London, 23^rd June 2021: Driven by increases in its levels of international diversity, and by improvements in the one-year salary uplift that it offers its graduates, HEC Paris has taken the title of world’s number-one Executive MBA provider. The 2021 edition of the QS Executive MBA Rankings, released today by global higher education consultancy QS Quacquarelli Symonds, features 202 programs from 45 locations: QS’s largest and most internationally diverse list yet.

In taking the global top spot, HEC Paris usurps The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and Spain’s IESE Business School. While HEC Paris does not achieve the top score in any of the five metric groups used by QS to compile the rankings, its aggregate performance is sufficient to see it overtake both institutions.

To evaluate the quality of the world’s Executive MBA programs, QS account for a carefully curated selection of the most important input and output metrics. These metrics capture:

• Employability outcomes, including salary uplift.
• Program recognition among employers.
• The quality of a program’s cohort, including C-Suite and Management experience.
• The diversity of a program’s cohort, with an emphasis on gender and international representation.

HEC Paris ascends to the top spot due to:

• Enjoying superior recognition among employers surveyed by QS: its score of 99.7/100 for the Employer Reputation indicator outperforms that achieved by The Wharton School (98.7/100).
• Having improved its Diversity score over the last year, from 69.6/100 in last year’s edition to 72/100 in this year’s. This is primarily a result of its high levels of international diversity: their most recent cohort represents 48 different nationalities, with 84% of its class hailing from abroad.
• Having a superior Executive Profile score to that of The Wharton School (78/100 versus 73.2/100).

QS Executive MBA Rankings 2021: Key Facts & Data Highlights

• Spain’s ESADE Business School has broken into the top 10, rising from 14^th to joint-9^th. Their employer recognition score has increased over the last year, as well as the level of experience attained by their class cohort: the average enrollee onto their EMBA program now possesses 14 years’ work experience.
• London Business School loses its status as the United Kingdom’s highest-ranked provider; it is overtaken by the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School (5^th, up from 8^th).
• ESADE Business School replaces UCLA Anderson in the top 10; the latter institution has fallen from 9^th to joint-12^th. Its score in the Career Outcomes indicator has fallen from 79.2/100 to 75.1/100.
• Asia’s top EMBA provider is the National University of Singapore Business School, which ranks 16^th.
• The highest-ranking new entrant is RSM Erasmus, based in The Netherlands, which debuts in 21^st position.
• The best post-EMBA career outcomes are offered by Yale School of Management, which scores 98.5/100 for this indicator.
• The most impactful, highest-quality research in this space continues to be produced by American business schools, with four of the top five scores for QS’s Thought Leadership metric attained by providers based in the United States.
• Across the world’s Executive MBA Programs, the average percentage of female enrolments is 33%.
• QS also produce a list of the world’s best Joint Executive MBA programs. This list contains 26 joint offerings – six more than last year – and is led by TRIUM, which is jointly-provided by HEC Paris, the London School of Economics and Political Science, and New York University.

Nunzio Quacquarelli, CEO and Founder at QS Quacquarelli Symonds, said: “As globalization continues to define the modern economy, cultivating a strong understanding of diverse perspectives, cultures and customs is crucial to success. Similarly, one of the most prized benefits conferred by an Executive MBA is the quality of network its attendees acquire during their course of study. It is therefore neither an accident nor a surprise that the world’s leading programs have made high levels of international diversity a central pillar of their offering – HEC Paris being foremost among them.”

Quacquarelli continued: “Currently, we have found no evidence of a slowdown in demand for the Executive MBA. On the contrary, average enrolments decreased over the last application cycle, while application numbers increased by 14%. With compensation for Executive MBA graduates also remaining robust, it is clear that employers continue to place a premium on the unique skillsets and experiences offered by the qualification.”

Source: https://www.TopMBA.com