Singapore executive MBA leaps into world's top 10 as alumni report average pay above $500,000

The Nanyang Business School at the National University of Singapore (NUS) has leapt into the world's top 10 for executive MBA programs, according to the latest rankings released by the Financial Times (FT). The program's graduates reported an average salary of $542,224, marking a significant increase from $372,278 the previous year. This robust jump, valued at nearly $170,000 year-on-year, is the largest among the top 10 programs, according to a report by Poets&Quants.

The notable rise in alumni earnings is attributed to the strong performance of the NUS program, which has seen its graduates achieve an average salary 83% higher than their starting salaries. This success has also resulted in the business school climbing 22 places to sixth in the world for research, as reported by AsiaOne.

Teo Chung Piaw, who became the dean of NUS Business School on July 1, emphasized the program's focus on equipping senior leaders with the necessary skills to navigate complexity, lead across markets, and make informed decisions in a rapidly changing business environment. He hailed the ranking as a well-deserved acknowledgment of the program's achievements.

The NUS executive MBA is part of a joint venture with the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). In the past, a separate joint executive MBA with UCLA ranked fourth globally in 2014. Another notable program, the Kellogg-Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) executive MBA, secured the top spot in the latest ranking.

The FT's methodology for ranking these programs includes surveys of graduates, assessing salary performance, career progression, work experience, and the quality of alumni networks. Pay is measured three years after graduation and adjusted for purchasing power parity.