The University of St Gallen’s domination of the Financial Times’ ranking of masters in management courses continues for another year

The University of St Gallen’s domination of the Financial Times’ ranking of masters in management courses continues for another year

The Swiss school came top of the list of 90 best masters programmes worldwide in 2016, winning its sixth consecutive crown

France’s HEC Paris and Essec Business School remained second and third, respectively, for the third year running

The ranking is based on data collected from two surveys: one of the participating business schools and the other of alumni who graduated three years ago — the class of 2013

The ranking is in part based on how successful alumni have been in their careers, as reflected in the salary data

The average salary of St Gallen’s alumni jumped to $102,000 three years after graduation compared with $90,000 last year

It is the thirdhighest overall behind the two Indian management academies at Ahmedabad and Bangalore, with respective salaries of $109,000 and $106,000

We were forced to leave our comfort zone but were rewarded with unique experiences, says one graduate

Overall, St Gallen’s alumni report a 95 per cent satisfaction level, 2 percentage points more than the alumni from London Business School and WHU Beisheim

Other high points for the school include being first for alumni international mobility, second for international experience and third for job placement

Elsewhere, Stockholm School of Economics was a big winner, climbing 16 places to 28, not only recording the best year-on-year progression but also recovering from a drop of 11 places last year

Meanwhile, La Rochelle Business School dropped 12 places to 60 having been last year’s highest climber

Nova School of Business and Economics consolidated last year’s strong performance by climbing a further 14 places to 17

The Portuguese school has risen 31 places over the past two years since its International Master in Management course was first included in the ranking

While heavily dominated by French and English schools, accounting for 44 per cent of the table, the ranking is more diverse than ever with schools from 25 countries

Notably, among the nine schools ranked for the first time, WP Carey School of Business at the Arizona State University is the first US institution to take part in the ranking, having entered at 82

Unlike MBAs, masters in management are targeted at those at the beginning of their career

About 60 per cent have not yet worked and a further 30 per cent have less than two years’ experience

When many millennials struggle to find jobs or make do in low-skilled positions, these masters programmes achieve strong employment rates thanks to their links with corporate partners and alumni networks

More than 90 per cent of alumni from the most recent graduating classes accepted a job offer within three months of completing their programme

The school’s network was vital in helping me find a job in one of the most prestigious companies worldwide, says one graduate from Rotterdam School of Management. The company was a corporate partner so I basically received the job application in my mailbox