UCD business school ascends global MBA rankings

University College Dublin (UCD) has inched up the rankings in the 2013 Financial Times Global Executive MBA Rankings published today.

The Dublin university, which is the only Irish business school included in the global rankings, has moved up seven places in the rankings from last year, up to 81. However, it still lags behind its placing in the 2011 survey, when it ranked 57th.

Global collaborations top the rankings, with the Kellogg/HongKong UST BusinessSchool taking thetop place, followed by Tsinghua University/Insead, a collaboration with France's Insead. Columbia/London Business School are in third place, followed by the Trium programme offered by HEC Paris/LSE/ and NewYork University Stern.

The Kellogg/HongKong UST Business School might be ranked the top school, but it is also potentially the most lucrative one, with graduates expected to earn $416,806 (€304,496) within three years of graduating. In comparison, graduates of UCD can expect to earn $112,741.

Speaking about the results, Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh, dean of the UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School, said the survey "further strengthens the school's reputation in its commitment to excellence, allowing us to compete with the other premier business schools in the world.

“Interpersonal and communication skills, leadership ability, self-awareness and confidence are all enhanced by the UCD Smurfit School MBA experience and the business, peer and alumni networks created while studying for an MBA can be invaluable”, Professor Ó hÓgartaigh added.