The winners of the Perspectives 2024 MBA Ranking are the Canadian Executive MBA (CEMBA) program of the Warsaw School of Economics and the Executive MBA program of Kozminski University.

Thirty-four programs were evaluated that met three entry conditions: the degree program lasted a minimum of two semesters, during which a minimum of 300 hours of classes were held, the program graduated at least two classes of graduates, and the university running the program was ranked in the Perspectives 2023 Ranking of Higher Education Institutions. The latter condition applied primarily to private universities, whose participation in the Perspectives Ranking of Higher Education Institutions depends on their completion of the survey.

The ranking consisted of 28 indicators grouped into 5 criteria, which reflect the main aspects of MBA studies that are important to those making the decision to pursue them. The indicators and weights used in the final ranking of MBA programs were developed by the Ranking Chapter, in consultation with the organizers of MBA studies. According to the Chapter's decision, universities whose results do not differ by more than 0.5 points are ranked ex aequo.

Listeners to the program

In this category, the process of recruiting candidates for the program was evaluated. Both the professional experience of the student, the evaluation of the requirements for recruitment, as well as the diversification of the program in terms of foreign, female and male students were taken into account. The category was evaluated with a weight of 12 percent, and its leaders were the MBA and Executive MBA programs at the WSB Academy in Dabrowa Gornicza and the Executive MBA at the Leon Kozminski Academy.

It turns out that entering MBA programs, is not easy. The student is usually required to have a minimum of 3 years of experience in a managerial position, in addition, you have to pass an interview, demonstrate your English language skills, solve a competency test, and submit a cover letter.

In the programs evaluated, as many as 94 percent of the participants work in at least middle management positions. Women accounted for an average of 36 percent of all listeners, and 19.6 percent were foreigners. Nearly 950 people took part in the latest editions of all evaluated programs.

Teaching staff of the program

An important element, of any program, is the staff, and above all its diversity.  This is a category that has a high weighting of 23 percent in the ranking. Here the leader of the list is the Executive MBA from the WSB Academy and the Poznań University of Economics Executive MBA Poznań-Atlanta program.

The most important thing for MBA graduates is practical knowledge, which they can later use in their work. Therefore, the practical experience of lecturers gained at home and abroad matters. In the vast majority of programs, lecturers who are also practitioners make up 100 percent of the staff. On average, one in three lecturers comes from abroad or has foreign experience. There are more than 1,300 lecturers at the 34 programs, 35.6 percent of whom are women, 244 of whom hold a doctoral degree and 277 of whom are professors.  There is an average of 1.4 lecturers per student.

A survey of graduates assessing the quality of staff was included in this category. The average score of the survey is 4.4 out of a maximum of 5 points.

Substantive features of the program

The largest weight in the ranking was given to the category - Substantive features of the program - 30 percent. Here the leader was the School of Economics and its Canadian Executive MBA (CEMBA) program. The evaluation was based on whether the program includes a set of core courses that should form the core of an MBA program and devotes at least 12 hours to them.  The average match between the program in the group of ranked participants and the core curriculum is 82 percent, with the largest discrepancy occurring for specialized programs.

One of the conditions for entry into the ranking was a minimum number of hours - 300. Of the 34 programs, 12 had less than 500 hours, the average number of hours for the program was 530. Nearly 39 percent of the students of the ranked programs, went abroad as part of the MBA, took a total of more than 1,400 hours of classes at foreign universities (remote and full-time). On average, 40 percent of classes were taught in a foreign language.

Passing the program is a test of the knowledge of its students. This point assesses the contribution of the participant and the study organizer to passing the program and preparing and defending the thesis. In most programs, students passed subjects in the form of exams or projects. Programs ended with the defense of the thesis, which is subject to mandatory review and was defended by the student.

The content value of the program was also assessed by alumni, who gave their studies an average score of 4.2 out of 5.

Career support for graduates

Graduate career support is a new criterion in the MBA ranking, with a weighting of 15 percent. The leader of the compilation is the Executive MBA Poznań-Atlanta program from the Poznań University of Economics.

Here, scoring was based on a survey of alumni, who were given a range of post-degree support and an assessment of the benefits of the degree itself. Graduates did not rate the university's post-MBA support the best. The programs received an average of only 3.8 points out of a possible 5. Graduates rated the benefit of earning a diploma much better, with 4.3 points out of a possible 5.

The quality of alumni associations was also evaluated in this category. Of the 34 programs ranked, 4 did not have an alumni association. On average, 65 percent of alumni belonged to an association. As part of the association, alumni were able to participate in conferences, meetings, debates with business people, economists and authorities organized by the universities. Some universities also implemented integration reunions, organized trips abroad, supported graduates in finding better jobs, invited graduates to give lectures and to use their current classes as free students.

Rank and prestige of the program

In Poland, MBA programs are not regulated by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, so their quality varies greatly. Rank and prestige is a ranking category that can indicate the high quality of an MBA program. This category is included in the ranking with a weighting of 20%. The highest number of points was awarded to Leon Kozminski Academy programs - Executive MBA and MBA with specializations. A significant portion of the points in this category goes to foreign accreditations, the acquisition of which requires an MBA program to be conducted in a strictly defined manner. The requirements that must be met to obtain accreditation guarantee the subsequent high quality of the program. The raga and prestige of paragrams, is also evidenced by their and the university's position in national and international rankings.

A common way to maintain high quality standards in MBA student education is for a Polish university to cooperate with a foreign university that is subject to the accreditation framework in its home country. The ranking recognizes such cooperation, as a result of which graduates receive two separate diplomas - from the Polish program organizer and the foreign partner. Two separate diplomas are issued by 11 of the 34 programs ranked.

 

Anna Rejer

published: February 29, 2024