FT data reveal why students study for an EMBA — and what they earn © Getty Images/iStockphoto

From motivations for starting an executive MBA to outcomes three years after finishing it, the FT ranking team delved into the 2022 EMBA Ranking data to explore graduates’ progress. In this edition, we focus on student diversity in business schools and look at factors affecting alumni salaries, plus the topics taught best and worst.

Chart that shows the executive MBA subjects for which participants scored their business schools highest out of 10

Alumni thought corporate strategy, finance, general management and organisational behaviour were taught best.

FT Executive MBA ranking 2022: the top 100

Find out which schools are in our ranking of EMBA degrees. Also learn how the table was compiled and read the rest of our coverage at ft.com/emba.

chart that shows alumni motivations for starting their master’s degree, scored out 10

Developing management skills and networking topped participants’ reasons for embarking on an EMBA programme.

Table that shows composition of the cohort at 100 ranked schools, plus region, environmental, social and governance content and alumni pay. Sorted by five diversity tiers of 20 institutions each

Diversity tiers were computed using scores based on ranking data on gender (parity gives maximum score); international student diversity (percentage of foreign students), and the range of sectors from which schools recruit. Notably, alumni of the 20 schools in diversity tier 1 (the most diverse) and tier 5 (the least diverse) have the lowest salaries.

Chart that shows alumni salaries (avg. $’000)

Schools in diversity tier 1 have the most female students and female alumni are still paid less, despite the gap narrowing.

Chart that shows alumni in the Asia-Pacific and UK earn the most ($’000, adjusted for purchasing power parity), based on country of residence

Alumni location is also a cause of salary variation. There is a gap of $80,000 between the highest earning region, Asia-Pacific, and the lowest, the US and Canada, after adjusting for purchasing power parity. Only nine per cent of schools in diversity tier 1 are in Asia-Pacific or the UK and only a quarter of tier 1 alumni work in those regions.

Chart that shows alumni in the consumer product and finance/banking industries are paid the most ($’000, adjusted for purchasing power parity)

Another factor that could affect salaries is the sectors from which schools in each diversity tier recruit. A higher diversity score is given to schools that recruit from a wider range of sectors, including industries that pay less. Many students will continue to work in their pre-EMBA sector.

Digital conference: Spotlight on the Executive MBA

Join global education editor Andrew Jack and business school experts around the world for a free online event on Wednesday October 19, focusing on career impact, insights into the 2022 ranking, and themes from managing disruption to ESG. Register here

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