Dubai: A Master of Business Administration (MBA) programme offered by SP Jain School of Global Management in Dubai has made it to Forbes’ top 20 list of the world’s best one-year international MBAs.

The Australian business school’s flagship Global MBA programme was ranked again in the top 20 for the fifth year in a row. The latest ranking places the school in the league of top institutions like IMD, INSEAD, IE, Cambridge, Oxford, Warwick and SDA Bocconi.

Located in Dubai Academic City, SP Jain describes itself as being focused on educating and fostering entrepreneurial and business skills adding a global experience to their student’s education and preparing them for real-world business environment.

The Forbes’ MBA rankings, along with The Financial Times and The Economist, are among the most prestigious MBA rankings in the world, and SP Jain School of Global Management is the youngest school to get all three.

Forbes’ biennial ranking of the world’s best international MBA programmes is based solely on the return on investment achieved by graduates. This year, the Forbes ranking compared the earnings of the Class of 2012 in their first five years post-MBA. SP Jain’s Class of 2012 reported close to a six-fold increase in salaries — from a pre-MBA salary of $9,000 to $50,000 (in 2016). SP Jain has also been ranked #1 in salary growth for all five years.

“Campus placements are often used to measure a school’s success. However, top rankings like Forbes, The Financial Times and The Economist measure graduate outcomes over a period of time. This is a superior measure of success as they consider long-term student growth, and not just starting salaries,” said Nitish Jain, president of SP Jain School of Global Management.

“Our ranking among the world’s best business schools by reputed international publications is a direct reflection of how well our graduates have been able to perform. To be the youngest school in the ranking is thrilling,” he added.

Graduates of the 13-year-old Global MBA programme are working at organisations like the Boston Consulting Group, P&G, Google, Amazon, Facebook, Nike, Unilever, Apple, World Economic Forum and Barclays, all leading global corporations.

A distinctive highlight of the global MBA programme is its multi-campus model, and the school credits much of its global success to Dr Indu Niranjan, dean of the programme who said their goal is to “train our graduates for top companies around the world”.

“Our students have the unique benefit of studying in three cities — Singapore, Sydney and Dubai. They understand how to operate in a global business environment — a skill much valued by recruiters,” she said.

“They undertake projects with top companies, interact with business leaders and thinkers, go on cultural tours and develop important global skills. These skills have led to better jobs, salaries and better graduate outcomes.”