The Financial Times Updates Masters in Management Ranking for 2018

MiM programs from University of St. Gallen and HEC Paris once again dominate the ranking

For the eighth year in a row, the MA in Strategy and International Management from Switzerland's University of St. Gallen has taken the top stop in the Financial Times' ranking of Masters in Management programs.

The runner-up position is held by HEC Paris' MSc in Management program. HEC Paris has held the second position in the MiM Ranking since 2014.

Regardless of the top programs, the top 10 this year does hold a few surprises. For instance, IE Business School's Masters in Management program has fallen, from position number three last year to number ten this year. On the other hand, Italy's Università Bocconi has risen four places to land at spot number six; Italy's University College Dublin: Smurfit has seen a stronger rise, jumping from 15 to seven this year. However, Smurfit's MSc in International Management graduates have the weakest salaries of all the schools in the top 10, making just over $68,000 USD per year, on average, three years after graduation.

A few other Masters in Management programs lost their top 10 positions this year. The MSc in International Management from Spain's ESADE Business School and the MSc in Management from Germany's WHU Beisheim fell from eight to 11 and from seven to 16, respectively. However, making over $100,000 USD on average three years after graduation, WHU Beisheim grads still have strong salaries. 

FT MiM Ranking: new additions

There were a few new additions to this year's Masters in Management Ranking. The Master of International Business from Hult, the US-based business school with outposts in Dubai, London and Shanghai, debuted this year at position number 53. The first Slovenian business school to appear in the ranking, the University of Ljubljana Faculty of Economics also debuted this year at position number 83.

Ranked this year at spot 89, the Master Applied Economic Sciences: Business Economics from Belgium's University of Belgium, is also new to the Masters in Management ranking. This MiM program is also considered the top value for money: the class of 2015 paid just $5,000 USD in tuition; grads from that year are making over $47,000 per year, on average.

See below for the top 25 schools in the FT's Masters in Management Ranking 2018, as well as their changes from last year.

How the FT ranks Masters in Management programs

Masters in management programs are differ from MBA programs in that they attract students with less (or no) work experience.

To rank the programs, the FT collects data from two surveys: one from the business schools and the other from program graduates from three years ago. The various criteria that the publication looks at include alumni salary, placement success, The criteria that are analyzed include post-MSc salary, international mobility, placement success, and more. As noted above, in this year's MiM Ranking, the FT also looks at the change between alumni's salary immediately after graduation, and three years out.

To take part in the ranking, a business school has to be accredited by AACSB or EQUIS. The ranking only includes general Masters in Management programs; it does not include specialist programs like Masters in Account, Master in Supply Chain Management, etc.