The full report is available on the FT website

Recent league tables as of 28 January 2008

A number of league tables have been published recently, and here's a round-up of the major publications' tables.

Financial Times ranks MBA programme second in the world

London Business School's MBA programme was ranked second in the world and first in Europe in the annual Financial Times MBA rankings published today 28 January. The School moved up three positions from last year.

The top ranked schools worldwide, in order, are; Wharton, London Business School, Columbia Business School, Stanford and Harvard.

This ranking's methodology uses data provided by business schools and their alumni who graduated three years ago, examining three categories: alumni salaries and career development, the diversity and international reach of the business school and its MBA programme, and the research capabilities of each school.

Highlighted in the report is that 96% of our 2007 graduating class accepted job offers within three months of graduation and reported a 126% increase in their pre-MBA salary. The global nature of the School was emphasised by the high proportion of international faculty (83%) and international students (90%) which were the highest of the top five schools. The School's high quality research was also recognised – our research ranking rose eight places to number three in the world.

Sabine Vinck, Associate Dean of the MBA programme said:

"We are delighted to be ranked second in the world and to be recognised as the top business school in Europe. This strong result is testament to our very talented students and alumni as well as the dedicated work of our faculty and staff."

Professor Julian Birkinshaw, Deputy Dean, Programmes, said:

"I am particularly pleased that the hard work of our excellent faculty has been recognised in our research ranking. While we acknowledge the importance of rankings like these, our focus remains on our Vision to become the pre-eminent global business school offering a portfolio of world-class programmes. We are committed to our students and will continue to strive to develop strong business leaders who will have a positive impact on business worldwide."

The full report is available on the FT website

There is also a profile of London Business School on page 11 of the Financial Times Business Education Global MBA Rankings liftout.

Created  28 January 2008

School placed second in Financial Times European ranking

London Business School is positioned second overall in the most recent Financial Times rankings of European graduate business schools, which were released today.

The school has maintained its position from last year when it was also ranked second.

London Business School is ranked number one for the MBA programme, number three for the EMBA programme and numbers five and seven respectively for non-degree Executive Education in 'open' and 'custom' programmes.

This ranking of European business schools is based on their performance in four key areas: MBA programmes, Executive MBA programmes, non-degree executive education programmes and Masters in Management programmes. London Business School does not take part in the Masters in Management ranking exercise.

Deputy Dean of Programmes, Professor Julian Birkinshaw says: "We are pleased with this result which places us at the very top in Europe and positions our MBA programme as the number one in Europe.  While we acknowledge the importance of rankings like these, our focus remains on our vision to become the pre-eminent global business school offering a portfolio of world-class programmes.

The full report is available on the FT website.

Created 3 December 07

Financial Times Executive MBA Rankings 2007

The Financial Times Executive MBA rankings today positioned both of London Business School's Executive MBA programmes in the top ten in the world, our London EMBA at 6 and our EMBA-Global at 4. 

The ranking, which is now in its seventh year, is based on three key groupings, alumni career progress, school diversity, and ideas generation. It uses data collected from two sets of questionnaires completed by alumni who have been in the workplace for three years since their graduation and by business schools themselves.

Associate Dean of the EMBA and Sloan programmes, Lyn Hoffman, says:

"We are very pleased that, once again, our Executive MBA programmes have appeared in the top ten in the world in the annual FT EMBA rankings. Our students are of the very highest calibre; they are the most diverse group of EMBAs in the world and our goal is to create a truly effective global learning environment in which students not only work with our highly-regarded faculty but also share their very wide range of experiences and perspectives. Our EMBA students leave London Business School with the knowledge, skills and networks which enable them to achieve career success in today's complex, fast-moving and global world."

Deputy Dean of Programmes, Julian Birkinshaw, says:

"While acknowledging the importance of rankings like this one for candidates who are making the very significant decision to study for an Executive MBA, London Business School's focus remains on our Vision to become the pre-eminent global business school offering a portfolio of world-class programmes. The rankings are helpful to us because they provide valuable feedback from our alumni on their career progression; they also accurately reflect the international nature of our School and our faculty as well as our capability to develop new knowledge and ideas."

