Aalto Executive MBA rose 15 places in Financial Times ranking

The Aalto Executive MBA program's 61st place was a full 15 places above that of last year. The significance of the achievement is highlighted by the fact that only the top one hundred of around 3 000 EMBA programs worldwide meet the related criteria. The Aalto EMBA organized by Aalto University Executive Education is once again the only program provided by a Finnish university to make it into the rankings.

Considerable post-program career progress by the experienced participants played a particularly important role in the program’s impressive rise through the rankings. This can be viewed as a demonstration of the program's long term impact.

“All of the Nordic programs saw a marked improvement in their placings. Our own improvement was particularly gratifying because it is genuinely due to the impact and quality of our program, rather than an upswing in any one of our markets. The key issue is what it provides for the students. This is tangibly realized in the form of networks, career paths and salary development. Ultimately, however, the key issues are greater self-understanding and awareness,” says Dr. Pekka Mattila, Group Managing Director for Aalto EE.

The Financial Times ranking assesses 16 categories such as the diversity of the participants, instructor qualifications, participants’ career progress, salaries and the achievement of personal goals.

“The international character of the Aalto EMBA is one of its strengths. The program, which is provided in seven countries, is world-class in terms of diversity. We were ranked eighth globally for our number of female participants, for example,” says Hanna-Riikka Myllymäki, Business Area Director responsible for Aalto EE's MBA programs.

Joint programs by international universities continue to dominate the top places – the first and third were: Kellogg (USA) and Hong Kong UST Business School, and HEC Paris, London School of Economics and Stern School of Business (New York University). A lone provider, Tsinghua University from China, came second.

The ranking is based on assessments and information collected from participants, and on statistical data produced by the universities. The ranking survey is sent to EMBA alumni three years after their graduation.

For further information, please contact

Pekka Mattila
Group Managing Director, Professor of Practice
Aalto University Executive Education Ltd
Tel.: +358 40 738 7221
[email protected]

Hanna-Riikka Myllymäki
Business Area Director, Degree Programs
Aalto University Executive Education Ltd
Tel.: +358 50 463 3364 
[email protected]

Aalto University Executive Education
Aalto University Executive Education Ltd offers cutting edge leadership development services (Aalto EE), professional development services for specialists and managers (Aalto PRO) and creative solutions covering the whole life cycle of entrepreneurship (Aalto ENT). Aalto University brings to our offering a multidisciplinary approach, together with innovative learning methods; this provides a unique combination of practical expertise with the latest research.
Aalto University Executive Education’s strengths lie in its global operating model and diverse offering. In addition to Finland and Singapore, Aalto University Executive Education offers education programs in China, Indonesia, Iran, Poland, Russia, South Korea, Sweden and Taiwan. As a part of Aalto University, it holds three respected business university accreditations – AACSB, AMBA, and EQUIS – which places it among the top 0.5% of institutions in the world.