After topping the Financial Times Global Executive MBA ranking for the last five years, the EMBA jointly conducted by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and Kellogg has failed to regain the top spot.

It was beaten by TIEMBA, a joint program by Tsinghua University in Beijing and the French-headquartered INSEAD University.

The HKUST and Kellogg EMBA, however, still produces the highest paid executives in the world at HK$3.18 million a year.

Graduates at TIEMBA ranked second, earning HK$2.5 million a year.

Interestingly, it was found that TIEMBA graduates are able to have a greater salary gain upon finishing the programme.

On average, TIEMBA study earn 80% more after they graduate compared to 39% by HKUST and Kellogg EMBA graduates.

Judy Au, Program Director of the Kellogg-HKUST EMBA said graduates of the programme had been ranked top in the world in salaries since 2004.

She added it was unsurprising that salary growth of graduates was lower than that of other universities because HKUST and Kellogg EMBA graduates.already earn top dollars when they join the progreamme.

Explaining why the programme came in at 14th place when it came to career advancement, Au said many of the students are already senior executives when they join the programme, so there is is less room for them to move up further.

The ranking rated the best 100 programs worldwide for working senior executives and based on a business schools survey and their graduates. Salary counted for 20% of the ranking.

Other notable Asian programmes include Washington – Fudan EMBA at number 6 and Singapore’s Nanyang Business School EMBA and Shanghai Jiao Tong University Antai MBA at number 10.  Here is the full ranking.

Global top 10 Executive MBA Ranking 2015 by Financial Times:

1. Tsinghua-Insead EMBA

2. Kellogg-HKUST EMBA

3. Trium Global EMBA

4.  HEC Paris/ LSE/ New York University: Stern Global Americas and Europe

5. UCLA-NUS EMBA

6. Washington – Fudan EMBA

7. Insead Global EMBA

8. IE Business School Global MBA

9. Oxford EMBA

10. Nanyang EMBA

10. Shanghai Jiao Tong University Antai MBA

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