The full report is available online from the Financial Times website.

Created 22 October 2007

Wall St Journal 2007 ranking

London Business School is ranked number three internationally in the Wall Street Journal's (WSJ) annual MBA rankings released today. Last year the School was ranked fourth.

The WSJ divides its recruitment based MBA ranking list into three separate rankings - national USA, regional USA and international. This year the rankings were based on the opinions of 4,430 MBA corporate recruiters.

The international ranking includes 25 schools where students are recruited outside of the US. ESADE is the top ranked international school in this year's survey.

Associate Dean of the MBA programme, Gareth Howells says:"London Business School should be very proud of these results.  To be ranked number three in the Wall Street Journal's MBA rankings is a tremendous achievement.  At the same time, we do recognise that no ranking gives broad acknowledgement to the School's achievements and dedication to excellence in global business education."

Director of Career Services, Diane Morgan continues: "We are exceptionally pleased with this result which demonstrates our hard work and commitment to the recruitment needs of our students.  These rankings illustrate that international recruiters recognise the value in recruiting from our globally diverse and high-calibre student body and that we are well on target to achieve our vision to be the pre-eminent global business school.

The full report is available online from the Wall Street Journal website.

Created 14 September

Financial Times 2007 Executive Education rankings

London Business School's Executive Education programmes are ranked 17th overall in today's Financial Times annual rankings.

This is the ninth year the Financial Times has ranked international non-degree executive education in 'open' and 'custom' programmes. The methodology is based on a mix of customer feedback and data provided by the business schools.

London Business School was placed 22nd in the Custom ranking. "Given the School's global focus, it is gratifying to see high scores for overseas programmes (11th), international clients (11th), international participants (9th) and our faculty diversity (10th)," comments Tom Ryan, Director of the Centre for Management Development.

In the Open category, the School is ranked 20th. Joellyn Prouty McLaren; Director of Open Programmes, adds: "I am pleased to see the highlight scores being 7th for quality of participants, 9th for international participants, 8th for faculty diversity and 13th for aims achieved."

Faculty Director, Nirmalya Kumar comments: "I would like to thank the faculty, programme directors and the Executive Education team for the huge effort that has delivered strong financial and participants number results this year, particularly in Open programmes. We should be proud of continuing to attract high quality participants and corporate clients. However, the survey results indicate that our customer expectations are rising fast and we need to improve to meet them."

"It is a disappointing and a surprising result," concludes Ian Hardie, Associate Dean for Executive Education. "Whilst rankings are not an exact science, and they need to be read carefully, we do take them seriously, they highlight the diversity of providers in this field. They can help to identify areas where we can make further investments; e.g. our £4million on-site bedrooms project that goes live in September. We continue to see growth in Open programmes, up 17% year on year and our average feedback scores are over 4.5 from participants. Our continued focus, in line with our Vision, will be on our clients, our participants and their needs."

The Financial Times indicates that the market for executive education is continuing to grow and points to the increasing demand for high quality, ground-breaking research from the top business schools.

The full report is available online at FT.com.

Created 14 May 2007

MBA ranked fifth in the world for third year running and first outside the US

The Financial Times MBA rankings, published on 29 January, once again rate London Business School 5th in the world and 1st outside of the US. The top five schools in the world are Wharton, Columbia, Harvard, Stanford and London, respectively.

The 2007 FT ranking rests on data provided by business schools and their alumni who graduated three years ago. It is assessed in three main categories - alumni career progress, diversity, and idea generation.

The report highlights that 96% of our MBA graduates accepted job offers by three months after graduation, and our alumni reported a 122% salary increase over their pre-MBA salary. On diversity, we remain one of the most diverse schools and are ranked fifth for the international mobility of our graduates.

Julia Tyler, Associate Dean of the MBA programme says she's "delighted" to be ranked among the top-five schools. "This is a tribute to the successes of our students and alumni, and the dedicated faculty and staff who support them," she says. "It's very encouraging to see that we have scored an average rank over the last four years of fifth - the only non-US school to have achieved this."

