The Executive MBA (EMBA) at the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business (UCT GSB) has again been named the top African programme and among the best in the world by the UK’s Financial Times. This showing follows the programme’s recent ranking as the best EMBA in the Middle East and Africa and 53^rd in the world in the 2024 QS EMBA rankings. 

“The fact that a degree with a distinctly African perspective outscores business schools like Oxford, Wharton and INSEAD in alumni satisfaction speaks to the unique and transformative nature of this programme,” noted Dr Catherine Duggan, Director of the UCT GSB. “Even seasoned executives tell me that they come away from our EMBA with a new perspective on their own leadership and new tools to help them navigate our increasingly complex and uncertain world.”

The UCT GSB’s EMBA also excelled in the Financial Times rankings for the gender diversity of its faculty (ranking 8^th), the gender diversity of its students (ranking 27^th), its focus on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues (ranking 34^th), the professional seniority of its students (ranking 42^nd) and the power of its alumni network to secure career opportunities, launch start-ups, recruit staff and provide ongoing engagement (ranking 54^th).

“It’s good to see some of the most rigorous rankings in the world highlighting the combination of elements that make the GSB’s EMBA unique,” noted Associate Professor Camille Meyer, Programme Director for the EMBA. “We work hard to bring together cohorts of exceptional senior executives seeking both personal and professional growth, and our students benefit from the combination of leadership acumen, business insights and commitment to purpose and meaningful impact that the programme offers.”

Often considered one of the most influential business school rankings, the Financial Times collects a substantial proportion of the data used in its programme rankings directly from alumni, including data on overall satisfaction and career progression. Other data, including programme curricula and the proportion of female and international students and faculty, are provided by schools themselves and subjected to periodic audits by external audit firms.

The UCT GSB Executive MBA programme is a two-year part-time degree targeted at senior managers and executive leaders looking to enhance their business skills and networks while developing the authenticity, resilience and understanding of complexity necessary to build and lead more sustainable organisations.