Executive education and MBA programs typically go hand-in-hand. In most cases, the same professors teach the courses, and the curriculum tends to overlap, though in most cases MBA courses go into far more depth. However, because they can be so closely linked, a highly-ranked executive education program is a good indicator of the quality of the business school. That’s why it’s important to note that six UK business schools made it onto the top 50 list of the 2017 Financial Times Executive Education ranking.
Overall, the ranking included the top 50 schools for customized and open-enrollment executive education programs. This combined ranking methodology looked at the top 85 business schools in the field of customized executive education, which tailors courses to the training needs of an organization. It also included the top 75 schools for open-enrollment programs, which offer courses on specific topics such as leadership that are directed towards professionals regardless of the organization.
To take part in the ranking, the School had to be internationally accredited by either Equis or ACCSB and have earned at least $2 million in 2016. Business school clients were surveyed and asked to rate the programs on a 10-point scale. The responses were weighted based on program type, seniority of the individual responsible for the course, size of the organization and the number of schools commissioned.
Coming out on top, overall, was IESE Business School, which was ranked number one for customized executive education and number two for open-enrollment. IMD (ranked second for custom and first for open-enrollment), and Harvard Business School (ranked fifth for custom and third for open-enrollment) came in second and third respectively.
For business schools in the UK:
- London Business School came out on top ranking 4th overall (custom: 6th, open: 10th)
- University of Oxford: Saïd came in at 9th overall (custom: 26th, open: 4th)
- Henley Business School ranked 22nd overall (custom: 35th, open: 23rd)
- Cranfield School of Management ranked 28th overall (custom: 21st, open: 39th)
- Ashridge Executive Education at Hult ranked 30th overall (custom: 23rd, open: 43rd)
- University of Cambridge: Judge ranked 34th overall (custom: 52nd, open: 25th)
The results reinforce the UK’s reputation for quality business education.