"We are especially proud of our alumni - not only the class of 2003 but also the earlier classes - all of whose achievements are reflected in this continuing success. A big thank you to them for completing the FT survey as well as to staff throughout the School who spent a huge amount of time crunching the data."

Zeger Degraeve, Deputy Dean, Programmes, adds: "Whatever our position in the FT or any other ranking, our focus is on continual improvement and achieving our Vision to be the pre-eminent global business school. We will continue to help our students to develop the skills and capabilities required to succeed in a complex global business environment."

The full report is available online from the FT website.

Created 29 January 2007

FT European Business Schools 2006 rankings

London Business School is ranked second overall in the latest Financial Times assessment of European graduate business schools, published today.

This is the third year in which the Financial Times has produced a ranking of European business schools based on their overall performance in MBA programmes, executive MBA programmes and non-degree executive education programmes. Also included in the methodology is the European Masters of Management, which is not offered at London Business School. The inclusion of this latter programme significantly benefits HEC Paris and others in moving up the table.

London Business School is ranked number one for both MBA and EMBA programmes and numbers five and three respectively for non-degree Executive Education in 'open' and 'custom' programmes.

"We are delighted to be at the top in Europe, and to remain number one for MBA and EMBA – our flagship programmes. This is a continuing testimony of the quality and dedication of our faculty, staff and students, the whole community of London Business School," says Zeger Degraeve, Dean of Programmes. "We are on course to achieving our Vision to be the pre-eminent global business school."

The full report is available on the FT website.

Created 4 December 2006

School placed in top ten for two EMBA programmes

Both of London Business School's Executive MBA Programmes are included in the top ten in today's Financial Times Executive MBA rankings. Our Executive MBA is ranked 7th in the world and our EMBA-Global, a truly innovative programme which we launched with Columbia Business School five years ago, appears for the first time, at 2nd in the world and 1st in Europe.

Now in its sixth year, the FT ranking is based on the data collated from two sets of questionnaires – one for the business schools and the second for alumni who have been in the workplace for three years since graduation.

Deputy Dean of programmes, Zeger Degraeve comments: "This ranking is important as it considers the School as a whole, taking account of the internationalism of our community, our exceptional faculty and our research initiatives. But, even though we recognise the influence that these rankings have, they do not distract us from our long-term vision of becoming the pre-eminent global business school offering exceptional flexibility and choice in its world-class EMBA programmes."

Associate Dean of the EMBA and Sloan programmes Lyn Hoffman says:

"We are very proud of our Executive MBA and Executive MBA-Global students and alumni and delighted to see both London Business School EMBA programmes in the top ten of the FT rankings. These are delivered with full academic rigour in an unparalleled global environment. Our students have made significant progress in their careers, have immediate and far-reaching impact in their organisations and, by being at London Business School, they build a strong worldwide network for life.  We are fortunate in being able to admit exceptional individuals and offer them Executive MBA programmes which have commitment to excellence and continuing improvement and innovation at their core."

Created 23 October 2006

BusinessWeek 2006 MBA ranking

London Business School is ranked fifth outside of the U.S. and first in the same category for the volume of its research output in BusinessWeek's biennial ranking of MBA programmes, announced on 12 October.

The 2006 rankings place three Canadian business schools at the top of the league table, which separates non-US business schools from their US counterparts. London Business School is ranked second in Europe – behind Switzerland's IMD – and is noted as an "ideal climate for job seekers" thanks to its "London locale paired with a strong alumni network."

The School was also placed fifth in the last BusinessWeek rankings in 2004.

BusinessWeek calculates its rankings with three main streams of data. These include survey responses from full-time MBA students graduating in 2006, 2004 and 2002 (45%); survey responses from corporate recruiters in the same years (45%); as well as a measure of each school's intellectual capital over the past five years (10%). This is the first year that the magazine has combined recruiter data with previous year's results. The intellectual capital component tallies the number of articles written in 20 journals since 2001 by each school's faculty.

