The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology's Executive MBA Program, taught in conjunction with the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, ranks No.1 in the world in this year's Financial Times EMBA global rankings. This is the first time a Hong Kong-based program has topped an international rankings chart.
In addition, the program is listed No.1 for "work experience" of its participants, No.2 in "international faculty" and No.3 in "international students".
There are 17 nationalities represented in the current class of the Kellogg-HKUST EMBA program. Over 50% of the students are based outside of Hong Kong.
The partnership EMBA program has won a place in the top 10 in the Financial Times' annual survey since it entered the rankings in 2003.
HKUST President Prof. Paul Chu is delighted by this record-setting achievement. He said: "Being named No. 1 in the world in a major international ranking is a strong affirmation of the quality that exists in Hong Kong in providing advanced education for business leaders. This will drive us to further enhance our academic excellence while continuing to improve the learning experience of students in all our programs."
Prof. Leonard Cheng, Acting Dean of HKUST Business School, praised the founders of the partnership for their innovative vision. "This unique alliance underlines the trust and respect between two great schools and the people who work in them. The continual support of the two universities has also been crucial to the successful development of the program," he said.
Prof. Steven DeKrey, Associate Dean and Founding Director of the EMBA Program, said the top ranking is the best gift to top off the program's 10th anniversary. "This is a proud moment for everyone who has been involved with the program throughout the years. We are truly thankful to the faculty members, the staff, the students and alumni, the sponsors and all the business and community leaders who have taken part in our program," he said.
The program was launched in 1998 as a unique East-West partnership to offer the best management education for international talent based in Asia. It consists of 28 courses, each covered during two weekends, offered over a 16-month program. Teaching is shared equally between Kellogg and HKUST faculty.
The Kellogg School of Management is a pioneer in offering joint EMBA programs internationally. This year, Kellogg's own program and three of its partnership programs around the world are in the top 20 in the Financial Times ranking.
This year the Financial Times rankings table includes 90 EMBA programs. It evaluates them by looking at the quality of their alumni, school and program quality, and the research capabilities of faculty. Alumni quality is determined by salary and career advancement on completion of the program, work experience, seniority and feedback on how the program help graduates fulfill their aims. School quality is measured by the diversity of faculty, students and advisors, the global nature of the program and the proportion of faculty with PhD degrees. The research ranking is determined by the scholarly output of faculty in top academic journals.
