni enjoy a greater degree of international mobility than those of any other school, meaning ESADE prepares its students well to thrive professionally in any country and economic environment.

Following the summer holiday, the Financial Times released its ranking of masters in international management. ESADE has two programmes in this category, the inter-university CEMS Master’s in International Management (MIM) programme, which was ranked fifth in the world, and its Master in International Management, which placed sixth.

Here, too, alumni’s professional development and satisfaction levels were vital to ensuring ESADE’s excellent performance among the list of 70 schools.

The three programmes’ inclusion in the rankings bears witness to the importance of ESADE’s MSc programmes’ commitment to forging strategic partnerships with the world’s top schools and to enabling students to complete international internships, participate in international projects, take study tours, and pursue career-related stays and activities abroad.

Methodology

The Financial Times bases its rankings on two surveys: one for alumni on their professional advancement and development and another in which the school itself responds to questions about the international reach and quality of its programmes.

Professional advancement is assessed based on variables such as alumni’s salaries three years on from graduation, the size of their companies, their specific positions, their international experience, the degree to which they have achieved their goals and the support they receive from their schools with regard to their professional development. These data account for 55% of each school’s ranking.

The international reach of participating programmes and schools is calculated based on classroom diversity, in terms of both the percentage of international students and faculty and the percentage of women, as well as the opportunities students have to gain international experience, including exchanges, international internships, study tours, participation in projects, etc. Considerable importance is also given to the quality of the learning process, as indicated by the percentage of faculty members with PhDs able to ensure a high level of knowledge and innovation in the classroom.

Finally, the Financial Times uses all this information to score each school according to its position in each category and publishes the overall ranking.