• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content

MBA Application Guru

The Premier Business School Admissions Service

  • B-School
    • Business School Rankings
      • Full-time MBA rankings
        • BusinessWeek Top 20 MBA – Over the Years
        • Full-time MBA rankings by Specialty
      • Executive MBA rankings
    • MBA Career Statistics
    • Interviewing the schools
    • B-school Blog
  • Getting In
    • Cracking the GMAT
    • Admissions Statistics
    • Deadlines and Dates
    • MBA Admission Essays
    • MBA Admission Letters of Recommendation
    • MBA Admission Interviews
  • Services & Fees
  • Contact Us
    • Request a free profile evaluation

Forbes: INSEAD Shares #1 With IESE In The European Ranking Of M.B.A. Rankings 2018

You are here: Home / Blog / Forbes: INSEAD Shares #1 With IESE In The European Ranking Of M.B.A. Rankings 2018

December 12, 2018 by V P

Source: Forbes

By Matt Symonds,
12.12.2018.

GETTY

Feeling overwhelmed by the state of the world? Whether it’s the uncertainty of trade wars between the U.S. and China, the political chaos of Brexit, the violent protests in France or the disturbing consequences of climate change, you might be wondering how to navigate the volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (VUCA) that defines our age.

VUCA may have become a trendy managerial acronym, but the term was introduced at the U.S. Army War College to describe conditions resulting from the end of the Cold War. Learning to deal with change is not new, as a recent weekend in Rome reminded me, but for the modern manager the pace of change and potential global impact of a locally taken decision requires ever more careful strategic thinking.

How do you best prepare yourself for the uncertainty and complexity of today’s business world? An M.B.A. from one of the world’s top business schools will give you the business fundamentals to drive your career forward in any sector. But a foundation in finance, accounting, ethics, marketing, strategy, economics and operations is now combined with lessons in leadership, communication, entrepreneurial thinking and decision analysis to create value and empower students to embrace change. 

IESE Business School shares the #1 spot with INSEAD in the Fortuna Ranking of MBA Rankings
 IESE BUSINESS SCHOOL

So rather than running from the challenge, you might do best by seeking out uncertainty. The worse Brexit gets, the better it will be for those able to identify the resulting opportunities that emerge. The more damaging climate change becomes, the more we will need business leaders whose sustainable thinking benefits not just business, but also society and the environment.

Thirteen of the top fifteen business schools in this year’s Fortuna Ranking of MBA Rankings Europe are located in countries that are faced with societal division, and an uncertain political future. But international demand for their MBA programs has rarely been higher. While wrangling over Brexit is far from over, the future pioneers of FinTech and Renewable Energy are flocking to London Business School and Imperial College Business School to develop skills and tap into unrivaled networks in what remains Europe’s leading financial center.

The Champs Elysées boutiques of Chanel and Louis Vuitton have seen sales plummet as cars burn on the streets of Paris, and the Italian government is in a standoff with Brussels over its budget, but if you want to develop a career in the luxury sector then France’s HEC Paris and ESCP Europe and Italy’s SDA Bocconi and MIP Milano are still the preferred choice for globally minded MBA students.

And though Catalan independence is still at the forefront of tensions in Spain, over 90% the graduates of IESE Business School and Esade Business School in Barcelona had accepted job offers within three months of graduating, with an average alumni salary close to $150,000 three years after graduating. 

It’s crazy out there, so investing in yourself is always the best option. And for many, Europe is the place to look for a world-class education with an enviable ROI on a typically shorter M.B.A. Seven of the one-year programs in the biennial Forbes ranking boast a stronger ROI over a five-year period that the likes of Harvard, Stanford and Wharton. 

Ahead of the CentreCourt MBA Festival in London on February 9th, which brings together most of the top European business schools to meet with potential applicants, how did the top European Business Schools perform in the Fortuna Ranking of MBA Rankings 2018?

Since 2015, INSEAD has held the #1 spot in an MBA ranking that combines the results relative to other European business schools of the league tables published by the Financial Times, BusinessWeek, The Economist and Forbes.

But this year the school with campuses in France and Singapore shares the top spot with Spain’s IESE Business School. It is the first time since the Fortuna Ranking of MBA Rankings began in 2011 that IESE has reached #1, after many years in the top 3 or 4. The school, founded in Barcelona in 1958 formed an alliance with the Harvard Business School in 1963 and launched the first two-year MBA program in Europe. Notable alumni of a school that places corporate social responsibility (CSR) at the heart of its programs include the CEO Calvin Klein, CFO of IKEA and the European MD of Airbnb.

The other big winner this year is Switzerland’s IMD, whose M.B.A. program continues a strong recovery from three years in rankings purgatory to come in at #4 on the Ranking of M.B.A. Rankings. Building on the top ranking in Forbes last year, the school on the shores of Lake Geneva was the highest ranked European school in the first global M.B.A. ranking published yesterday by BusinessWeek. Competition for one of the 90 places in the M.B.A. program has risen sharply, with applications up 63% in the last year.

The biggest loser in 2018 is Madrid’s IE Business School, which fell five places to #11. By consolidating the results of the four major international rankings the Fortuna Ranking of MBA Rankings typically removes the sort of volatility and wild swings up and down that are inherent in any single league table. IE was excluded from the FT ranking in 2018 after many years among the top 5 European Business Schools, and has since struggled in BusinessWeek and The Economist. But don’t expect the school to languish beyond the top 10 for long – a culture of innovative thinking, a world class faculty and an entrepreneurially minded focus on the humanities will soon see the school bounce back.

Below are the results for this year’s top five.

2018 Rank2017 Rank2016 RankInstitutionCountryFinancial Times 2018*BusWeek 2018*Economist 2018*Forbes 2017*
123IESE Business SchoolSpain3412
111INSEADFrance/S'pore1342
332London Business SchoolUK2261
445IMDSwitzerland7181
555HEC ParisFrance6923

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: ESADE, Harvard, HEC Paris, IE, IESE, Imperial, INSEAD, LBS, SDA Bocconi, Stanford, Wharton

Copyright © 2023 — Boston Education Company Ltd • All rights reserved. • Privacy Policy • Terms of Use

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. By using this website you accept our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.ACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT
Before you go...

[prompt type=”left” title=”Would You Like a Free Profile Evaluation?” message=”Send us your CV and some information about your background and plans, and we’ll provide a free evaluation of your profile.” button_text=”Request Free Evaluation” button_icon=”certificate” circle=”true” href=”http://mbaappguru.com/request-a-free-profile-evaluation/” style=”border: none; shadow: none;”]