The Executive MBA program delivered by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University has been ranked best in the world eight times since 2007.

The program, selected as the best management education MBA, has attracted over 900 students from around the globe in the past two decades.

“Our East-West partnership with Kellogg has become a model for other universities in Asia”

However, a new program entered the ranking at the second position, making an immediate impact on the market in its first year of submission to the rankings.

The EMBA-Global Asia course is offered by London Business School, Columbia Business School and The University of Hong Kong, and gives students the opportunity to study on three continents as part of the year-long program.

Graduates of the highest ranked Kellogg/HKUST program achieve the highest average salary three years after graduation, reaching just under $480,000 per annum. They also have one of the highest satisfaction levels, at 82%.

President of HKUST, Tony F Chan thinks there are several reasons for the Kellogg/HKUST course’s success.

“The Kellogg/HKUST EMBA provides the highest quality of executive education, fostering perceptive business leaders with a global insight to manage today’s increasingly dynamic world.”

“As a first mover in Asia, our East-West partnership with Kellogg that brings together top-tier faculty and students around the world has become a model for other universities in Asia.”

Tam Kar Yan, dean of the HKUST Business School said the announcement came at a pertinent time.

“We are very pleased with this record-setting achievement, which is the best gift to mark the program’s 20th anniversary.

“The encouraging outcome will drive us to further enhance our academic excellence and introduce new and timely elements to meet the changing needs of the world,” Yan related.

Arnold Longboy, executive director of leadership programs at London Business School was pleased that two courses run by the school were included in the top five EMBA list.

“The intellectual rigour of our courses continues to have a profound impact on our students’ careers and the way the world does business,” he said.

“Our global mindset, commitment to academic excellence, brought together with what we at LBS term ‘London Spirit’, makes for a powerful offering,” he added.

The program will introduce new courses and workshops on areas such as fintech to help executives develop in the ever changing business sector.

The fourth highest ranking was awarded to a course provided by Tsinghua University and INSEAD. In fifth place was Trium, a course run by HEC Paris, LSE and NYU School of Business.