Many question the future of the MBA: applications for traditional two-year, full-time MBA programmes in the US have declined overall for five straight years, according to the Graduate Management Admission Council, which administers business school entrance exams.
But the executive MBA — a part-time programme that tends to be taken by people more established in their careers compared with those on full-time courses — is neither booming nor facing an existential crisis.
In this year’s Financial Times ranking, HEC Paris takes the top spot, up from sixth place last year, helped by the career progress and work experience of the graduates surveyed.