In general, MBA programmes outside of the US are thriving. "Many potential MBAs are looking for a program that offers a strong dose of management theory - and a global perspective," according to the magazine. And few US MBA programmes can "match the diversity and international flavour of a school" in Europe. The article cites Graduate Management Admissions Council data showing that the number of US students attending MBA programmes in Europe has risen to 3,550 in 2005, up from about 2,100 in 2000.

Associate Dean of the MBA programme Julia Tyler said: "It's good to see we remain in BusinessWeek's top five international school ranking. Looking forward we believe that the recent changes to the MBA curriculum combined with Career Services efforts to extend our geographic reach should strengthen our position."

"It's great to see faculty research getting top marks as well as recognition for the strength of our alumni networks. Many thanks to the students and alumni who answered the BusinessWeek survey," Tyler said.

More information can be found at the BusinessWeek website.

Created 13 October 2006

Wall St Journal 2006 ranking

London Business School is ranked fourth internationally in the Wall Street Journal's (WSJ) annual MBA rankings released today. It was ranked fifth last year.

The WSJ divides its recruitment based MBA ranking list into three separate rankings – national USA, regional USA and international. This year the rankings were based on the opinions of 4125 MBA corporate recruiters.

The international ranking includes 24 schools where students are recruited outside of the US. The list includes nine US schools, nine European schools, three Canadian and three Latin American institutions. ESADE is the top ranked international school in this year's survey.

Associate Dean of the full-time MBA programme, Julia Tyler says: "It is pleasing to again be placed in the top 5 of the international ranking. We take this as another piece of evidence that our special combination of academic rigour and providing students with the skills to be global business leaders is a winning formula. I would like to thank all the recruiters and alumni who responded to the survey."

Director of Career Services, Graham Hastie comments: "The Career Services Team works extremely hard to develop relationships with recruiters around the globe in line with our vision to be the pre-eminent global business school. This is demonstrated in the high number of companies from all sectors who recruit our students. We are pleased with this recognition."

The full report is available online from the Wall Street Journal website.

Created 20 September 2006

Financial Times 2006 Executive Education rankings

London Business School's Executive Education programmes are ranked 10th overall in today's Financial Times annual rankings, the fourth consecutive year we have been ranked in the top 10.

This is the eighth year the Financial Times has ranked international non-degree executive education in 'open' and 'custom' programmes. The methodology is based on a mix of customer feedback and data provided by the business schools.

London Business School was placed 11th in the Custom ranking. "Given our global focus I was encouraged to see particularly high scores for overseas programmes (6th) and our faculty diversity (9th)," comments Tom Ryan, Director of the Centre for Management Development. "I am particularly pleased to see our performance improve for "follow up" which is a key element in ensuring our programmes have real impact."

In the Open category, the School is ranked 13th. Guy Saunders, Director of Open Programmes, comments: "I am pleased to see improvements, albeit small, on many of the measures but to be ranked 3rd for quality of participants and 5th for international participants is both heartening and proof that our global focus is paying off."

Faculty Director, Rob Goffee adds: "I am grateful to the faculty, programme directors and the core Executive Education team for the massive effort that has delivered such strong financial and participants number results this year.  We continue to attract high quality participants and corporate clients who give us extremely strong feedback which fuels our growth. As always, as we grow, we need to ensure we maintain quality."

"It is a mixed result," concludes Ian Hardie, Associate Dean for Executive Education. "Whilst rankings are not an exact science, and they need to be read carefully, we do take them seriously. They remind us of the very tough competitive landscape and help to identify areas where we can make further investments and improvements. Our continued focus, in line with our strategy, will be on our clients and their needs, and achieving our Vision to be the pre-eminent global business school."

The Financial Times indicates that the market for executive education is continuing to grow and points to the increasing demand for high quality, ground-breaking research from the top business schools.

The full report is available online from the FT website.

Created 15 May 2006

Financial Times, 30 January 2006 – MBA rankings

London Business School is ranked 5th in the world in today's Financial Times MBA rankings, and 1st outside of the US.

The FT comments that schools are benefiting as the MBA returns to favour. "The two key indicators for business schools – the number of recruiters who want to employ their graduates and the number of students applying for their programmes – are both looking rosy," according to the article.

