The Financial Times has published its Masters in Management Ranking for 2016.
For the sixth straight year, St. Gallen's MA in Strategy and International Management has taken the top spot. The FT found that grads of the program have salaries of $102,000, on average, compared to $90,000 last year.
HEC Paris and ESSEC Business School come in at spots two and three, respectively, each for the third year in a row. This year, ESCP Europe's Master in Management program has edged into the top five, jumping three spots to land at position number four; Rotterdam School of Management's MSc in International Management holds steady at number five.
LBS, whose Master in Management program jumped from number 10 to number six last year, also holds steady this year. Spain's IE Business School has jumped up three spots, to land at position number seven, while WU Executive Academy's Master in International Management has broken into the top-10 for the first time this year, landing at position number 8. Germany's WHU Beisheim and Spain's Esade Business School are tied for position number nine.
The highest ranked new entrant in the list is University College Dublin's Smurfit Graduate Business School, whose MSc in International Management debuts at number 22. Also new in the ranking this year is Canada's Queen's University, whose Master of International Business lands at position number 59, and ASU's Carey School of Business, whose MSc program is ranked at position 82. The Carey program marks the first time that an MSc program operated solely by a US-based business school has found its way into the ranking.
See below for the top 25 schools in the FT's Masters in Management Ranking 2016, as well as their changes from last year.
The FT's Masters in Management Ranking 2016
| 2016 Rank | School | Program | 2015 Rank | Change |
| 1 | St. Gallen | MA in Strategy and International Management | 1 | no change |
| 2 | HEC Paris | HEC MSc in Management | 2 | no change |
| 3 | ESSEC Business School | MSc in Management | 3 | no change |
| 4 | ESCP Europe | ESCP Europe Master in Management | 7 | +3 |
| 5 | Rotterdam School of Management | MSc in International Management | 5 | no change |
| 6 | London Business School | Masters in Management | 6 | no change |
| 7 | IE Business School | Master in Management | 10 | +3 |
| 8 | WU Executive Academy | Master in International Management | 13 | +5 |
| 9 (tie) | ESADE Business School | MSc in International Management | 12 | +3 |
| 9 (tie) | WHU Otto Beisheim | MSc in Management | 8 | -1 |
| 11 | SDA Bocconi | MSc in International Management | 9 | -2 |
| 12 | EBS Business School | Master in Management | 11 | -1 |
| 13 | Grenoble Ecole de Management | Master in International Business | 20 | +7 |
| 14 | Mannheim Business School | Mannheim Master in Management | 14 | no change |
| 15 | EDHEC Business School | MSc in Management | 20 | +5 |
| 16 | IIMA | Post Graduate Programme in Management | 15 | -1 |
| 17 | IÉSEG School of Management | MSc in Management | 21 | +4 |
| 17 (tie) | Nova School of Business and Economics | International Master in Management | 31 | +14 |
| 19 | IIMB | Post Graduate Programme in Management | 26 | +7 |
| 20 | Imperial College Business School | MSc in Management | 19 | -1 |
| 21 | HHL Leipzig | MSc in Management | 17 | -4 |
| 22 | UCD Smurfit | MSc in International Management | -- | -- |
| 23 | IIMC | Post Graduate Programme in Management | 16 | -7 |
| 24 | Audencia Business School | MSc in Management-Engineering | 28 | +4 |
| 25 | Maastricht University | MSc in International Business | 28 | +3 |
How the FT ranks Masters in Management programs
Masters in management programs are generally distinct from MBA programs in that they attract students with less (or no) work experience.
To rank the programs, the FT collects data from two surveys: one from the business schools and the other from program graduates from three years ago. So, for instance, this year, the ranking is based primarily on data from masters in management grads of 2013. The criteria that are analyzed include alumni salary, international mobility, placement success, and more.
To take part in the ranking, a business school has to be accredited by AACSB or EQUIS. The ranking does not include specialist programs.
CEMS, whose Masters in International Management was ranked number five last year, did not take part in this year's ranking.
