UNSW climbs another 12 places in list of world’s best MBA programs

AGSM is ranked 54th in the world (up 12 places from 2016, and 21 since 2015) of the top 100 MBA programs worldwide and is one of only three Australian business schools included in the prestigious FT Ranking.

Director AGSM and Deputy Dean of the Business School, Professor Julie Cogin, said the ranking reflected the legitimacy and long-term position of AGSM, as well as the excellent performance of its alumni.

“The AGSM has a distinguished history. As we approach our 40th anniversary, we are cementing our place among the world’s best business schools – for which we and our alumni can be justly proud. We are committed to providing an academically rigorous program in a rich learning environment, but our ultimate goal is to prepare great people to achieve great things.”

QS recently listed AGSM among its “global elite”, placing it among the top 45 global business schools.

Professor Cogin pointed to the strong results AGSM received in international experience (17th), research (24th) and value for money (i.e. return on investment – 48th).

“Over the past two years, we’ve made some changes to improve the global employability and mobility of our graduates,” Professor Cogin said.

“Last year, we signed a $1 million scholarship program with Luminis Partners that included an international exchange at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, (ranked number three in the world by the FT) as well as access to an exclusive global business network. These sorts of international experiences are invaluable.”

“We also have continued to recruit dedicated faculty, through our AGSM Fellows and Scholars program, who are leaders in their fields of accounting and finance, business strategy, leadership and management and international business.”

The FT Rankings have strict entry criteria and are based on a two-part survey; one that evaluates alumni salary and experience on the program (59% of ranking), and the other, information about the school such as calibre of Faculty, strength in research and diversity of cohort. The alumni surveyed this year were the 2013 MBA cohort. For schools to be ranked, 20% of alumni must complete the survey.

UNSW Business School Dean, Professor Chris Styles, said the strong performance of Australian business schools in the latest ranking reflected well on the quality of an Australian MBA.

“The AGSM’s performance is going from strength to strength,” he said. “Our strong current cohort of MBA students proves AGSM continues to attract the best and brightest aspiring business leaders from around the world. Through our MBA program, an executive education program that is sought by Australia’s C-Suite executives, and our exchange partnerships with top business schools, the AGSM continues to affirm its global reputation.”