According to the new Financial Times ranking for Master’s in Management programs, UK universities are gaining on French schools.
The top place belongs to the University of St. Gallen, as usual, but most programs included in this year’s Financial Times ranking are either British or French. This year, only one French school has gained a higher spot than before, compared to more than half of the represented British schools. Some of them (a third, actually) have moved up five spots. Meanwhile, their French counterparts (two-thirds of those represented) have dropped five spots down.
Two New Criteria in Financial Times’ Rankings
This ranking by Financial Times represents a drastic change in methods. Unlike 2005 (the year when the rankings were first published), Financial Times also gather data about the fists post-graduation jobs business school alumni have. The information gained is compared to their current jobs, three years after graduation. Thus, the Financial Times can measure their salary increase from graduation to three years of work, which is one of the best ways to reflect the graduates’ career progress.
These new criteria show that French schools are lagging far behind compared to their British counterparts. For instance, the second-place school overall, Warwick Business School, has taken the first spot in career progress, whereas the most well-known French business school, HEC Paris, only has the 31st place. According to the survey, British graduates have experienced a more significant increase in their salaries compared to the French (62% vs 45%). Still, the average salary of British business graduates largely remains lower than those paid in France ($55,000 vs $64,000).
The Top Spot Remains Unchanged
The first place has been taken by the Swiss University of St. Gallen for the seventh year in a row. The largest part of its success is due to strong international scores. At this university, more than 90% of the student body and 80% of the faculty are foreigners. Their international mobility is also incredibly strong, taking the second place overall. Their salaries are not bad, either – third ranked, comprising $114,449, just behind the Indian Institute of Management (Ahmedabad), whose graduates have an average salary of $116,476, and IIM (Bangalore), with $116,094.
Nine schools are newcomers in this year’s rankings. Among them, Frankfurt School of Finance and Management has taken the 41st spot (the highest among these new arrivals). This school can boast one of the best women-friendly programs: female students comprise about 49% of all the student body.
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