European school takes top spot in the Economist Intelligence Unit's MBA rankings

For the first time, a European school-Spain's IESE-has topped the list in the Economist Intelligence Unit's 2005 ranking of full-time MBA programmes.

One of the main reasons that IESE does so well is the quality of its careers placement. IESE graduates can expect an average salary of around US$142,000 when they leave the programme, with 96% of graduates finding a job within three months.

Despite this European success, the ranking once again underlines the dominance of US schools. Eight of the top ten schools are American. Kellogg, which had topped the ranking for three consecutive years, drops to second, with Dartmouth, Stanford and Chicago all featuring prominently.

Bill Ridgers, the editor of Which MBA?, commented: "The main things that set these schools apart are a robust programme and excellent faculty. They often also possess a strong collegiate sense, meaning that students are keen to evangelise about their schools."

The highest ranked school in Asia and Australasia (excluding INSEAD, which has campuses in both France and Singapore) is the University of Hong Kong, in 45th place.

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