ESCP Business School’s MBA in International Management is gaining momentum as one of the best programmes in the world. How did we make it this far? Read to learn more about what makes our curriculum and teachings so special.

ESCP’s MBA in International Management programme enters the 2022 FT ranking

ESCP’s MBA in International Management programme has entered this year the prestigious Financial Times world ranking. After only five years of existence (the programme was launched in 2017), ESCP’s MBA in International Management made it to the 52nd position in the Financial Times’ global MBA ranking. A prowess, considering the programme is still young and the fact that thousands of MBA programmes are available throughout the world. “This was the programme’s first participation in the ranking. We had to wait three years after our first promotion of students graduated (back in 2018) before we could be included in the Financial Times’ ranking,” explains Zahia Bouaziz, Director of Studies for the MBA in International Management programme.

For its first Financial Times ranking, ESCP’s MBA in International Management integrated the list along with MBA programmes from the most prestigious universities in the world (among which are Harvard, Stanford and Yale). Looking at the MBA’s ranking among European programmes, the school scored even higher: “Our MBA directly entered the ranking at the 52nd position worldwide, and is ranked #13 in Europe, which is a very good entry position. When you refine the ranking you realise that for the countries in which ESCP has campuses, the rankings are even better: our programme is 1st in Germany, 2nd in Italy, 3rd in France, 4th in Spain and 6th in England,” enthusiastically details our Director of Studies.

Diversity, faculty quality, career progression: what do we learn from the ranking?

Looking at the ranking, one may wonder how the Financial Times’ operates to rank the various programmes throughout the world. What makes an MBA programme more attractive than the others? Moreover, how does the ranking take societal changes into account when choosing which programme is best for aspiring graduates? For Zahia Bouaziz, ESCP’s MBA programme’s success can be explained by a few factors: “The excellence of our faculty, with all of our professors being doctorates, and the fact that research is also part of our DNA certainly plays a role in our favour. Another important factor is the fact that we make it a point to take into account everything related to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) inside our school. We work towards more diversity at all levels and this is also taken into account in the ranking. Actually, the fact that the programme is so young is an asset. It enables us to adapt the teachings to a shifting market: questions such as sustainability and diversity are made part of the programme. This way, we are attractive to students while answering the needs of the market.”

“Our MBA directly entered the FT ranking at the 52nd position worldwide, and is ranked #13 in Europe, a very good entry position.”

Zahia Bouaziz, ESCP Director of Studies Europe | MBA

And from a more concrete standpoint, the Financial Times’ ranking also testifies to a programme’s ability to provide graduates with secure employment and competitive salaries. “When the Financial Times’ investigates each school for their ranking, they send questionnaires to both the school and graduates. Alumni are questioned about their satisfaction with the programme, as well as their career progression. This way, the ranking provides us with precious insights, and some sort of audit of our services,” explains the Director of the programme. Regarding the MBA in International Management, former students seem to be content with their life and career after graduation: “When contacting our graduates, they confirm they were able to get very good jobs after graduating from the MBA. Indeed, the average salary of our 2018 graduates is above $118,000.”

What’s next? Aiming for the international top-ten

When looking at the future, Zahia Bouaziz has pretty clear goals in terms of achievements for the MBA programme: “There is a lot of competition between MBAs, but our ambition is to enter the top ten in the long run. The school created the MBA because, at the time, we wanted to replace our Masters degree in European Business (MEB). ESCP wanted a complete portfolio and launched the MBA in International Management with the ambition of placing it in the world’s top ten. The fact that the programme is so recent makes it adaptable to many challenges and to the changes that could occur in our economies and markets in the future, which is a real asset for us and our students,” outlines the Director of the programme.

Other specificities of the MBA also explain its attractiveness and support its potential for development, according to Zahia Bouaziz: “The fact that we are already international, with six campuses in Europe, is also very important. The strength of our infrastructures and faculty will also play a major role in the programme getting more recognition. ESCP’s MBA in International Management programme aims at training and accompanying future leaders in the realisation of their full potential. To do so, our Career Services, as well as the experiential learning part of the programme are key.”

For past, present and future students, the programme’s recognition coming from the Financial Times is also a favourable outcome with positive consequences. “We can already see that the programme’s entry in the ranking has a positive impact. Our students already use the ranking on their resumes to attract potential employers and this brings even more visibility to the MBA. The fact that the MBA in International Management is now part of the ranking also acts as an efficient point of reference. This will open even more doors for our graduates and alumni,” says Zahia Bouaziz.

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