3 business schools for global entrepreneurs to improve society through innovative thinking

From consumer marketing to finance and supply chain, industries increasingly value MBAs when recruiting for higher-level positions with better salaries. Having an MBA on your resume can set you apart in these sectors.

Having one of the most respected MBAs today does even more — not only do you solidify your current position but you’ll also accelerate your advancement, including into the coveted C-suites. Climbing the corporate ladder becomes more achievable and you’ll face less competition from your peers.

An MBA is just as worthwhile for an aspiring entrepreneur. It’s an endeavour that not only helps you master strategy, finance and marketing, but also the self-confidence, independence, and effective communication to turn your idea into the next successful start-up.

Porto Business School currently provides over ten scholarships to support MBA candidates. Source: Porto Business School

Porto Business School

Porto Business School’s International MBA stands out for many reasons, targeting professionals who perceived the most defining challenges are the ones they determine for themselves. Therefore, this full-time program aims to assist you deepen your strengths, identify the skills you should upgrade and work to achieve your career aspirations and professional growth. The International MBA offers a flexible and customizable learning experience, emphasizing experiential learning essential for adaptability and resilience in business.

The Global Immersion Week provides crucial global insights through company visits and networking with professionals worldwide. With a diverse participant and faculty base, it balances core management topics with key areas like Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Sustainability, fostering personalized career development and executive leadership.

What truly sets our International MBA apart is its location and scholarships. The school ranked #30 in the Financial Times 2023 European Business School Ranking is located in multicultural Portugal, one of the top 10 safest countries in the world with an open and modern economy. With approximately 250 sunny days annually, Porto has a warm climate matching the hospitality of its residents. The city exudes charm, rich in culture, diversity, and history, showcasing medieval architecture, vibrant nightlife, and renowned cuisine.

Porto Business School promotes equal opportunities through its MBA scholarships. Whether it’s the Going Global, Young Leaders, Women Leaders, or Social Impact Scholarship, the goal is to reward candidates who, through their talent and potential, will be able to make change happen. See the full range of MBA scholarships and apply to the Porto Business School’s International MBA today.

POLIMI Graduate School of Management

POLIMI Graduate School of Management, located in the vibrant city of Milan, boasts 3 MBAs and 5 Executive MBAs that can transform you into a business leader. You will enjoy an outstanding learning experience with highly flexible and customised programmes. The best part is POLIMI GSoM’s direct links with businesses — bringing their insights to the MBA curriculum and their experts to workshops and experiential activities. You can join guest lectures, business simulations and company visits that show you how to apply the tools you’ve learned. These experiences ensure you absorb more and learn faster — with the added benefit of networking with impressive companies to pad your CV.

What really differentiates the school’s International Full-Time MBA from others is the latent power of purpose. Indeed, you will understand and discover the prime motivator driving choices in both your personal life and the organisation, a skill which is increasingly requested by many firms and will help you stand out from other graduates all over the world. You will be able to explore different industry due to the  specialisations offered within the International Full-Time MBA, which include Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Startup Development, Digital Transformation and Big Data, Luxury and Design Management, or Global and Sustainable Management.

Also, the personalised career service will help you guide your newfound skills towards becoming a career leader in your chosen industry — evident from the fact that 90% of graduates are hired within three months of graduation, earning an average salary increase of 100%.

Moreover, due to the collaboration with John Cabot University (JCU), we also offer a Master of Business Administration in Rome with which you will be able to obtain a double degree from two AASCB accredited Schools. The Dual-Degree MBA represents the perfect mix between the STEM expertise of POLIMI GSoM and the expertise of JCU in liberal arts topics.

The Dual-Degree MBA will allow you to develop a creative mind that will enhance your critical thinking skills with the Consciousness & Creativity Path. Moreover, as a student of two collaborating Schools you will be able to access two personalised Career Services and two alumni networks.

Can’t take a break from your career of life? We also offer the MBA in a part-time option that will give you the chance to gain a recognised qualification without a career break while living each weekend in an experiential way. Set in Milan, the International Part-Time MBA focuses on you and your Purpose as it provides a human-centric instruction on the individual’s purpose and capabilities.

Moreover, with our International Part-Time MBA you will live an international experience throughout the programme as you will fly to two European countries for intensive international weeks, and you can immerse yourself in a multicultural environment as 12 nationalities have been represented in the programme in previous editions.

Imperial College London offers four types of MBA programmes that students can choose from. Source: Imperial College London

Imperial College London

Ranked sixth in the world by the QS World University Rankings this year, Imperial College London inspires brilliant minds to take on the world of business and become leaders in the industry. Located in London, the best city for students in 2023 according to QS, the Russell Group university is home to several transformative MBA programmes. These include the Full-Time MBA, Executive MBA, Global Online MBA and Weekend MBA.

Global experiences are a key feature of the Full-Time MBA. There are opportunities to travel internationally to immerse yourself in new business environments and new cultures. For example, the Global Experience Week gets students tackling challenges faced by local organisations and learning how a country’s business environment affects the way they operate. Past cohorts have travelled to the Nordics to see how businesses can be transformed to tackle climate action while this year’s students will head to either Brazil to explore “Market Trends in the Marvellous City” or Kenya to learn how businesses can address inequality.

Going back to university is a big investment. Imperial understands this — hence why it offers significant scholarships. As Olivia Xu had long dreamed of getting an MBA, she was aware and could meet many scholarship deadlines, ultimately landing a generous scholarship from an esteemed non-profit organisation championing women’s progression within business through access to education. “Part of my MBA was generously funded by the Forté Foundation,” she says.

*Some of the institutions featured in this article are commercial partners of Study International