The CEIBS Global EMBA (GEMBA) programme has been ranked No. 2 in the world in the Financial Times 2025 Executive MBA Ranking, marking its sixth consecutive year among the global top two and its fourth consecutive year as the world’s highest-ranked stand-alone EMBA programme.
As China’s first English-language Executive MBA, established in 1995, this milestone coincides with the programme’s 30th anniversary, underscoring three decades of academic excellence, innovation, and global impact.
Unlike many joint EMBA programmes in China, CEIBS’ independent model has achieved world-class recognition built on “China Depth, Global Breadth”.
Co-founded by the Chinese government and the European Union in 1994, CEIBS has set international standards in management education from its inception.
Since joining the Financial Times ranking in 2001, CEIBS has consistently advanced in global reputation, contributing significantly to the development of management education in China and beyond.
The 2025 results highlight GEMBA’s exceptional consistency and quality amid shifting global business dynamics.
The programme rose from No. 7 to No. 3 globally in “Salary Increase” and from No. 21 to No. 2 in “Overall Satisfaction”, reflecting the tangible value of its learning outcomes and the strong endorsement from alumni.
These achievements affirm GEMBA’s strength in preparing leaders with strategic vision, analytical depth, and cross-cultural management capabilities.
With over 20 overseas immersion modules and exchange partnerships with eight leading business schools across ten countries, GEMBA offers a truly global learning experience.
Forty-one per cent of current participants are international, and 31 per cent are based outside the Chinese mainland, travelling to Shanghai for core modules. CEIBS also climbed from No. 18 to No. 8 in “Alumni Network” and from No. 9 to No. 5 in “Work Experience”, further demonstrating the programme’s strong appeal to senior global executives.
At the heart of this success is CEIBS’ outstanding international faculty of over 120 professors from more than 20 countries, who combine rigorous academic research with practical China insights.
CEIBS continues to lead in influential rankings such as Elsevier’s “Most Cited Chinese Researchers” and the “World’s Top 2% Scientists” list by Elsevier and Stanford University.
