• Financial Times ranks Warwick Business School's online MBA number one
  • It is the first time WBS has reached the top of the global ranking
  • The school's research rated first as well as graduates' 'career progress'
  • Graduates' average salary is the second highest in the world and top in the UK

Students and staff at Warwick Business School are celebrating after its online MBA was ranked the best in the world by the Financial Times.

The school’s Distance learning MBA, which was created more than 30 years ago, has been second ever since the ranking was started in 2014, but has now been rated number one thanks to improvements in seven of the 18 criteria used by the Financial Times.

It follows a superb 2017 for WBS after the school improved its position in seven global rankings, rising a total of 41 places across all of them.

The Economist ranked the school’s Full-time MBA top in the UK and 18th in the world, while the Financial Times  also rated its Executive MBA in the world’s top 25 and the MSc Finance first in the UK and ninth globally.

Andy Lockett, Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship and Dean of WBS, said: “This is great news for the school, especially the staff and students involved in the course, whose dedication, passion and drive have made the Distance learning MBA such a success.

“Once again the research produced by the school was rated the best in the world by the Financial Times, illustrating how we have some of the very best academic talent in the world at WBS. Our world leading faculty, combined with our first-class careers team, provide students with an unrivalled teaching experience.

“The connected world we now live in means demand for our Distance learning MBA is rising, so we have launched another stream from WBS London at The Shard, meaning the face-to-face weeks for students will be at The Shard.”

Related course: Distance learning MBA (London)

As well as having the most international faculty, with 78 per cent of staff from overseas, the course was rated first for ‘career progress’ and for the quality of the faculty’s research in the Financial Times ranking.

WBS was third for the international mobility of its students, fourth for value for money and second for salary, with graduates earning on average $182,994 three years after graduation.

The Distance learning MBA combines online lectures, tailor-made multimedia study materials, the highly-interactive my.wbs platform, and WBSLive - a virtual classroom - for eight required modules, four elective modules and a consultancy project.

The bespoke my.wbs platform allows students to engage in lectures in real time, test their knowledge, watch archived sessions, access teaching materials, connect with other students, participate in global syndicate groups and speak directly to lecturers.

John Colley, Associate Dean for the MBA, said: “We invest heavily in making sure our online MBA has the latest technology so that the learning experience is as rich as possible for students, so it is extremely pleasing to see this acknowledged.

“WBS was the first school in the world to introduce a Distance learning MBA and those 30 years of development and experience has led to a world-class course for students.

“With the latest cutting edge research also included on the course, students leave with the knowledge and skills to make an impact in any industry."

For the full 2018 Financial Times online MBA ranking click here.