The 2006 FT ranking rests on data provided by business schools and their alumni who graduated three years ago. It was then assessed in three main categories – alumni career progress, diversity, and idea generation.

In each area, the School made gains. In 2005, 96% of our MBA graduates accepted job offers by three months after graduation, and our alumni reported a 127% salary increase over their pre-MBA salary. On diversity, we remain one of the most diverse schools, with 91% of our students from outside of the UK, and a No 4 rank for the international mobility of our graduates. In research, we enjoyed a higher rating – 9th overall -- of our faculty research.

Julia Tyler, Associate Dean of the MBA programme at London Business School, says she's "truly delighted" with the results, and encouraged that the programme sits among the top-five schools for the third year in a row. "This is a tribute to the successes of our students and alumni, and the dedicated faculty and staff who support them," she says. "But there is no room for complacency. We are continually improving the programme to serve the needs of students and recruiters even better."

Zeger Degraeve, Deputy Dean, Programmes, adds: "Although we recognise the influence of rankings, we do not let them distract us from our focus on the constant refinement of our programmes offering flexibility and choice, support of our faculty, encouragement of our students and engagement with our global community of alumni. On these strengths, we will achieve our Vision of being the pre-eminent global business school."

The full report is available online from the FT website.

Created on 30 January 2006

Financial Times, 5 December 2005 - Graduate Business Schools

Once again, London Business School is ranked 1st overall in the Financial Times annual assessment of European graduate business schools.

This is the second year in which the Financial Times has produced a ranking of European business schools based on their overall performance in four key areas: MBA programmes, executive MBA programmes, non-degree executive education programmes and the European Masters of Management, a new survey which doesn't apply to the School. The rankings were compiled from data collected for the four FT rankings over the past year for these programmes.

Across Europe, the School was ranked number one for MBA and EMBA programmes and number two and four respectively for non-degree executive education in 'custom' and 'open' programmes. Faculty research was rated second in Europe.

"We are well on track to achieving our Vision to be the pre-eminent global business school, nurturing talent and advancing knowledge in a multinational learning environment," Dean Laura Tyson says. "This Financial Times rating applauds our achievements towards that goal."

The full report is available online on a subscription basis from the FT website.

Created on 5 December 2005

Financial Times, 24 October 2005 - Executive MBA

London Business School is ranked 3rd in the world and 1st in Europe in today's Financial Times Executive MBA rankings.

In its fifth year, the ranking is based on the data collated from two sets of questionnaires – one for the business schools and the second for alumni who have been in the workplace for three years since graduation.

Deputy Dean of programmes, Zeger Degraeve comments: "This ranking is important as it considers the School as a whole, taking account of the internationalism of our faculty and our research initiatives. But even though we recognise the influence that these rankings have, they do not distract us from our long-term Vision of becoming the pre-eminent global business school offering exceptional flexibility and choice in its world-class EMBA programmes."

Associate Dean of the EMBA and Sloan programmes Lyn Hoffman says: "We are very proud of our Executive MBA students who have made significant progress in their careers. Our EMBA programmes are delivered with full academic rigour in an unparalleled global environment. The learning experience generates new ideas for our students, they have immediate and far-reaching impact in their organisations, and by being at London Business School they build a strong worldwide network for life.

Created on 24 October 2005

BusinessWeek, 17 October 2005 - Executive Education and EMBA

London Business School's executive education and Executive MBA programmes have been placed in the biennial BusinessWeek education ranking.

Executive Education Open enrolment programmes have been ranked at number 5 in the world for Open programmes and number 6 for Custom programmes – their highest rankings yet in the BusinessWeek survey.

Ian Hardie, Associate Dean for Executive Education concludes: "These results reflect the tremendous hard work from the team – staff and faculty – over the last few years. It is great to see the focus we have had on our clients and commitment to high standards be recognised. Whatever our position in the rankings our focus will continue to be on improving and helping  our executive education clients develop the skills and capabilities required to succeed in a complex global business environment."

The Executive Education 2005 rankings are based on the results of 163 surveys received from directors of leadership and executive development at companies worldwide.

