Singapore, 16 October 2017 (Monday) – The Singapore Management University (SMU) Lee Kong Chian School of Business (LKCSB) has been ranked 24^th globally in the Financial Times (FT) Executive MBA Ranking 2017, a significant jump of 8 places from 32^nd position last year. 

Commanding a salary of around US$338,725, graduates of the SMU’s EMBA programme earn the 4^th highest salary[1] in the world, an 43% increase compared to the salary reported in last year’s ranking. The School scored strongly in other categories such as work experience and international nature of its student body (19^th in the world).

Professor Gerard George, Dean of SMU’s Lee Kong Chian School of Business, and Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, said, “We aim to provide transformative education and develop global leaders with an Asian perspective. The rise in our rankings this year into the top 25 is a strong indication of our growing impact in Asia and worldwide. I’m delighted to see the foundation for this success – teaching excellence, a high caliber student cohort and alumni success –affirmed by the Financial Times’ global ranking. I would like to thank our students, graduates, faculty and staff for their dedication and talent. Special thanks also to our Corporate Partners, a key element of this global programme.

The high salaries and global profile of SMU EMBA graduates affirm their value in the market, attesting to the repute of our programme. As a stand-alone programme, the SMU EMBA offers a global education that prepares senior executives for top leadership roles in Asia in our dynamic city campus in Singapore, with study stints in China, India and the USA. The learning experience is stimulating, challenging and deeply rewarding. I’m very pleased that the FT ranking recognizes the value of our programme and of our most experienced students.”

About the programme

The SMU EMBA, which was first introduced in 2011, is an innovative programme designed to provide the modern leader with both Asian and global business perspectives. The 12-month modular programme offers overseas study segments held in renowned partner universities, namely the Guanghua School of Management at Peking University in China, the Indian School of Business in India, and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in the US. This offers participants the unique opportunity to learn from four world-class institutions. While in the US, SMU EMBA students will also be invited to attend an additional three-day seminar at the Washington Campus to understand how public policies in the US affect businesses operating in Asia.

In a relatively short span of six years, the programme has been successful in attracting senior leaders and entrepreneurs from a wide variety of industries across Asia, Europe, USA and the Middle East. They have an average of over 19 years of working experience.

Notably, its curriculum has been designed in consultation with more than 100 corporate leaders from Asia, resulting in first-of-its-kind or customised courses such as “Agile and Disruptive Strategy”, “Network and Alliance Building” etc. Professors with vast international research and consultancy experiences teach in small-size classes comprising a very senior profile of students who are industry leaders from diverse backgrounds, to offer participants an enriching experience. The programme, which received its seventh cohort in May 2017, has graduated about 160 graduates from 21 countries in the past six years.

This is FT’s 17^th annual ranking of EMBA degrees. EMBA programmes must meet strict criteria in order to be considered for the ranking – schools must be accredited by either the American AACSB or the European EQUIS accreditation bodies, and the programmes must have run for at least four consecutive years.

For full results and more details, please refer to the following:

·      FT EMBA Rankings 2017: https://www.ft.com/content/02ebff9e-a512-11e7-8d56-98a09be71849

·      FT EMBA Rankings 2017 Methodology: https://www.ft.com/content/08b8cfec-a512-11e7-8d56-98a09be71849