Later this month, we’re partnering with our sister site TopMBA.com to bring you a ranking of the best full-time MBA programs around the world. Designed to complement the Business Master’s Rankings which are also launching at the end of November, this new ranking should provide unique insights and support for any students considering studying a business-related master’s degree at postgraduate level. Over 350 business schools in more than 50 countries have been considered for inclusion in these rankings.

The full-time MBA rankings, which will be viewable either globally or by region, is based around five key metrics: employability, entrepreneurship and alumni outcomes, return on investment, thought leadership and diversity. Although MBA rankings have been published on TopMBA in the past, this year’s ranking is being viewed as a distinct evolution.

To get more information on why we’re bringing you these new rankings on TopUniversities, we spoke to QS CEO Nunzio Quacquarelli (as seen in the video above) and Ben Sowter, Head of QS’s Intelligence Unit.

There are plenty of MBA rankings already out there. What sets this ranking apart from others available?

Nunzio: This year we have added many new metrics which we believe will provide deep insight for candidates seeking to start their own business or looking for strong employability outcomes with the most active MBA and masters employers around the world.

I am particularly excited by the entrepreneurship and alumni outcomes metric. This looks at founders, CEOs, directors and partners of the world’s most successful companies, with over 49,000 of the most successful alumni of business schools contributing to this metric.

In addition, we have calculated the return on investment of over 250 business schools, across MBA and masters programs.

Ben: The alumni outcomes metric is the stand-out element for me too. We’ve tracked which programs graduate the highest proportion of emerging entrepreneurs. Whether you’re a future blue-chip CEO or a start-up tycoon, there’s something here for you.

Why have QS decided to put a considerable emphasis on entrepreneurship in these rankings?

Nunzio: The profile of MBA candidates is changing, with a growing proportion (now in excess of 30 percent) seeking to start their own business. QS will be the first ranking organization to measure alumni success and entrepreneurship, as well as the first to conduct a truly global employer survey.

Ben: Entrepreneurship is a growing phenomenon and our work with applicants confirms that a key reason many people consider an MBA, or indeed a business master’s, is to equip themselves with the skills and knowledge to feel more confident establishing their own business. Our first thought is always to the prospective student and we couldn't overlook this increasingly vital dimension.

How does this ranking fit in alongside the other ones produced by QS?

Ben: Better decisions require better data, more data and easier ways to bring it to bear on the problem at hand. Ultimately that means more rankings, not less. QS aims to enable users to combine our different studies at institution, subject and now program level to efficiently build personalized shortlists but it remains down to them to make the final choice.

Later this month, QS will launch a brand-new university ranking. What, another one? Yes, another one. With more and more students choosing to stay in university and complete a postgraduate degree, we spotted a niche not covered by our existing World University Rankings or World University Rankings by Subject.

The QS World University Rankings: Business Master’s Rankings 2018 will identify the best business schools and universities for studying a master’s degree in management, finance or business analytics. Why these subjects? Because demand for each of these business master’s degrees is growing rapidly, particularly among business-minded students with an entrepreneurial eye.

These rankings will be compiled using five different metrics: employability, entrepreneurship and alumni success, return on investment, thought leadership and class & faculty diversity.

To get more information on the work that went into these rankings, and how students should aim to use them, we spoke to QS CEO Nunzio Quacquarelli (as seen in the video above) and Ben Sowter, Head of QS’s Intelligence Unit.

This is the first time QS have produced a ranking on Masters in Management, Masters in Finance and Masters in Business Analytics. Why now?

Nunzio: QS has been connecting applicants with business schools for over 20 years. Although the Full-Time MBA remains the flagship program for many schools, business masters programs are now equally popular, and in some countries more popular than the Full-Time MBA. So, it makes sense for Qs to provide these rankings side by side and allow candidates to compare.

Ben: QS resists the temptation to produce rankings that just add to the noise or slice and dice existing data in a different way. We seek a distinctive and meaningful angle before coming out of the gate. Our employer survey has been and remains one such angle, but here a vast project examining the education history of business leaders and key influencers has also come to bear, enabling us to produce a new lens on business education.

What sets these rankings apart from others available?

