QS Global 200 Business Schools Report 2012: IIMs feature in Asia Pacific top 10 list

The Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) have reason to cheer. The three IIMs at Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Calcutta have been listed among the top 10 in the Asia Pacific region in the recently released QS Global 200 Business Schools Report 2012. IIM-Ahmedabad is ranked second, IIM-Bangalore's rank is fifth and IIM-Calcutta is ranked eighth.

Indian School of Business has been ranked seventh, S P Jain Institute of Management and Research is at 16 and Indian Institute of Foreign Trade at 21.

INSEAD, Singapore is number one in the region for the third consecutive year. Melbourne  Business School (University of Melbourne, Australia), NUS Business School, (National University of Singapore) and University of New South Wales were some of the other institutes that featured among the top 10 in the region.

Throughout the QS Global 200 Business Schools Report, one theme in particular stands out: Indian business schools are fast gaining popularity among MBA employers. In almost all specialisation ratings, Indian schools have climbed considerably when compared to last year. This is even the case for international management, as while Indian business schools feature lower down the rating than they do in other specializations, they are still climbing and showing promise in developing a greater international outlook among their MBA graduates.

Global stamp of recognition

In my recent post about Indian business schools: Best practices, I had written about top business schools identifying best practices to help benchmark with foreign schools and attract the best students and faculty. International accreditation helps business schools get a global stamp of recognition for their MBA programmes. Students get their degrees recognised globally, while the business school is successful in securing more foreign partnerships and linkages.

Four business schools in India have received the Association of MBAs (AMBA) accreditation. The UK-based AMBA is an international impartial authority on postgraduate business education. The AMBA accredits MBA provision at 187 schools in over 70 countries. IIM Lucknow’s MBA programme is the most recent to receive the Association of MBAs accreditation in November 2011.

The first to receive global accreditation from the Association was MDI Gurgaon in 2005 followed by SP Jain and IIM Kozhikode. More business school accreditations are also in the pipeline. “Granting Association of MBAs accreditation is a mark of the quality of a business school’s programmes and ultimately is a great profile-raising tool for schools, as our programmes are recognised internationally, thereby giving the business school a global status and network,” said Sharon Bamford, Chief Executive of the Association of MBAs. “The Association of MBAs accreditation is unique as it focuses on individual programmes, rather than the whole institution. This in-depth and detailed approach means that the highest standards of teaching, faculty and student interaction are guaranteed by our accreditation. We also believe that programmes should be of the highest standard and reflect changing trends and innovation in postgraduate management education,” she added.

As well as accreditation of top business schools, the Association of MBAs is committed to the growth and high standards of post-graduate management education by creating enhanced membership opportunities for Indian MBA students and alumni. The first of the Association’s membership initiatives launched in November 2011 with a networking and learning event called Global Connections. “India is the cornerstone of the Association of MBAs innovation strategy. Our focus is to work with Indian business schools to build and improve on their management education giving them international recognition, and to support MBA students and alumni with membership opportunities that assist in their professional development,” said Sharon Bamford.

Future initiatives include empowering local MBA students and graduates to build a global network representing accredited MBA programmes. This will provide professional development through learning and networking events and through the opportunity to build an international profile for those who have studied at an accredited programme. This global network would unite MBA students, business schools and employers of MBAs under the prestigious umbrella of the Association of MBAs.