The QS Global 200 Business Schools Report is split in regions, allowing us to see which schools in each geography are considered to be the strongest by actively hiring MBA employers – the responses of which form the basis of the report.
Tellingly, of the 60 European schools which are included in the list, 19 are based in the UK. This will be no surprise to those acquainted with the history of business education. The country was one of the first places outside of North America (see the top 10 schools in the US), to really take to the MBA, with London Business School and Manchester Business School entering the market in the 60s.
Since then, the market has grown considerably as the MBA became more and more entrenched in international hiring policies, with the many of the UK’s prestigious public sector research universities boasting equally strong sister institutions of business education.
Thus the country boasts considerable pedigree in the realm of business education, and attracts huge numbers of students from around the world to study in its prestigious schools.
But of these, which do employers think are the top business schools in the UK?
1. London Business School
First in the list of top business schools in the UK and ranking as the second best business school in Europe behind INSEAD according to employers, London Business School offers a flexible full-time MBA program typically aimed at young managers with an average of five years’ work experience. The school is located in Marylebone, central London on the border of Regent’s Park – home to the ever-popular London Zoo (among other things). Students are able to choose the length of their stay, for 15, 18 or 21 months, in order to fit in with each individual’s lifestyle. The largest yearly class size in the UK of 406, and London Business School’s full-time MBA students are 91% international and 33% female.
2. Saïd Business School, Oxford University
Climbing two places from last year’s placing, Saïd Business School ranks as fourth in the European tables. The school boasts an average GMAT score of 698 – on par with London Business School – and an international student base of 94%. The average student has six years of work experience.
Saïd Business School, part of the world-renowned Oxford University and located in the small yet lively student city of Oxford, also offers a ‘1 +1’ program which allows students to combine their 1-year full-time MBA with an Oxford MSc course of their choice.
3. Judge Business School, University of Cambridge
This year Judge Business School drops one place and now lies at 13th place in the European table. Judge has one of the highest employment rates of the top European business schools, with 97% of candidates finding employment in the first 3 months after graduation. The program, located in the quaint yet vibrant university town of Cambridge, is one-year long, with average class size standing at 152 students, 97% are international.
