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The University of Otago's online MBA programme has just been given a ''great boost in confidence and morale'' after a British business magazine ranked it third-best in the world.
CEO Magazine, in London, ranked the Otago programme third in its latest global MBA rankings, up from fourth last year.
Otago University's full-time on-campus programme was also ranked as a tier one programme, one of only two New Zealand programmes in the category.
Otago director of executive programmes Ian Lafferty said the online programme ranking was a ''great boost in confidence and morale'' for the Otago team, and a recognition the Otago Business School was on the right track with what it offered.
The outcome boosted the international reputation of the programme and showed it was seen as a ''global player''.
''I think it's a great reward for the team here,'' Mr Lafferty said.
The Otago team had put in ''so much effort''to further improve the programme, and gaining a top three result was ''great recognition of their efforts''.
The Otago online MBA, established in 2014, is the only one online in New Zealand.
About 150 students are enrolled in the programme, from both New Zealand and overseas, and another 50 are expected to start their classes in a few weeks.
CEO Magazine ranked more than 270 programmes based on 11 factors, including quality of faculty, international diversity, faculty-to-student ratio, international exposure, work experience, and gender parity. Based on their overall scores, programmes were then ranked as either tier one or tier two.