UCT GSB’s EMBA programme among the world’s best

The University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) programme has done it again. It has secured top regional honours in two noteworthy global rankings – reinforcing its position as a leading programme on the continent and globally.

Offered by the UCT Graduate School of Business (UCT GSB), the EMBA has been placed first in Africa and the Middle East and within the global top 100 in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Global Executive MBA Rankings. The QS Global Executive MBA Rankings are among the most influential in graduate management education. It evaluates 246 top programmes across 58 locations and is based on more than 75 000 employer and academic nominations.

The news comes just one month after the programme was ranked sixth globally in CEO Magazine’s Global EMBA Rankings 2026 – the highest position achieved by an African or emerging-market business school. CEO Magazine evaluated 340 programmes across 24 countries. The latest ranking also marks the second consecutive year that the programme has led the region in both – cementing its status as a benchmark for business education on the continent and in the Middle East.

“I’m proud that our EMBA continues to be recognised as Africa’s leading programme and a benchmark for business education worldwide.”

“Business leaders across Africa and around the world have to navigate increasingly complex global markets, new types of digital disruption and unprecedented uncertainty. Our EMBA is designed to help senior leaders deepen their leadership skills, develop new strategic insights and gain international perspective so they can lead more effectively within their organisations across the continent and around the world,” said Dr Catherine Duggan, the director of the UCT GSB.

“I’m proud that our EMBA continues to be recognised as Africa’s leading programme and a benchmark for business education worldwide.”

Leading in executive profile and diversity

The latest rankings are not the only reason to celebrate. The programme has also been placed among the global top 20 for both executive profile and diversity and came in at first place for employer reputation in Africa and the Middle East.

Professor Camille Meyer, the EMBA programme director, said this ranking underscores their ongoing commitment to deliver a transformational journey to executives on the EMBA programme.

“More than half our cohort are managing directors, chairs, board members in key C-suite roles when they join the programme and it is an honour to guide such a remarkable group of leaders on a learning journey that keeps them at the forefront of an ever-changing, unpredictable world,” Professor Meyer said.

“Executives in the EMBA develop new perspectives on some of the most critical challenges of the workplace and world.”

Sherry Walklett, EMBA student engagement manager, said the results also reflect the calibre of leaders who choose the programme and the true impact it has on how they think and lead.

“Executives in the EMBA develop new perspectives on some of the most critical challenges of the workplace and the world by building on their own experience and drawing on insights from faculty and fellow executives in their cohort,” Walklett said.

Earlier in 2026, the school’s MBA programme ranked number seven globally in the Better World MBA Rankings for the second consecutive year and placed within the global top 100 and number one in the Middle East and Africa in the 2026 QS Global MBA Rankings.

In January 2026, programme director of the Modular MBA at the UCT GSB, Associate Professor Caitlin Ferreira, was named MBA Director of the Year by the Association of MBAs, one of the world’s leading accreditation bodies for business education.