Three Australian MBA programs have secured a top 100 position in the prestigious QS Quacquarelli Symonds Global MBA Rankings for 2020 released this week.
Melbourne Business School’s one-year full-time MBA rose two places on its 2019 ranking to equal 26th in the world, AGSM @ UNSW slipped three places to 42nd and Monash Business School dropped two places to 89th. University of Queensland (111-120) and Macquarie Business School (131-140) were ranked in the top 140.
The 2020 ranking was topped by US universities Penn (Wharton) and Stanford (equal first) with France’s INSEAD (3rd), MIT Sloan (4th), and Harvard Business School (5th).
Of the five ranking indicators used to determine the rankings, Stanford out-scored Wharton for return on investment, and entrepreneurship and alumni outcomes, while Wharton performed better for diversity, employability and thought leadership.
INSEAD overtook London Business School as the highest-ranked European institution, and is one of two French business schools in the top 10.
QS uses a number of metrics to determine its ranking, including employability, entrepreneurship and alumni outcomes, return on investment, thought leadership, and class and faculty diversity.
Melbourne’s top-ranked MBA had a class size of 39, average work experience of six years, an average age of 30 and comprised 77% international students. The program achieved the highest scores in the Oceania region for employability, thought leadership and return on investment, with an average post-graduation salary increase of 75 percent.
The 39th rank AGSM MBA had an average work experience of seven years and an average post-MBA salary of $USD85,000. The 16-month program achieved the second-highest score in the region for thought leadership and the joint highest for diversity.
Monash Business School achieved good scores for diversity and ROI, with students enjoying an average post-graduation salary boost of 76 percent. The 22-month program involves intensive blocks, weekend and evening classes to enable students to work while studying.
To develop the ranking QS asked over 30,000 employers and over 36,000 academics for their view on the reputation of specific business schools, and mapped the education paths of about 30,000 alumni back to their educational institution.
