| MBA MBA MBA MBA In October - November 2000 we carried out some research into UK MBA schools. We wanted to know what the relative reputations of MBA schools were across the UK. This meant not just the top MBA programmers but also the good national MBA schools as well. We researched MBA recruiters (in house and agency) and MBA graduates and candidates. The ratings from this survey (and a comparison with the FT 2001 research) are repeated in this commentary and are also available UK MBA RANKINGS as a single table.
In this report, we've divided up the rankings into a number of divisions. The first is that of business schools which have a truly international reputation.
Tier 1: Schools with European or top national reputations
Below LBS in the UK tables are the schools with excellent national and wider European reputations but which are less well known outside Europe. The key schools in this second tier in the UK are Canfield, Imperial, Warwick and Manchester. These schools often have especially good reputations for key areas, such as Canfield (manufacturing and marketing) and Imperial (research). Based on anecdotal reports the marketing modules at Canfield are at least equal to those at LBS.
The other schools in this tier are City, Oxford (Said), Cambridge (Judge), Ash ridge, Henley, and Edinburgh University. Our research here shows differences from the FT research which places Oxford (Said) and Edinburgh (at 2nd and 6th respectively) within the key schools in this tier. For this reason we have combined these schools into this second tier. Both schools performed well in our research (7th and 11th respectively) and we've heard some very good comments on the Edinburgh MBA. But we're surprised that Oxford's Said school has been rated as the 2nd best in the UK . It's a good course, but has only recently started and it still seems to early to have earned this position.
The schools in the bottom half of this tier all offer very good quality education, but for those of you looking for "calling card" MBA s they won't offer the recognition (especially at the international level) of schools higher up the rankings.
Some of the schools in this list are also well known for particular areas. To take one example City University offers a range of MBAs (including specialist MBAs in subjects such as marketing) and has very strong links to financial institutions in the City of London.
As mentioned above, we believe it is possible that the rankings of some schools, such as Oxford and Cambridge and perhaps Bristol, may have been boosted by a number of factors. While doubtless offering excellent courses it is possible that the placing have been boosted by the recruiting policies of some major recruiters (such as McKinsey who have the Oxbridge business schools on their preferred list) and also by their deserved reputation in other areas. Overall we think it's still too early to properly evaluate the quality and true ranking of the MBAs from both Oxford and Cambridge. The Bristol MBA has been "transferred" to Edinburgh University Management School so while the Bristol MBA appears in our research Bristol appears to have no further plans to offer their own MBA.
Tier 2: Good National MBA Schools
Tier three schools are similar in both research studies. Our research indicates that Leeds, Sheffield, Bristol (see above), Lancaster, Bradford, Strathclyde, Kingston, Oxford Brookes, Bath, Newcastle, Durham, Exeter, Manchester Metro, Nottingham Trent, Southampton, and Sheffield Hall am all rank in this tier. The FT research shows a similar picture, as can be seen from the FT rankings alongside our own. The FT research also included Nottingham University, which we were surprised not to see in our own research.
While no new universities (former polytechnics) appeared in the FT research a number showed up in ours, the highest placed being Kingston (18th) and Oxford Brookes (19th).
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