The top Executive MBA programmes are often delivered as joint programmes between two schools. This year’s FT ranking favoured the joint programme by Kellogg School of Management and HKUST Business School as the top programme for the third year in a row. Overall, the programme topped the ranking for the ninth time.

The reason for the programme’s ongoing success is the high average salary at 507,000 U.S. dollar, almost 140,000 U.S. dollar more than the second highest paid cohort, from Washington University’s Olin Business School. Winner number two was the joint programme Trium from HEC Paris/LSE/NYU: Stern. Another joint programme from Tsinghua University/Insead placed third whilst the EMBA-Global Asia from Columbia/HKU/LBS ranked at number four. Ceibs and HEC Paris were the next entrants with HEC Paris being the highest “new” entrant, in sixth place. HEC Paris was able to celebrate a double success as the French school also triumphed as one third of Trium, a joint degree with London School of Economics and NYU: Stern.

Overall, the FT also found that Executive MBA graduates were much more likely to work in industry and manufacturing than younger alumni from full-time MBAs and masters in management courses – and are less likely to be employed in finance or consulting.

Financial Times Executive MBA ranking 2018

1 Kellogg/HKUST Business School, US/China

2 Trium: HEC Paris/LSE/NYU: Stern, France / UK / US / China

3 Tsinghua University/Insead, China / Singapore / France / UAE

4 EMBA-Global Asia: Columbia/HKU/LBS, China / UK / US

5 Ceibs, China / Switzerland

6 HEC Paris, France / Qatar / China

7 Washington University: Olin, China

8 Shanghai Jiao Tong University: Antai, China

9 Iese Business School, Spain / US

10 MIT: Sloan, US

Whilst the FT ranked Executive MBAs, the news magazine The Economist released its 2018 MBA ranking.

Overall US schools dominated this ranking with the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business grabbing the winning spot. Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, the previous winner, was ranked second followed by Harvard, the Wharton School, and Stanford. The first successful European school was Spain's Iese Business School which climbed 11 places to sixth spot.

The renowned American MBAs do come at a price though as the Economist pointed out with the fees of the top programmes reaching an average $123,000 now. European schools in general are much more affordable in comparison and also often programmes that are scheduled for one year only.

The Economist's 2018 MBA ranking

1 Chicago – Booth, USA

2 Northwestern – Kellogg, USA

3 Harvard, USA

4 Wharton, USA

5 Stanford, USA

6 IESE Business School, Spain

7 Michigan – Ross, USA

8 UCLA – Anderson, USA

9 Virginia – Darden, USA

10 Columbia, USA

Read more onwww.rankings.ft.com, www.ft.com, www.economist.com