This is the only top quality executive MBA in Ireland

If you’re an Irish financial services professional wishing enhance your career prospects by embarking on an executive MBA and want to remain close to home, the University College Dublin: Smurfit remains the only viable option. However, its star seems to be dimming somewhat compared to its global peers.

The latest FT executive MBA rankings have just been released and UCD Smurfit is the only Irish school on the list, coming in at number 88.

From a careers perspective, it’s slightly higher, with a ranking of 79 out of the 100 schools on the FT’s list. Average starting salaries are $115.4k (€89.1k), which is an average uplift of 53%.

Nonetheless, UCD Smurfit has fallen down the rankings recently, with its three-year average ranking coming in at 66th. This is in large part to a raft of new entries from Asia.

What’s more, with fees in excess of €29k, you have to question whether a €89.1k starting salary is worth the investment.

Still, the fact that it features amid tough competition is testament to the enduring quality of the qualification. Professor Ciarán Ó Hógartaigh, dean of UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School said: "The school will continue to benchmark itself against the world’s premier business schools and our commitment to the ongoing pursuit of excellence and to maintaining our place as the leading business university in Ireland is a continuous one.”