The Lisbon MBA in the Financial Times Rankings
The FT Global MBA rankings were announced earlier today. Once again, The Lisbon MBA International Full Time program is among the 100 best MBA in the world, being considered the 20th best in Europe. We are featured as the 1st MBA in Europe in International Course Experience, one of our key priorities.
We also moved up in the Aims achieved rank, which reflects the strategy to work more closely with the students and help them achieve their goals. Career Progress Rank and Diversity (international faculty & students), were two other areas where we have seen improvements. Overall, the program declined, losing 5 spots in Europe, mainly due to the decrease in variables linked with Alumni’s salary.
The 2013 Class, audited in this ranking, finished the MBA when the crisis was at its peak, Portugal then bearing the highest unemployment rate since 1980. The majority of our students (75%) decided to stay in Portugal or return to their countries of origin, and 22% launched their own business or started working in startups. The value of this choice is not captured in the salary level displayed in these rankings, and can only be measured in the long-term.
Deciding to follow this route in face of adversity reveals the alumni’s resilience and willingness to succeed. It also shows that our investment in developing soft skills prepares the students to face a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world. And for this, we are proud.
Looking ahead, Portugal is now a very different country than it was back in 2013, more appealing to companies and talent. Since then, around 200.000 jobs were created, as well as an average of 34.000 companies started each year. The Lisbon MBA has also been able to attract more international students, raising from 24% in 2013 to 51% in 2016.
We would like to reaffirm our commitment to continue to offer a unique and premier MBA. We are confident that our increasingly international classes, the graduates’ placement success and the ongoing improvements to the program will position us well for future rankings.