The leading customised and open-enrolment programmes for 2016

Top for customised programmes: Iese

Spain’s Iese Business School, having knocked Duke Corporate Education from the number one spot in 2015, has kept its place at the top of the ranking. In a consistently strong performance, the school was in the top 10 on all 15 criteria and among the first five for 11 of them. The school came close to being the first to “do the double”, coming second in the open-enrolment ranking.

Top for faculty diversity: HEC Paris

This is the eighth successive year that HEC Paris has come second in the customised ranking. The school has been consistently in the top 10 for faculty diversity but it is the first time it has come top on this front. Women account for about half of the teaching staff for customised programmes and nearly two-thirds of the faculty are from overseas. HEC’s faculty are also ranked first for the quality of their teaching.

Top for overseas programmes: Cranfield

Cranfield School of Management is the second best UK school for customised programmes and has been in the top 10 for the past four years. The international reach of its courses has been one of its strengths. Since 2009, the school has consistently been among the top five for its programmes, taking the top slot three times in that period. Nearly half of its courses are taught in locations outside the UK.

Top for open programmes: IMD

“It was a perfect impactful programme,” says a survey participant of their experience at Switzerland’s IMD. This is the fifth consecutive year IMD has topped the open-enrolment ranking. It is ranked first for new skills and learning. Despite the strong Swiss franc, the school remains attractive outside Switzerland. It is ranked sixth for the international diversity of its participants, down from second the previous year.

Top for faculty: Darden

Darden School of Business, number one in 2010, has fluctuated at the top of the open ranking. With a high score in the participant survey, the US school is ranked fourth after going from fifth place in 2012 to 11th in 2015. One constant has been the quality of teaching — top for the third year. “They went out of their way to ensure that every participant gained something from the course,” says one student.

Top for international participants: Insead

Insead, in 11th place, has dropped out of the top 10 for the first time since 2011. However, it is ranked first for international participants for the ninth successive year, partly thanks to the fact it operates out of three campuses — in France, Singapore and the UAE. “I left with an enriched understanding of people and how to manage relationships in a multicultural environment,” one participant recalls.