The QS Business Masters Rankings evaluates postgraduate business programmes across five specializations: Management, Finance, Business Analytics, Marketing, and Supply Chain Management.
To be included, a programme must be taught primarily on-campus, be full-time (or full-time equivalent), have an average class size of at least 15 students, and be accredited by AACSB, AMBA, or EFMD (EQUIS).
The ranking is based on five key indicators derived from 13 criteria.
Indicator Weights
| Indicator | Weight |
|---|---|
| Employability | 30–35% |
| Alumni Outcomes | 15–20% |
| Value for Money | 20% |
| Thought Leadership | 20% |
| Class & Faculty Diversity | 10% |
Weights for Employability and Alumni Outcomes vary slightly between specializations: Finance and Business Analytics use 30% Employability / 20% Alumni Outcomes; other specializations use 35% Employability / 15% Alumni Outcomes.
Indicator Definitions
Employability (30–35%)
QS Global Employer Survey — Employers worldwide identify the schools from which they prefer to hire business masters graduates. The survey has been running for over 20 years and collects hundreds of thousands of nominations. More recent responses are given greater weight.
Employment Rate — The employment rate for graduates within six months of completing the programme, based on MBACSEA standards.
Alumni Outcomes (15–20%)
The Alumni Outcomes Index identifies schools associated with CEOs, executives, and board members at the world's largest companies. Data is collected by QS from publicly available sources rather than from schools directly.
Value for Money (20%)
10-Year ROI (15%) — Maps average post-graduation salaries against programme costs, taking into account forgone salary, tuition, and cost of living.
Payback Period (5%) — The estimated number of months required to recover the total cost of the programme. Shorter payback periods receive higher scores.
Thought Leadership (20%)
QS Academic Reputation Survey (10%) — Captures the academic reputation of the programme based on nominations from academics worldwide.
Faculty with PhD (5%) — The proportion of faculty holding doctoral degrees.
Papers per Faculty (5%) — Measures research productivity by the number of publications per faculty member.
Class & Faculty Diversity (10%)
Gender Diversity (3%) — Measures gender balance among enrolled students.
Nationality Diversity (3.5%) — Measures the breadth of nationalities represented in the student body.
Faculty Internationality (3.5%) — The proportion of faculty members who are international.
Data Sources
- Employer Reputation: QS Global Employer Survey
- Academic Reputation: QS Academic Reputation Survey
- Alumni Outcomes: Publicly available corporate data
- Programme data: Submitted by business schools