UCT GSB'S Executive MBA ranked Top 5 globally for gender diversity

The UCT Graduate School of Business’s (GSB) Executive MBA Programme has been ranked 96th in the world in the prestigious Financial Times EMBA Ranking 2023, and with 52% of attendees being women this places the UCT GSB’s EMBA in the Top 5 programmes in the world for inclusivity and diversity.

The annual ranking measures EMBA programmes from the world’s top universities and business schools according to criteria such as career advancement, diversity (of staff and student body), research, and ESG (environmental, social, governance).

In addition to its overall and gender diversity rankings, the UCT Graduate School of Business was also placed 40th in the world for the work experience of its alumni, and had 52% women attend – a testament to the quality and diversity of the candidates that the programme attracts, which further fuels the quality of pedagogy and discourse of the UCT GSB’s EMBA. It is the only exclusively African business school to appear on FT’s Top 100 EMBA list.

The School also ranked 84th in the world for ESG, 80th for research, and 66th for its carbon footprint. This is a reflection of the UCT GSB’s principled approach to nurturing leadership, teaching inclusive innovation, and delivering meaningful social and environmental impact, and is one of the reasons why the School has been recognised by the Corporate Knights in its annual Better World MBA ranking.

“We’re pleased that our efforts to design a truly unique and powerful EMBA programme is recognised by international rankings bodies,” says UCT GSB Director, Dr Catherine Duggan, “and we are equally proud that our EMBA continues to have a real transformative effect on the industry leaders of today – and the socio-economic landscape of tomorrow.”

Founded in 1964, the UCT GSB has more than five decades of research excellence and practice-informed teaching and an alumni network of more than 20,000 leaders, founders and executives across six continents. The UCT GSB’s EMBA, which was launched in 1999, offers executives a unique part-time programme focused on enhancing their personal development, impact and ability to lead successful organisations.

“Our EMBA programme is unique in that it focuses on providing a transformative experience for our students by developing leadership skills and acumen that offer personal and professional growth while delivering purpose and meaningful impact in South Africa, the continent, and the world,” says UCT GSB EMBA Programme Director, Associate Professor Camille Meyer. “The fact that we are joint fourth globally in terms of diversity also speaks to the GSB’s intent to drive diversity and foster inclusion.”

An EMBA is aimed at more senior or experienced executives who want to make a real difference to themselves, their organisations, and beyond. And the UCT GSB continues to set the standard for this learning experience on the continent. It is one of the fastest-growing postgraduate degrees at the University of Cape Town, and in recent years it has also been ranked in the Top 50 by Quacquarelli Symonds.

The UCT GSB also offers the only MBA programme in Africa ever to make the FT’s prestigious Global MBA ranking.