London Business School is an international business school and a constituent college of the University of London. It is considered one of the world’s most highly regarded business schools and its MBA program is frequently ranked among the global top five. Moreover, it has been ranked the best business school in the world by the Financial Times ' Global MBA Rankings 2009, a ranking it shares with The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
London Business School teaches postgraduate programmes in finance and management, in addition to its MBA flagship program, Sloan Fellowship Program for experienced business executives, Masters in Finance (also known as MiF, a finance specialist programme), Masters in Management for students with less than a year's work experience, PhD, as well as non-masters programmes for business executives. It is located in central London, beside Regent's Park. It was established in 1964, after the Franks Report recommended the establishment of two business schools, as part of existing universities (London Business School and Manchester Business School), but with considerable autonomy. It has close collaborations with the nearby University College London and the Modern Language Centre at King's College London. In December 2006 launched its operations in Dubai, which include an executive MBA degree and Executive Education programmes.
The admissions process at London Business School is highly selective, making it is one of the most competitive business schools in the world. A high GPA, high GMAT score, and strong non-quantitative credentials are typically prerequisites to admission. Successful applicants for the full-time MBA and Masters in Finance have an average GMAT score of 694 and a median score of 700 – the highest among non-US two year programmes.
Around 800 degree students, from 80 countries, graduate from the School each year. A further 3,000-plus executives attend the School executive education programmes each year. The School has over 28,000 alumni in more than 120 countries, organised through 65-plus alumni clubs.
London Business School holds the European Foundation for Management Development Equis accreditation as well as that of the AACSB. The MBA and Sloan Fellowship MSc programmes are accredited through AMBA.
MBA programmes
The school's flagship is its 15-21 month Master of Business Administration degree. MBA students take a prescribed set of core courses, then choose electives from a choice of 70. The core course includes:
- Finance
- Strategy
- Marketing
- Managerial Economics
- Management Accounting
- Operations and Technology Management
- Statistics
- Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility
- Managing Organisational Behaviour
- Global Leadership Assessment for Managers
Fees for both the full-time and Executive MBA programmes are approximately £45,000 (not including living expenses). Many students are either sponsored by their employers or take advantage of various scholarship and bank loan schemes.
Full time MBA
Class size has been around 315 students in every annual cohort, with a total of 630 students on the 15-21 month MBA. These are broken into four streams of around 80 students which undertake all core courses together. From the 2009 intake on, the School announced that a fifth stream will be added and the cohort will increase to 380 students.
The school is proud of the diversity of the student body and the 2008 intake - graduating in 2010 - consisted of 320 students from 60 nations with 25 per cent female and only 9 per cent from the UK (20 per cent from North America).
In addition to the courses shown above, the full-time core courses also include:
- a compulsory second language (other than English)
- Information Technology for Business Value
- Decision and Risk Analysis
- Understanding the International Macroeconomy
Beyond academic teaching, the school puts an emphasis on personal development, particularly in terms of leadership and global awareness, thanks to specific workshops led by external consultants.
In addition to a wide range of elective courses at the London Business School, the school has a very wide network of around 32 exchange schools around the world. Each academic year around 100 London Business School students spend a term at another leading business school.
MBA rankings
The full-time MBA is highly placed in rankings of business schools. In the Financial Times ranking of the principal rankings, the London Business School MBA is first in the European rank and first equal in the global rank. In more detail, the MBA has been ranked:
- Joint 1st in the latest Financial Times Global MBA rankings (2009). The program shares this ranking with The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
- 3rd in the international ranking by The Wall Street Journal (2007)
- 5th (outside the United States) by BusinessWeek (2008); It is the only MBA programme to have been ranked in the top five in every BW international ranking.
- 1st (for two year programs outside the United States) by Forbes (2009)
- 3rd in the latest Best Global MBAs published by CNN Expansion (2008)
- 8th by the most recent (2009) Economist Intelligence Unit rankings
International Exchange Programme
The MBA Programme at London Business School has one of the world's largest international exchange programmes. Each year approximately 35 per cent of second-year MBAs spend a term abroad at one of over 30 partner schools, including The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Columbia Business School, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, among others.
