Top spot for first-time entrant in AFR BOSS MBA rankings

Launched in 2013, the Business School’s MBA achieved top place on its inaugural appearance in the highly competitive ranking of 15 programs offered by Australia’s leading Universities.

The ranking success comes in the wake of the Business School’s decision to launch a full-time MBA program in 2018, which it says will be unique in its focus on the skills to “lead in an increasingly complex and volatile world”.

In welcoming the ranking result, the Dean of the Business School, Professor Greg Whitwell, said that it had “served to reinforce the School’s preeminent position as a provider of leadership oriented executive education”.

“In 2013 we entered a crowded and highly competitive field with a program that focused on personal as well as professional development and we are proud of what we have been able to achieve,” Professor Whitwell said.

The 2017 AFR BOSS MBA ranking is based on a survey of more than a thousand alumni who provided feedback on participating programs, their delivery and their value. The schools were also asked to provide information on their entry requirements, research output, staff and the quality and diversity of students.

“We are particularly pleased with the way we have been able to address the MBA gender gap” said the Business School’s MBA Director, Professor Guy Ford. “While most programs have a 30 to 35 per cent female participation rate, we have achieved a gender balance through our strong commitment to diversity of inclusion.”

Professor Ford went on to say that the unique nature of the School’s now top ranked MBA will be reflected in the full-time program when it begins in semester 2, 2018.

“In order to thrive in an increasingly complex and volatile world, where business models are changing rapidly, students must be offered more than standard MBA business oriented units of study,” Professor Ford said.

“As with our current part-time program, next year’s full-time MBA will focus on developing skills around creativity, critical analysis and a systems approach to problem solving. We will also work to develop the personal and interpersonal skills needed to lead effectively,” he added.

While the School’s part-time MBA has been restricted to domestic students, the full-time program will be open to international participants.

The School believes that international students will be attracted by the University of Sydney’s “extremely strong brand” and the opportunity to develop leadership skills capabilities appropriate to the economically dynamic Asia-Pacific region.

When announcing the full-time MBA, Professor Whitwell said that it was “symbolic of what we believe a business school should be doing in an era characterised by extraordinary changes in the scale, scope and complexity of forces such as digital technology, artificial intelligence, robotics, the peer-to-peer economy, and historically unprecedented demographic shifts.”

“We feel it is our responsibility to nurture future leaders who can thrive in a world subject to more change and uncertainty than ever before. A full-time MBA is an important vehicle for us to do so,” he said.

Professor Ford said that the factors that underpinned the Business School’s 2017 AFR BOSS MBA ranking success should make the choice of School so much easier for anyone thinking of joining a part-time or full-time program.

“In just four short years, we have shown the world that we can deliver an MBA program that is right for those who want to succeed personally and professionally in these challenging times,” Professor Ford concluded.