The School's EMBA programme is ranked at number 25, down from 23 in 2003. The School's EMBA programme is one of only three European programmes to make the BusinessWeek ranking.

Deputy Dean of programmes, Zeger Degraeve comments: "These new BusinessWeek rankings rightfully identify London Business School's Executive MBA participants' unrivalled international exposure within a class of more than 65% foreign nationals.  However, although we recognise the influence that business school rankings have, they will not distract us from pursuing our long-term strategy of becoming the pre-eminent global business school offering exceptional flexibility and choice in its world-class EMBA programmes."

The EMBA rankings rely on two surveys: a poll of recent graduates and a survey of EMBA program directors. Lyn Hoffman, Associate Dean of the EMBA and Sloan programmes says: "Our EMBA graduates have an immediate and far reaching impact on their organisations from the day they commence their studies at London Business School. Our programme is delivered with full academic rigour in an unparalleled global environment."

See the BusinessWeek rankings.

Wall St Journal, 21 September 2005 - MBA

London Business School is placed at number five internationally in the Wall Street Journal's (WSJ) annual recruitment based MBA rankings.

The WSJ divides its MBA ranking list into three separate rankings – national USA, regional USA and international, covering a total of 86 schools.

The WSJ rankings are based on the opinions of 3267 MBA corporate recruiters. In 2004, the school was ranked number two internationally.

The international ranking includes 20 schools that attracted recruiters from four or more countries. London Business School and INSEAD tied for being the schools that attracted recruiters from the most countries. 

"In line with our vision to be the pre-eminent global business school, career services' focus is on marketing our students to global recruiters, the success of which is demonstrated in the high number of companies from all sectors with whom we have contacts around the world."  comments Graham Hastie, Director of Career Services.

The WSJ ranking also highly rated the School's connections with main financial institutions and students' problem solving abilities and communications skills.

Senior Associate Dean of the full-time MBA programme, Craig Smith says: "The survey's findings reflect our ability to attract the best students from over 60 countries around the world - no school offers greater global diversity to its students or recruiters and this is a key strength as globalisation continues apace."

Forbes, 19 August 2005 - 2 year MBA

The biennial ranking by Forbes magazine has put the School at number one for two-year programmes outside the US in terms of gain on expenses. The survey questioned the graduating class of 2000 to determine the results which also see the School comparing very well to its North American counterparts.

Forbes base their rankings on return on investment and analyse compensation five years after graduation minus tuition and the forgone salary during school. Earnings gains are discounted back to 1998 using a rate tied to money market yields. They adjust the salaries for the cost of living and discard any school where alumni responses are less than 15%.

Julia Tyler, Associate Dean, MBA Programme said, "It's encouraging to see London Business School ranked first outside the US. Indeed, the figures indicate we offer one of the strongest gains on expenses of any school, including the top U.S. schools."

A full breakdown of the rankings can be found now on the Forbes website. The rankings issue of the magazine will be on newsstands on 5 September.

Financial Times, 16 May 2005 - Executive Education 

London Business School's Executive Education programmes are ranked 8th overall in today's Financial Times annual rankings.  This consolidates their position in the top 10.

This is the seventh year the Financial Times has ranked international non-degree executive education in 'open' and 'custom' programmes.  The methodology is based on a mix of customer feedback and data provided by the business schools.

London Business School was placed 3rd in the Custom ranking, its highest rank yet and up one place from last year.  "It is very encouraging to see the great work we do for our clients come through in this high ranking," comments Tom Ryan, Director of the Centre for Management Development.  I am particularly pleased, but not surprised, to see us ranked at number 2 for our faculty."

In the Open ranking, the School is up nine places from last year at 12th.  Guy Saunders, Director of Open Programmes, comments:  "The rise of nine places and the confirmation of the quality of our participants (ranked number 5) are the two highlights for me."

Faculty Director, Rob Goffee adds:  "I am grateful to the Faculty, Programme Directors and the core Executive Education team for the massive effort that has delivered such a strong result."

