2017 01 30 news cambridgembaclimbsto5thinglobalftrankings 883x432 1

Cambridge MBA climbs to fifth in global FT rankings

30 January 2017

The article at a glance

Cambridge Judge Business School is also the top-ranked MBA programme in the UK in the annual Financial Times rankings. The annual Financial …

Cambridge Judge Business School is also the top-ranked MBA programme in the UK in the annual Financial Times rankings.

Cambridge MBA, class of 2012
The annual Financial Times global MBA rankings, published today (30 January), place Cambridge Judge Business School fifth among the world’s MBA programmes, up from 10th the previous year, while Cambridge Judge is the top-ranked MBA programme in the UK.

The Cambridge MBA is ranked first in value for money and aims achieved, with 89 per cent of alumni who responded to the survey indicating that they fulfilled their goals or reasons for doing an MBA. Cambridge Judge is also ranked in the top 10 among the world’s business schools in the effectiveness of the careers office, in areas such as career counselling, personal development, networking events, internship search and recruitment.

The FT rankings again confirm Cambridge Judge’s place as one of the world’s top business schools, as demonstrated by a range of initiatives, achievements and performance measures.

In the most recent Research Excellence Framework (REF) from the UK government, nearly nine of 10 submissions from Cambridge Judge were rated as “world leading” or “internationally excellent,” while 60 per cent of submissions were awarded the highest rating of 4* overall, as “world-leading in terms of originality, significance and rigour.”

The past year has seen publication of our research in some of the world’s leading academic journals for business, ranging from Academy of Management Journal to Journal of Finance, and other top business publications such as Harvard Business Review and California Management Review – with topics ranging from business ethics to transformative business innovation.

Cambridge Judge is proud to distinguish itself as a business school that leverages “the power of academia for real-world impact.” With that goal in mind, the School has launched many new Centres and Initiatives over the past few years to provide impactful solutions to practical issues of business, finance and society – for example, in entrepreneurship, compliance and trust, long-term asset management, psychometrics, alternative finance, healthcare leadership, social innovation, women’s leadership and the circular economy.

In response to employer feedback, student interest and the needs of global management, Cambridge Judge made several changes to the Cambridge MBA curriculum over the past year. In recognition of the impact that digital technology is having on all businesses, we made Digital Business a core course for all MBAs; Entrepreneurship is now a core course because top companies are looking for an entrepreneurial mindset; and we have expanded Management Practice, a unique and key offering, to take into account the increasing demands on MBA graduates to lead high-performing, globally distributed teams.

Upcoming highlights include the opening, early next year, of a new £32 million expansion of Cambridge Judge through the 4,790-square-metre Simon Sainsbury Centre, just behind the School’s iconic main building, which will include new lecture theatres, seminar rooms and dining facilities.

Dean of the School, Christoph Loch, said:

Christoph Loch
Professor Christoph Loch

“We are proud of the many achievements that have created the Cambridge Judge Business School of today, and this major ranking by the Financial Times reconfirms the determined focus on quality in our MBA programme – the quality of our students, their education, and the services and experience provided.

“Yet while surveys are useful, they do not define our mission and strategy – which is to create a truly transformational experience for students, enabling and encouraging them to pursue careers that they can proudly look back on in 30 years and feel they have made a positive difference to their communities and the world.

“Every year, I tell new students to ‘go out and do something extraordinary’. That is the goal for Cambridge Judge Business School as well, so we are proud that the steps we have taken to create one of the world’s top business schools are externally recognised.”