Nanyang MBA

The Financial Times’ Rankings Show How The Nanyang MBA Powers Alumni’s Career Success

The true measure of any business school lies in the success stories of those who complete it. The Nanyang Business School’s recent ten-place climb to Number 22 in the Financial Times Global MBA Ranking 2025 only reinforces what alumni and employers have long known. By consistently developing business leaders who lead with purpose and impact across industries, Nanyang Business School cements its place among the world’s top business schools.

In the same survey, the Nanyang MBA programme also received stellar marks in several key areas:

• Top-ranked MBA programme in Singapore, and third in the Asia-Pacific region;
• Top-ranked in Asia for Sustainability Efforts, reflecting Nanyang Technological University (NTU) leadership in sustainable education and research; and
• Number four globally for Value for Money, showcasing the strong return on investment for our graduates.

These numbers are no mean feat, in a list dominated by top business schools from the US, Europe, and China. (For reference, Yale Business School ranks just below Nanyang MBA, at #24.)

So why is the Nanyang Business School – and by extension the Nanyang MBA – able to stand out in a highly competitive list of the best business schools in the world?

Sustainability is at the heart of our programme

From start to finish, sustainability is deeply embedded in the Nanyang MBA curriculum, and it shows in our alumni’s post-MBA careers. Many Nanyang MBA alumni now hold roles where they influence sustainability strategy at scale in their respective sectors. It’s a key reason why the Nanyang MBA leads in Asia for Sustainability Efforts, with NTU setting the benchmark in education and research.

“Sustainability is at the heart of our programme – ensuring that our students are equipped to lead in ways that are responsible and impactful for both business and society,” explains Mr Gilbert Chua, Director of Graduate Studies at Nanyang Business School.

For starters, the Nanyang MBA’s dedicated sustainability and innovation track prepares its MBA participants for careers in green technology and the sustainability sector. “The sustainability track provides them with the skills and knowledge to lead in an increasingly sustainability-focused business environment,” Mr Chua says.

The Strategy Projects at Nanyang (SPAN) capstone module gives all Nanyang MBA participants the chance to get their hands “dirty” addressing real-world sustainability challenges for sponsor organisations.

“Our sustainability-related projects include a decarbonisation strategy for the real estate industry in Southeast Asia; and a market study on hydrogen as a sustainable energy source,” explains Mr Goh Kia Hong, academic director of NBS’s Strategy Projects at Nanyang (SPAN).“ Their experience from SPAN will enable them to advocate for impactful ESG policies, develop sustainable business models, and contribute to their organisations’ long-term success.”

Transformation: The Nanyang MBA ‘value-add’

One standout statistic caught many by surprise: the Financial Times MBA Rankings place the Nanyang MBA #4 globally in offering ‘value for money’. It’s a term that Prof Goh Kim Huat, Associate Dean (Graduate Studies) at Nanyang Business School, would like to change.

“The phrase ‘value for money’ is a misnomer,” Prof Goh explains. “If you look into how this is computed by the Financial Times, I think they should rename it to ‘value-add’ – that you are coming from [a certain] level, and then the Nanyang MBA brings you up to [a higher] level.

“[Our value-add] is the change and transformation that we are creating for the cohort.”

Many Nanyang MBA alumni have attested to the value-add provided by their stint at NBS – from expanding one’s responsibilities from one market to eleven; to pivoting from a project engineering track to a thriving post-MBA digital marketing career; to blazing a new trajectory in digital marketing, the Nanyang MBA has helped many alumni transform their ambitions into tangible, global outcomes.

When the outcomes exceed the investment

For NTU alumnus and current McKinsey associate Benedikt Bosch, the opportunity to earn a double Master’s degree has indeed reaped significant returns. A few years after completing his double masters (Nanyang MBA with a Master of Arts in Strategy & International Management from the University of St. Gallen), Benedikt looks back fondly at his time in Singapore – and says his first-hand knowledge of doing business in Asia gave his career an edge.

“The double degree supports students in developing a truly global mindset you need as a future leader,” he explains. “I got to study with peers from around the world and have some of the best lecturers from across the globe.”

Even for non-double degree students, the ‘value-add’ of the Nanyang MBA curriculum has resulted in expanded opportunities – as with Meta Yunita Pramasetio’s Nanyang MBA-enabled career shift from Indonesia to Singapore.

“The Nanyang MBA programme definitely [gave more] value than what I invested,” she explains. “Career benefits, such as increased earning potential, career progression, and the ability to pivot into a new country, have far outweighed the initial cost.

“The Nanyang MBA has been a significant factor in my professional growth.”

Ranking the Nanyang MBA’s future

Even with the recent recognition, the Nanyang Business School is hardly resting on its laurels. Prof Goh is already thinking of their rankings in three or four years time – when this year’s Nanyang MBA graduates will be judged by a future Financial Times panel.

“The ranking we have today will help us four years later,” explains Prof Goh. “For students, especially the international crowd where information is not so forthcoming, our ranking serves as an assurance that the MBA you’re getting is a good one. [That gives us] a very strong base to begin with, because we’ll attract better students with better programmes.”

Mr Chua concurs: “A strong ranking boosts the reputation of the Nanyang MBA programme globally, which in turn opens doors for our graduates,” he explains. “This recognition will translate to increased visibility in competitive job markets and access to wider opportunities.”

The recent Financial Times business school rankings show the real-world value of what the Nanyang MBA delivers: an interdisciplinary approach that shapes forward-thinking problem solvers; an emphasis on sustainability that prepares its graduates for responsible corporate leadership; and projects like the Leading People Globally (LPG) capstone that prepares graduates to set the agenda in today’s complex business world.

Then, now and in the future, Nanyang MBA graduates re-enter the corporate world equipped to make a lifelong impact – whether as executives or as entrepreneurs. It’s here that the true ‘value-add’ of the Nanyang MBA programme becomes clear: empowering them to grow, adapt, and lead for years to come.

Nanyang MBA

The Nanyang MBA is a flexible 12-month or 18-month programme designed to fuel your growth into a future-ready leader equipped with the skills needed to excel in a global, digital environment. The programme aims to develop impactful, culturally adept leaders who embrace the connection between business, technology, and innovation to excel in global environments and adapt to each new wave of digital change.