Ben: Alumni success is one of the measured indicators and that’s the stand-out factor for me. Over 49,000 education experiences of key business leaders and influencers have been gathered in a massive, brute force data collection effort, so we can see the schools and programs that have a proven track record of unleashing potential. This cuts right to the heart of the QS mission.

How was the methodology devised for the rankings?

Ben: As with all our rankings, a lot of hypothesis testing goes on and every outcome, expected or unexpected, has been tested for validity. The first edition of any ranking is fascinating and absorbing but, inevitably, has room to further learn and evolve. Devising and honing this methodology has only just begun and we can't wait to start gathering and processing feedback on this first edition to pave the way for the next.

What are the advantages of using multiple indicators to rank universities? How should prospective students best use these rankings in their decision-making process?

Nunzio: The indicators are selected because each provides a useful perspective. It is perhaps more important to look at these individual indicators, than the overall results. That is why we produce the QS Rankings app on iPhone and Android which allows candidates to create a personalized ranking by changing the weightings of the indicators and narrowing their countries of interest.

Ben: No student should place their whole faith in any ranking. Personally, I'd recommend they download our app, tweak our weights to their own design, filter the results to their own requirements and then shortlist three-eight programs to research further. Read their course profiles, explore their performance in other rankings and, crucially, seek an opportunity to meet or interact online with a real human representative of those programs or schools. 

For more information about these rankings, keep an eye on TopUniversities.com and our sister site TopMBA.com over the coming weeks.

科廷大学赞助

尽管你可能很想亲身上大学，但这并不总是可行的。无论是因为工作、健康问题还是其他责任，每周花几个小时在讲座和研讨会上可能并不实际。  然而，许多顶级大学现在提供在线学习课程，这对于那些时间表繁忙或死板的人来说是一个灵活的选择。在线学习意味着您将与在校学习的学生做相同的课程作业和评估，但您将在您想要的地方学习，有更多的时间灵活性，并可能使用不同的技术和方法来完成您的工作。以下是在线学习的一些关键好处。

在线学习需要雇主青睐的纪律和承诺。

当您在网上学习时，您需要在完成其他任务的同时，优先安排您的学习。大学没有规定严格的强制性时间表，参与程度由你自己决定/驱动。许多招聘单位会认为，在线学生独立工作、负责自己的教育和兼顾不同责任的能力，是应届硕士毕业生难得的优势。

你将节省学费，减少通勤成本

随着世界各地的学费不断上涨，有些人根本无力支付大学学费。在线学习的费用只有传统教育价格的一小部分，并为您提供所需的灵活性，让您在学习的同时还能赚取生活费。高等教育先驱，如科廷大学，提供了以较低的学费获得著名的认证在线学位的机会，如科学硕士（项目管理）和教育硕士。

您可以在参加全日制学习的同时，追求其他兴趣。

无论你是想一边学习一边旅行，还是想自己创业，在线教育都可以让你两全其美。如果你是一个学习者，同时也是一个 "行动者"，那么在你获得资格证书的同时，你的生活就没有理由中断。要想了解科廷大学在线学生的日程安排，请查看两个样本时间表。

把教育权掌握在自己手中，是一种授权。

在线学习意味着必须主动出击。虽然你和其他人一样遵循相同的教学大纲，但你会按照自己的方式，在自己的时间里学习。这种程度的自主性显然是有效的。美国教育部的研究表明，在线教育中的学生比传统教育中的学生表现得更好[.pdf]，在线学生在测试中的得分在59个百分点（每一百人里59人居于其后），而对比平均在课堂学习的学生，得分在50个百分点（每百人50人居于其后）。

您将得到虚拟教师和在线资源的良好支持。

作为一名在线学生，你将得到在线导师和其他学生的社交网络的支持，以分享你的经验并与之合作完成小组作业。您还可以每周7天，每天24小时访问互动平台，在线图书馆的测试，过去的试卷，期刊，与其他在线学习的学生和在线教育经验丰富的教师的社交网络平台。  最终受益的是什么？学习结束时，您带回家的学位将与在课堂学习学生的学位相同。  请观看一段关于科廷大学在线学习的短片。