MBA programmes that empower the future

MBA graduates are in the best positions to make a difference. At the core of this popular postgraduate programme lies a commitment to nurturing visionary leaders equipped with the skills, knowledge, and ethical compass necessary to address today’s ever-evolving, increasingly complex challenges. From sparking innovation to promoting sustainable business practices, the ripple effects of MBA graduates extend far beyond boardrooms, influencing communities and shaping the trajectory of global progress.

Graduates are at the forefront of developing sustainable solutions, addressing climate change, and promoting ethical practices. Still, an MBA benefits not only the world but also the future of the graduates themselves. In 2022, 91% of employers hired MBA graduates across all industries. While it is lower than last year, this is still the highest percentage in the last 10 years. This growing demand for leaders who can make a difference is set to continue — if you’d like to become one of them, check out the MBA programmes at these three leading universities:

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.

The Oxford 1+1 MBA programme combines a master’s degree with the university’s MBA. Source: Saïd Business School

Saïd Business School

At Saïd Business School, delivering impact through business is no mere catchphrase. Embedded within the #1 university in the world (Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2023), Oxford Saïd has what it takes to transform students into leaders for the extraordinary times we live in — and in as little as a year.

The Oxford MBA is a one-year journey filled with diverse views from a 64-nationality student body, made more dynamic by their wide range of backgrounds and industry experience. As one of the best gender-balanced top business schools in the world, all views are heard and shared. All of this makes for a refreshing mix of brilliance that grows networks as much as it sparks life-long friendships.

And that’s just the business school alone. MBA students have access to Oxford’s large, powerful alumni network and high-profile guest speakers as well through membership in the most prestigious debating society in the world: the Oxford Union. With no shortage of fresh perspectives, Oxford MBA students get to truly understand the role of business in society, adding impact to their current and future careers from day one.

For those looking for a two-year experience, the Oxford 1+1 MBA combines all of the above with a master’s degree from selected Oxford University departments. Choose from one of 35 Oxford master’s degrees — which include Master of Public Policy (Blavatnik School of Government) and MSc in International Health and Tropical Medicine (Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine) — to gain specialised expertise in a particular field. Then you develop business skills by completing the MBA.

Applications for both programmes will open in August. In the meantime, download a brochure to learn more about the Oxford MBA or 1+1 MBA.

The Booth School of Business offers Full-Time, Part-Time and Executive MBA programmes. Source: The University of Chicago Booth School of Business

Booth School of Business

The University of Chicago Booth School of Business offers a Full-Time MBA that empowers bold thinkers to thrive. The programme of choice for ambitious, intellectually curious professionals follows the university’s educational philosophy The Chicago Approach. Here, through rigorous inquiry, you learn how to turn any business challenge into an opportunity. As you master the fundamentals of business — accounting, economics, psychology, sociology, and statistics — you will learn how to think for yourself, challenge the status quo, and ground discoveries in data.

The Full-Time MBA is also “the world’s most flexible full-time master of business administration programme.” In 21 months, you’ll take three to four courses per quarter that include lab courses and hands-on learning experiences. There’s freedom to tailor your MBA experience by taking specific courses and earning MBA concentrations that signal to future employers that you have deep knowledge of a particular field, along with relevant analytical skills and tools. MBA concentrations include Analytic Finance, Behaviour Science, Econometrics and Statistics, Healthcare, Strategic Management and more. 

“Having the ability to choose not only the classes I want to take, but also when to take them, and in which level to take them, is paramount for my experience,” says a student. 

However you shape your MBA, you’ll have an unparalleled community of innovative peers and a lifetime of professional support. “Boothies support other Boothies, and it’s just a cycle that keeps going, and then the rest kind of falls into place after that,” says graduate Maya Shaposhnik Cadena. Many of these bonds are built during LEAD, one of the first experiential MBA leadership development courses at a major business school. It’s a great way to network and make friends. Guest speakers, alumni, and industry leaders engage with students on campus too. 

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