"It is another good result," concludes Ian Hardie, Associate Dean for Executive Education.  "Whilst rankings are not an exact science, we take them seriously.  Our progress is recognised and we have some clearly identified areas where we can make further improvements.  Our continued focus, in line with our strategy, will be on our clients and their needs, and achieving our Vision to be the pre-eminent global business school."

Top of this year's very close rankings are Duke, Stanford and IMD.  Wharton and Harvard decided not to participate this year.

The Financial Times indicates that the market for executive education is growing, and highlights the strength of European business schools which are competing with the US schools in the top positions.

View the full report at the FT website.

Financial Times MBA rankings place us in top 5 and 1st outside of the US - 24 January 2005

London Business School is ranked 5th in the world in today's Financial Times MBA rankings, and 1st outside of the US.

The FT comments that "if any prospective student seriously doubted that the MBA degree from a reputable business schools was worth the money, they need only look at the data collected for this year's FT MBA rankings."  Anecdotal evidence suggests that in a bad year for finding jobs, those MBAs who study on a two-year programme and complete an internship in a company or firm as part of their programme, have a better chance of getting a good job.  The data shows that London Business School graduates gain an average 147% increase in salary over their pre-MBA salary.

Top of the rankings are Harvard and Wharton (joint 1st), Columbia and Stanford.  The methodology is based on alumni career progress and a range of criteria including internationalism, diversity and research.  A determining factor this year was the return of recruiters in the finance and banking sector, and the decline of schools with one year programmes.

Julia Tyler, Director of the MBA Programme at London Business School, comments:  "I am delighted that we have sustained our position in the top five and that we are the top non-US school.  This year the nearest non-US school is INSEAD who last year were joint with us.  It's very encouraging to see that we have scored an average rank over the last three years of 5 – the only non-US school to have achieved this.

"We are especially proud of our alumni – not only the class of 2001 but also the earlier classes – all of whose achievements are reflected in this continuing success.  A big thank you to them for completing the FT survey as well as to staff throughout the School who spent a huge amount of time crunching the data."

Professor Craig Smith, Associate Dean of the MBA programme, says:  "These rankings are further testament to our efforts to become the pre-eminent global business school.

"However, whatever our position in rankings, our focus is on continual improvement and helping our students to develop the skills and capabilities required to succeed in a complex global business environment.  The results speak for themselves and our graduates are amongst the most sought after in the world.  In addition, they command some of the highest salaries – three years after graduating, for example, our alumni earn an average of over $150,000.  Our current programme review focuses on increasing flexibility and choice for students, and should further improve the programme's attractiveness to employers as well as to prospective students."

The full report is available online from the FT website on a subscription basis.

Financial Times, 1 November 2004 - EMBA rankings

London Business School is ranked 8th in the world in today's Financial Times Executive MBA rankings, and joint 1st in Europe with Instituto de Empresa.

The FT comments that the top nine schools worldwide "are a very tight group and the difference between these schools is negligible."  It highlights once again that top business education is no longer the exclusivity of the US, and that "the tide has turned for the Executive MBA in Europe in the past years."

Lyn Hoffman, Director of the Executive MBA Programmes at London Business School, says:  "I am delighted that we are again included in the Financial Times premier league of Executive MBAs.  The average salaries of our EMBA students three years out is in excess of $150,000, which is the highest in Europe, and the percentage increase is 78%.  Most importantly, we have increased year on year our positioning in terms of students' aims achieved, from 28th in 2001 to 5th this year."

Professor Zeger Degraeve, Associate Dean of the School's EMBA and EMBA Global programmes, comments:  "Just a few weeks ago, the FT, in its inaugural ranking of European business schools placed our School as number 1.  These rankings confirm the School and its EMBA programme as leaders in the world.

"However, although we recognise the importance of rankings, we will not let them distract us from pursuing our long-term strategy of admitting exceptional individuals and offering them a programme benefitting from continual improvement and innovation both in content and structure, with increasing flexibility and choice."

Business Week, 8 October 2004

London Business School is ranked fifth in Business Week´s biennial ranking of MBA programmes published Friday 8 October.

Business Week rankings are based on student and recruiter surveys. In 2002 the School was ranked fourth. The rankings this year see Canadian school Queen's head the league table.  Initiatives which have improved Career Services were recognised by the magazine as well as students´ positive reaction to curriculum changes.

