Q: Where can I find the full methodology for the MBA Rankings?
A: https://support.qs.com/hc/en-gb/articles/4414605870610-Global-MBA-Ranking
Q: What are the criteria for eligibility?
A: The criteria are the following:
- There should be at least an average amount of 20 people in the class
- Schools and programs should be accredited by either AACSB, AMBA, EQUIS, EPAS. We also accept schools which have rated 3 or more on QS Stars
- All programs should have at least three graduating class.
- All programs should be mostly taught face to face and have a full time option
Q: What does the term “tuition fees” refer to?
A: "Tuition fees" stands for the published financial cost a student must pay for an educational programme. This should exclude additional charges such as registration or application costs.
Q: How do you define “international students” in the survey?
A: Number of students who are foreign nationals. The term ‘international’ is hereby determined by citizenship.
EU countries: include all foreign nationals, even nationals from other EU states.
Hong Kong: include students from Mainland China.
In case of dual citizenship, the deciding criteria should be ‘citizenship obtained through birth’. Please visit Data Appendix – QS Quacquarelli Symonds for more information.
Q: How do I submit employer/academic lists?
A: Every school will be invited to the survey individually. Please contact our support team via our helpdesk (Submit a request – QS Quacquarelli Symonds) if you need help.
Q: What is the deadline for the employer/academic lists to be submitted?
A: Around end of January of every ranking cycle year.
Q: May I have an extension on the deadline date?
A: This is usually possible within reason. Please contact our support team via our helpdesk (Submit a request – QS Quacquarelli Symonds) if you need to ask for an extension.
Q: Can I fill out the survey in PDF, Word or Excel formats?
A: No. We need the survey to be done online through our data submission portal. Please contact our support team via our helpdesk (Submit a request – QS Quacquarelli Symonds) if you do not have login details, or need further support.
Q: If I open a survey, does that mean I show my intent to submit information?
A: No. We will only consider finalised applications that have been submitted by the school.
Q: Why can I only see previous surveys and not the current ones?
A: Open the portal and scroll down; click on “Start New Application” - the new surveys will then appear.
Please contact our support team via our helpdesk (Submit a request – QS Quacquarelli Symonds) if you do not have login details, or need further support.
Q: Do you survey alumni as part of the ranking?
A: Not directly. However, if they have gone on to become academics or in positions of hiring responsibility in companies, they may be surveyed as part of our Academic and Employer Reputation surveys.
Q: What is the definition of a joint program?
A:
Joint Study Programmes - A programme where two or more institutions collaborate on the study program, but where each institution is responsible for admission and awarding of degrees to its own students.
Joint Degrees- A joint study programme leading to a joint degree where all partner institutions are responsible for the entire programme and issue a joint degree.
Q: What is your policy regarding GDPR?
A: QS is GDPR compliant. We treat all data safely and securely. For more information please visit Information_Security_Policy.pdf (qs.com).
Please note that contact details provided for the surveys:
- Will not be used for any commercial or business matters,
- Will be used for the sole purpose of inviting participants to the relevant QS reputation survey, which will inform the QS World University Rankings.
- Will not be submitted or transferred to any other organisation.
- QS will ensure that all rights of the 'data subject' will be preserved.
Q: If you don’t survey alumni then why do you request alumni contact details?
A: Alumni may be featured on our websites, we may also quote them in webinars or other QS marketing materials. Please note that alumni information will not be used to build or inform any of our rankings. If we do use any alumni-related information we will contact them before using their information or before the ranking is released.
Q: How do you define Masters in Management?
A: Masters in Management, or MIM, is a postgraduate academic degree that provides general management and organisation's knowledge. Recently, the MIM has been developed as an affordable alternative to the Master of Business Administration (MBA), for graduates from diverse disciplinary backgrounds from little or no professional business experience to professionals with who wish to transition towards a career in management.
Q: Should I just include Full Time faculty?
A: Please also count Full Time Equivalent FTE as per definitions here Data Appendix – QS Quacquarelli Symonds.
Q: Should I just include Faculty that is relevant to a particular programme, or count the whole Faculty cohort of the Business School?
A: Please include the cohort of Faculty staff.
Q: When counting Faculty staff, should I just include core staff or core and adjunct Faculty?
A: Please use both core and adjunct Faculty staff.
Q: What do you mean by “advanced degrees”?
A: We are referring to 'postgraduate' degrees.
Q: We are not sure whether our programme is suitable for your ranking, as its name is slightly different to the QS ranking name.
A: If the course content and class profile is comparable to the other programmes in the ranking, please feel free to add relevant information. We understand that names of programmes tend to fluctuate across institutions.
Please reach out to our specialist team on Submit a request – QS Quacquarelli Symonds to discuss this matter further if necessary.
Q: Do I have to fill out all of the rankings surveys?
A: No. We know some schools don’t collect every data point we are asking for. The most important responses are the questions connected to the rankings (as indicated in the survey). Please note that if you do not provide responses to these questions, QS will look for publicly available information and/or make estimates as necessary.
Q: Does it affect my rank if I don't submit employer/academic contacts?
A: If you supply employer and academic contacts then this should increase your chance of being nominated. However, it might also increase the chance of some of your peers being nominated. The survey is well established - we receive around 40,000 responses a year. Given this large database of existing employer nominations, not submitting a list is unlikely to impact your final ranking position. However, it has the potential to make a marginal difference in your reputation scores, especially if you are located in an underrepresented market.
Q: After I have submitted all data, can I get a copy of what I submitted?
A: Of course. You will be able to see a PDF of your answers on your dashboard. Please contact us Submit a request – QS Quacquarelli Symonds if you need further help.
Q: When will I receive my institution’s results?
A: We aim to send a detailed competitive fact file of your results approximately two weeks before launch. Please ensure QS has the right contact/s in your institution who will receive these files.
Q: When do you plan to release the results?
A: We aim to release the results at the end of September. Please visit 2024 Global MBA and Business Masters Ranking Cycle – QS Quacquarelli Symonds for information and deadlines.
