IE Business School has been ranked the No. 1 business school in the world by the QS Distance Online MBA Ranking, an international survey conducted by QS Intelligence Unit.
The ranking examines the quality of online, distance and blended MBA programs, and is based on criteria that include the employability of graduates, student profiles, levels of diversity, faculty, academic experience and international accreditations of the MBA program.
The ranking reflects the fact that in 2008 4.4% of MBA program candidates were interested mainly in online and distance MBAs, rising to 15.6% in 2012. Nunzio Quacquarelly, editor of the Top MBA Careers Guide, said that the attraction of this type of MBA is growing among candidates and recruiters, who recognize the value of such programs run by prestigious schools. “This new ranking provides a snapshot of a sector that is evolving fast. It’s a new tool that will help students select an MBA program.” Newton Campos, Director of Admissions for Blended Programs at IE Business School, says that there has been a major shift in the mentality of businesses, particularly in innovative, high-tech companies that operate online. “These firms prefer graduates from our blended MBAs, which combine online and onsite learning, to traditional face-to-face programs. Recruiters realize that these graduates have the profile and skills they need.”
As from the coming 2012-2013 academic year, IE Business School’s portfolio of blended programs will include its new Executive MBA+ and Global MBA+. These part-time programs will combine the management education of the MBA with a module specialized in the field of Global Management, Advanced Global Management, Corporate Finance, Information Technology, Marketing & Sales, Tourism Management, Sports Management, Biotechnology Management or Digital Marketing. The new programs mean that IE Business School will be offering over 100 possible combinations for its MBA program. It is a unique system that permits students to design a bespoke MBA+ experience in line with their particular interests and preferences. IE Business School will be presenting these new programs in a series of insight sessions held in all 5 continents.
Students of IE Business School’s Global MBA+ and Executive MBA+ programs will receive an MBA education coupled with a specialization in their chosen area of interest. They will be able to study the MBA phase of the program and/or the specialization module in either English or Spanish, in onsite (weekly or biweekly) or blended format, and will have access to a more extensive network comprising generalist and segmented profiles. Students may, for example, opt to undertake the core MBA period onsite and then study the specialized module online, or vice versa. The same applies to language: they may begin in Spanish and then do the specialization module in English, or vice versa. Networking opportunities are multiplied given that the specialized modules are not only for students from the different Executive MBA+ and Global MBA+ classes, but also for IE MBA graduates from previous intakes.