The Business Week survey found recruiters were increasingly finding MBA graduates from international programmes outpacing their US rivals. International MBA programmes were "becoming an increasingly desirable choice for would-be MBAs everywhere."

The Business Week rankings follow recognition of the School in many recent rankings. The Financial Times placed the School first in its assessment of European graduate business schools. The Wall Street Journal's recruiter-based MBA survey rated the School at number two in its international rankings.

Associate Dean of the MBA programme Craig Smith said: "Whilst rankings create a lot of interest, it is important to recognise that they give only partial acknowledgement of our achievements and our ongoing dedication to excellence in global business education. However, we do take them seriously and we will examine the Business Week results in our efforts to continually improve our programme."

Director of the MBA programme Julia Tyler said: "It is encouraging to see students recognise the positive impact of the changes to the programme and the continuing improvement in Career Services. We are committed to making further improvements. We are determined to improve our position in these rankings."

Wall Street Journal, 22 September 2004

The Wall Street Journal has put London Business School at number two in a new MBA international ranking.

For the first time the newspaper has divided its MBA ranking list into three separate rankings – national US programs, regional US programs and international programs, covering a total of 71 schools.

Dean of the MBA programme, Craig Smith said, "The WSJ rankings coupled with the recent assessment by the Financial Times - rating London Business School as the number one business school in Europe - demonstrate that international recruiters recognise the value in recruiting from our globally diverse student body and that we are well on target to achieving our vision to be the pre-eminent global business school."

The top five WSJ list from each sector

Financial Times, 6 September 2004

London Business School is ranked 1st overall in the Financial Times inaugural assessment of European graduate business schools. This is the first year in which the Financial Times has produced a ranking of European business schools based on their performance in three key areas: MBA programmes, executive MBA programmes and non-degree executive education programmes.

"The Financial Times report indicates that we are well on track to achieving our Vision to be the pre-eminent global business school, nurturing talent and advancing knowledge in a multinational learning environment," Dean Laura Tyson said.

"The Financial Times report also suggests that European business schools are forging ahead with their globally orientated programmes while US schools are still recovering from the economic downturn."

The full report is available on the FT website.

Financial Times, 17 May 2004 - Executive Education

London Business School's Executive Education programmes are ranked 7th overall in today's Financial Times annual rankings. This consolidates the position they already achieved last year.

This is the sixth year the Financial Times has ranked international non-degree executive education in 'open' and 'custom' programmes.  The methodology is based on a mix of customer feedback and data provided by the business schools.

"It is a great result to have consolidated our overall position at number 7," comments Ian Hardie, Associate Dean for Executive Education.  "Whilst rankings are not an exact science, we take them seriously.  However, our focus must be on our customers, the marketplace and the provision of high impact, innovative programmes for international participants in line with our strategy and achieving our Vision to be the pre-eminent global business school."

The full report is available on the FT website.

Financial Times, 26 January 2004 - MBA

London Business School's full-time MBA programme is ranked 4th in today's Financial Times annual MBA league table.

Associate Dean of the MBA Programme, Craig Smith comments: "We are delighted to have been ranked 4th, the first time a European school has been in the top five. Whatever our position in the FT or any other ranking, our focus is on continual improvement and achieving our Vision to be the pre-eminent global business school. We will continue to help our students to develop the skills and capabilities required to succeed in a complex global business environment.""

MBA Programme Director, Julia Tyler adds: "We have been in the top ten since the FT first published its rankings and our average rank over the last three years is 7th in the world. This is public testament to the strength and quality of the School, and to the continuing success of our alumni."

London Business School is ranked joint 4th with Insead and Chicago. Top are Wharton, Harvard and Columbia (no change from last year). The methodology is based on alumni career progress and a range of criteria including internationalism, diversity and research. Our position in the rankings is sensitive to tiny differences in ranking scores and the gaps between the top twelve schools are very small. This year the most significant factor to drive changes in position was the fact that US salaries dropped more than those in Europe.

The full report is available on the FT website.

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