UCT GSB features in top quartile of global business schools in latest FT EMBA rankings
The UCT GSB has retained its position as the number one business school in Africa in the 2022 Executive MBA (EMBA) Financial Times (FT) Rankings, which were announced on 16 October 2022. Ranked 74th in the world, the UCT GSB is the only business school on the continent to make the top 100 this year.
“The fact that the GSB continues to represent the African continent among this elite group of truly global business schools, is a terrific achievement,” says Dr Catherine Duggan, Director of the UCT GSB. “Our aim is to be the leading authority in understanding business and the business environment in Africa, and the pre-eminent business school linking African experience and global relevance,” she explains. “We want to use our knowledge and position to drive positive societal change in South Africa and beyond.”
The UCT GSB MBA specialising in executive management, attracts senior professionals and executives from a spectrum of sectors and industries, which is reflected in its ranking in the top quartile of FT-ranked schools – at 22nd – for work experience. This measures the pre-EMBA experience of alumni according to the seniority of positions held, number of years in each position, organisation size and overseas work experience. The school is also ranked 24th for overall satisfaction in terms of student and alumni experience.
Associate Professor Kosheek Sewchurran, Director of the UCT GSB EMBA explains that the programme draws executives who are serious about character development and want to shift their intelligence as well as their orientation, to find new ways of leading. “The UCT GSB Executive MBA is a unique teaching experience. We offer an integrative programme focused on transformational leadership, both at a personal and organisational level. This is a conscious design choice aimed at the pursuit of purpose and impact for our students, their organisations and the wider community,” he adds.
Themba Kalua, Head of UN Women in Papua New Guinea in the Pacific says the EMBA provided him with the knowledge, skills and tools to lead teams in times of complexity, as well as a keen understanding of what his own values and needs are. “The EMBA has helped me to be a more authentic and mindful leader. One of the unique offerings of the EMBA is that in addition to the combination of academic rigour, it focuses on personal leadership development that takes the students in a journey of self-discovery and out of their comfort zones.”
The FT rankings are recognised to be the most rigorous of the various global rankings of MBA programmes, with strict guidelines including that the programme must be accredited by either the US’s Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business or the European Foundation for Management Development. Programmes must also be cohort-based, with students enrolling and graduating together, and must have at least 30 graduates each year.
Schools are assessed in 19 categories measuring career progress of graduates, the diversity of the school and its research and CSR activities The school’s global relevance is also reinforced by the fact that 56% of its faculty are international.
“We are delighted with this ranking” says Dr Kutlwano Ramaboa, UCT GSB Deputy Director. “As a relatively small school by international standards, this is a particularly noteworthy accolade since smaller schools are often not able to compete because they either don’t meet the basic criteria or they lack resources.”
Associate Professor Sewchurran adds that the ranking of 24th for overall satisfaction is evidence that the school is managing to strike the right balance meeting international quality standards on the one hand while also evolving a distinctive programme that is fit for purpose in an African context.
“We see the ranking as both an invitation to grow excellence purposefully, and an acknowledgement of our accomplishment in offering a meaningful experience of transformational leadership.”
The UCT GSB’s MBA specialising in executive management is one of the fastest growing postgraduate degrees at UCT and places emphasis on the practice of management and leadership rather than a more conventional training in heading up businesses.
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