Executive MBA programmes
The School offers four part time Executive MBA degrees, which are completed in between 16 and 20 months. The programmes involve very similar core courses to the full time MBA, international field work and a wide range of elective courses. The course ends with a capstone together with company project or management report.
- Executive MBA . Around 300 business people take part in the London-based Executive MBA programme. The first year of the programme is taught on alternate Fridays and Saturdays in term-time. A number of week-long blocks are used for leadership skills, career management and international field trips. The second year consists of electives taught in London or at business schools overseas, an optional term or semester on exchange with a business school abroad, and a management report.
- EMBA-Global Americas and Europe . A further 140 executives are enrolled in the dual-degree EMBA-Global Programme. It is taught in partnership with Columbia Business School, and is designed for fast-track executives able to demonstrate sustained management experience with an international focus. Graduates are awarded degrees from both universities. The first year involves week-long modules each month alternating between London and New York. In the second year, students select from the full range of electives available at the participating schools.
- EMBA-Global Asia . London Business School launched this programme in 2008 jointly with Hong Kong University and Columbia. Teaching takes place at all three business schools. While the first year is modelled on the transatlantic EMBA-Global, the school states that because "EMBA-Global Asia is designed for people who have or will have significant trans-national responsibilities, all courses reflect a greater proportion of global material".
- Dubai-London EMBA . This 17 to 20 month, dual campus programme began in September 2007. It has a similar structure to the EMBA-Global. The first half of the programme consists of monthly modules of core classes taught at its Dubai Centre, in the Dubai International Financial Centre. The second part of the programme consists of electives taught at London Business School, and a management report.
Sloan Fellowship
The Sloan Fellowship at London Business School is a master's degree programme designed for executives, professionals and entrepreneurs with significant experience of decision-making at strategic levels.
It is a full time, 11-month master's program emphasising leadership and self-development. The Sloan Fellowship is organised around collaboration principles, and is also offered at MIT Sloan School of Management and the Stanford Graduate School of Business in the USA.
Masters in Finance
The School offers a "Master's in Finance" ("MiF") programme on both a part and full time basis. This specialist master's degree in finance is a postgraduate qualification for professionals with previous experience in finance. According to the School, the programme trains students seeking careers in such diverse areas as trading, private equity, asset management, investment banking and the finance roles in industries. Around 145 students attend the full-time programme, while 150 attend the part-time d
Rankings - Best Business Schools - Graduate Schools - Education - US ...
Best Business Schools Ranked in 2009 U.S. News surveyed 426 MBA programs to get the information used in the ranking of top business schools.
The Best Business Schools - Forbes.com
Despite a shaky job market, an M.B.A. still pays for itself. We rank the 50 best programs.
Business School Rankings Methodology - US News and World Report
How we rank graduate business schools. ... All 426 master's programs in business accredited by AACSB International were surveyed in fall 2008 and early 2009 (381 responded, of ...
School Ratings : School Rankings, Best Business Schools
Our school ratings and rankings can help you find the best business schools for your. BusinessWeek.com includes expanded MBA profiles on more than 280 programs.
The Best U.S. Business Schools: The Best Business Schools of 2008 ...
A look at the top fulltime MBA programs in the U.S. ... By Francesca Di Meglio. The Best Business Schools of 2008. Responsiveness to the community's needs, academic rigor ...
The Best Undergraduate Business Schools: No. 44 - BusinessWeek
With the economy unraveling, the schools that fared the best in BusinessWeek's ranking of the top undergraduate business programs were those that worked the hardest to score grads ...
Business School Rankings
Get a free business school admissions advice and find the best business degree programs that match your educational goals.
The Best Business Schools - Forbes.com
Where your investment in an M.B.A. pays off the most. ... Special Report The Best Business Schools Edited by Kurt Badenhausen, 08.05.09, 06:00 PM EDT
Best Canadian Business Schools - A Ranking of the Best Business ...
Wondering which Canadian business schools are considered the best? Here is a ranking of the best Canadian business schools.
Rankings of 2007 Best Business Schools and Specialty Programs - Yahoo ...
Business School Rankings - Rankings of 2007 Best Business Schools and Specialty Programs provided by U.S. News & World Report on Yahoo! Education