Dónal Ring | Staff Writer
Trinity Business School’s Executive MBA programme has been ranked in the top 60 in the world by the Executive Education Rankings 2015 from the Economist magazine. This is the programme’s first appearance on the list.
An executive MBA differs from the typical MBA in that it is part-time and only takes on students with significant work experience. The Trinity Executive MBA came 59th on the rankings, which were published yesterday. It scored 17th on the ratio of faculty to students and 15th on the number of overseas alumni branches. The programme also had the highest number of compulsory overseas assignments lasting more than one week out of all the assessed courses. Topping the poll was the IE Business School in Spain, followed by the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School. The only other Irish entry was the UCD Smurfit Executive MBA, which came 55th.
The data were collected using two different web-based surveys between February and April 2015. One was filled out by the Business School running the course, and gave details on the number and diversity of students enrolled, as well as information on the coursework. The second was filled out by current students and alumni, and asked for ratings on faculty, classmates, facilities, and student experience. Details on pre- and post-EMBA salaries were also gathered, to assess the average increase.
Two equally weighted broad categories were taken into account for the assessment – personal development/educational experience and career development – and within these, 24 factors were considered, such as gender balance and average salary of the most recently graduated class. Programmes that scored closely were also given a common band, with Trinity’s EMBA being placed in the E band. As the programme was established in 2011 and has only had two years of graduating students, it has effectively entered directly onto the list after its inauguration.
Commenting after the publication, the Director of the Trinity MBA programme Michael Flynn said: “The evolution of the programme’s unique approach to management learning means that candidates now have a formidable internationally ranked MBA to choose from in Ireland; Irish candidates are increasingly looking at undertaking their MBA with us in Dublin rather than joining executive programmes abroad”. He added: “The growing interest in the Trinity MBA has meant that our numbers are up four fold with 22 nationalities enrolled with us across our MBA streams this year.”
Professor Andrew Burke, Dean of Trinity Business School, also praised the programme’s performance on the list, commenting: “Trinity Business School’s entry into the Economist’s Executive MBA rankings reflects that the School’s international growth and development strategy is showing tangible benefits”. Burke is optimistic about the future, saying: “As we continue with the implementation of our high growth strategy the international standing of Trinity Business School should increase still further”.
The Trinity School of Business was recently ranked first in Ireland and in the top ten in Europe by the ranking agency Eduniversal. Trinity was ranked in the top 150 in the world for Business & Management in the recently released QS University Rankings by Subject, although for Accounting & Finance, another subject taught by the Business School, Trinity left the top 100.
The rankings are published by the Economist every two years.
Photo by Eavan Mcloughlin for The University Times
