Duke University, in Durham North Carolina, has become the first US business school from outside the Ivy League to top the Financial Times annual rankings of executive education programmes. It has deposed Columbia in New York, which has held the top spot for the past four years.

Duke has climbed steadily up the rankings from seventh place in 2000 to take the top slot this year for non-degree business school programmes. These short programmes fall into two categories - those open to participants from any company and those designed for a single employer.

Duke Corporate Education, a spin-off from the main university, has pioneered these increasingly popular customised programmes, often designed to help companies change strategy.

Although Duke topped the custom half of the rankings, Harvard Business School retained its position as number one in the open enrolment section of the rankings, a position it has now held for three years. Its Advanced Management Programme is arguably the most prestigious business school programme in the world.

Overall it was the big brand US schools that dominated the open enrolment rankings - Harvard, Columbia, Kellogg, Wharton, Chicago, Stanford. It is a market that has seen a drop in business over the past year of between 20 and 25 per cent.

In the custom section of the rankings, European schools fare better with four in the top seven - IMD, London Business School, Iese Business School and Insead.

This is the sixth year the Financial Times has compiled the executive education rankings, largely based on the opinion of course participants on issues such as course design, teaching and value for money.

Perhaps the most contentious issue is the quality of food and accommodation. The ranking is dominated by the American schools, while French business schools - which pride themselves on their cuisine - generally flounder lower in the table. Separate Section

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