Fudan ranks among global academic elite

The university's Executive Master of Business Administration courses given high position on worldwide leaders list

In the latest Financial Times Global EMBA rankings published on Oct 17, four programs from Fudan University's School of Management were ranked in the top 50 global EMBA programs.

Those four programs include Washington University-Fudan University EMBA, Fudan's own EMBA, BI Norwegian Business School-Fudan MBA and University of Hong Kong-Fudan IMBA.

According to the results, the Fudan-Washington EMBA ranked fifth on the list, the best among the four programs.

It topped domestic EMBA programs in terms of general grades on the Chinese mainland. Its students are the second-highest paid globally and the highest on the Chinese mainland.

The rank of its programs has remained nearly unchanged for five consecutive years and its overall rank has been steadily improving.

These results have made Fudan's EMBA programs comparable with Kellogg School of Management Northwestern University, a leading EMBA education institute in the United States, which also saw its four programs on the top 100 list.

"We don't participate in the rankings for the sake of a better position," said Lu Xiongwen, dean of Fudan University's School of Management.

"We see the rankings as an opportunity to take stock of our overall education. To really become high-caliber talent that the Chinese economy needs, one has to be imbued with the correct education ideals, a sense of destiny and responsibility," said Lu.

"We only took the rankings as a reference, to let us take a look at the strengths and weaknesses of our programs compared with other EMBA programs around the world," said Lu Yanhui, course director of its EMBA programs.

"This evaluation is helpful to improve the quality of our programs. In the future, we will strengthen some international projects and provide more opportunities for our students to study abroad and to expand their vision", Lu added.

As early as 2012, when Fudan University's School of Management first prepared as a candidate for the FT global rankings, the school made it clear that they were not trying to show off with several programs, but instead putting their students to the test within three years after their commencement.

Throughout the years, the school has submitted information and subjects in accordance with the FT global EMBA ranking rules and procedures.

This year, a total of more than 600 graduates from Fudan University's School of Management were involved in the evaluation, the largest student body among all the top 100 programs.

As for the index of wage increases of students, the Fudan-HKU IMBA project ranked third in the world, indicating that the project can effectively enhance the ability of students to make use of theories studied in the classroom in the workplace.

Fudan graduates' wages increase nearly 92 percent after five years and their average annual salary exceeds $157,000, showing the students' ability and competitiveness in the market, said Xie Hao, executive chief of the EMBA programs.

"Our teaching model is cooperative and inclusive. Students strive to make good use of their experience during the study program, trying to find the solution to real life problems and good ways for mutual communication," said Benedicte Brogger, academic dean of BI Norwegian Business School.

"Nowadays, the world is facing a variety of challenges, such as economic recession, environmental problems and social issues like rising unemployment.

"Business is not only a part of the problem, but also a solution to the problem.

"Business management education needs to cultivate managers with new knowledge and skills, so as to benefit themselves, the whole enterprise and society," Brogger said.

Fudan University Graduate School Deputy Dean Chu Yongquan said the reasons why EMBA programs in Fudan University achieved such good results are, first, because the elevated, comprehensive capability of the School of Management, including its teaching facilities and its understanding of creative education.

Second, it is related to the school's improvements against international standards.

Through more than 20 years' experience, the school has launched a number of exchange projects and courses, and has introduced teachers with international backgrounds.

Third, the ranking shows the efforts made in education principles and in students' ability to deal with practical issues.

Nowadays, Fudan University's School of Management has entered the list of leading business schools in Asia and is making efforts to evolve into one of the world's first-tier EMBA institutions.

Features of the EMBA programs

The largest number of candidates

In 2006, Fudan-Washington University EMBA was one of the candidates for the Financial Times' global EMBA rankings. Six years later, three programs??Fudan's own EMBA, Fudan-BI EMBA and Fudan-HKU IMBA were listed in the rankings. In 2013, another program was added to the lineup. Thus far, the programs have featured in the FT global rankings 22 times.

The most students surveyed

More than 600 alumni from the four programs??Fudan-Washington University EMBA, Fudan's own EMBA, Fudan-HKU IMBA and Fudan-BI MBA??are judged and evaluated by authoritative international institutions every year to showcase senior Chinese executives in the global arena.

The highest internationalization

Fudan's Chinese language EMBA program beat all mainland business schools in four criteria for internationalization. Three other programs that made the top-50 list are all partnerships run together with leading business schools in Europe, Asia and America.

The highest rate of income gains

In terms of absolute pay, Fudan-Washington University EMBA alumni ranked second globally and first on the Chinese mainland. For income gains, Fudan-HKU IMBA alumni ranked third globally, while Fudan-BI MBA graduates came in fourth.

zhuanti@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 10/21/2016 page16)