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Candidates must have a qualifying masters in management obtained three or more years ago. To meet this requirement, you must have gained a Masters in Management or equivalent from a university/business school approved by the accreditation bodies EQUIS and/or AACSB, or from a University of London member institution. Candidates will have at least three years’ relevant, high-quality work experience that demonstrates a strong track record of achievement.
Candidates must have a generalist Masters in Management, or equivalent masters level degree, covering the main disciplines of business, in line with the seven subject areas of the School:
Candidates will need to show they have studied, in their masters qualification, a minimum of five courses from the seven disciplines of business above. These must the include the quantitative courses, specifically finance, accounting and data analytics.
If there are topics the candidate did not cover during their masters qualification, they will be expected to take relevant online courses, as recommended by London Business School, prior to joining the programme.
The One-year MBA is designed for candidates who graduated three or more years ago with a rigorous masters in management and are looking to build on their existing knowledge. The Masters in Management or equivalent must be from a University of London member institution, or a university/business school approved by the accreditation bodies EQUIS and/or AACSB.
If you have not studied a Masters in Management or equivalent, you can complete your MBA with London Business School in 15, 18 or 21 months.
The One-year MBA is designed for people with a deep-rooted ambition to continuously challenge and evolve their mindset and knowledge relating to contemporary business issues. You’re at a critical junction in your career path with focused career goals and recognise the transformative value of an MBA experience, but having already obtained a management masters, you want to minimise your time away from your career in pursuit of those ambitions.
The highly international nature of our programme will also appeal if you are looking for a career with global mobility. Above all, the One-year MBA prepares you for a career with a global outlook rather than a US-centric or Euro-centric one.
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There will be online pre-programme materials that will be completed in the Summer before the programme commences. The programme will begin in early August at our London Campus with Orientation. Students will then go into a specially designed programme of orientation briefings to support the transition into the programme and the specialised core courses.
This is followed by three study periods: Autumn term (August to December), Spring Term (January to March), and Summer Term (April to July). Exams take place throughout the year, and these may be scheduled over weekends.
Core courses run Monday - Friday and you will also spend time throughout the week in a variety of classes, tutorials and personal and professional development sessions. You will have access to the elective portfolio from the Autumn term where you will build your own learning journey, choosing electives around your professional goals. In addition, there are a number of block weeks, where you will be brought back into your cohort group to complete core courses. Students may also be required to complete a range of exams, assignments and project work over the break periods.
We recommend you see your study at London Business School as a continuous period of education from August through to July, with vacations involving consolidation, preparation and project work.
The short core has been designed specifically for One-year MBA students to build upon their general business management knowledge, already gained through a Masters in Management or equivalent. These courses will provide an opportunity to further refresh student learning of core topics and concepts while also applying them to important contemporary business issues. The core is split into three parts on the themes of: Navigating the New Business Environment, Rethinking Corporate Purpose and Individual Agency and Entrepreneurship
No. All students will complete the same required pre-programme materials and core courses. Students will then design their own journey with their elective and experiential learning choices.
Yes. Faculty consulting and research activities are brought into the class in the form of case studies. Faculty frequently share their latest thinking in electives as well as through additional lectures. A small number of students may also have the opportunity to apply for an elective and work on a research project with guidance from a faculty member.
You will usually take four courses at any one time. You should expect to spend about two and a half hours in private study, group meetings and group work for every hour in the classroom. You will also participate in Career Centre sessions, workshops and activities throughout the term.
The programme is taught by members of London Business School (LBS) faculty. For some skills teaching, LBS faculty are assisted by external specialists in management skills development.
As well as pursuing research in their own fields of interest, members of faculty often act as consultants and advisers to industry and government. Many hold directorships in a range of organisations or in some cases run their own businesses.
These activities help to maintain the practical relevance of the School's teaching and research. Much of the School's research is supported in some form by donor organisations with which the School maintains especially close relationships. For example, in the finance and accounting area these include BAA, Bank of England, Barclays, Citibank, Credit Suisse, Solomon Brothers International, Tokai Bank and SG Warburg Group.
We have a duty to you, our alumni and future students to maintain the integrity and standard of the degrees we award through a rigorous assessment system. The purpose of the various assignments and examinations we ask you to complete is not simply for assessment: these are also intended to help you to structure your learning to help you gauge your progress through the programme.
The assessment system makes use of elements like course assignments, projects, group work, class participation, examinations and simulations. You will be expected to prepare for and attend class and participate actively in discussion both in class and in your group. The precise assessment model for each course - for example, whether class participation and oral report presentations count towards your final grade - will be set out clearly from the outset.
You must successfully pass all core courses. Your grades will be adjusted to a grade curve from A+ to C, with a maximum of 10% of the class achieving A+. The decision to Pass or Fail is a matter of academic judgement, and there is no obligation to fail any students.
To earn your degree, you must complete all the requirements of your programme. This includes both courses and programme elements.
Electives are courses that help you fine-tune your skill set, following on from your pre-programme materials and core courses. The elective portfolio lists more than 80 electives, drawn from across a variety of subject areas. You will choose the elective courses that suit your professional goals and the schedule to complete them that suits you.
Over the year, you’ll complete a minimum of eight full credit electives to fulfil your programme credits.
Electives are usually taught in three-hour lessons once a week, over 10 weeks. There are also a number of intensive week-long block electives that are taught outside term time as well as evening and 5-week courses.
The elective portfolio is open to all London Business School degree students so you will be studying alongside students from the Masters in Finance, Masters in Management, Executive MBA (EMBA), EMBA-Global and Sloan programmes, as well as students from more than 30 exchange schools and our partner institutions.
Elective courses and the spaces on them are subject to availability. Initially, you will use the School’s elective bidding system to express your elective preferences. Then you will be able to amend these preferences continuously during your studies, and tailor it to your interests and career goals.
Most teaching takes the form of structured lectures and case studies. The style is participatory and classes frequently include case analysis and discussions. There are also many projects and group work, field investigations and visits, as well as individual research and simulations.
Teaching faculty are there to support you through your One-year MBA journey and are available outside class times to discuss academic issues. Students will also have an opportunity to interact more closely with faculty through their involvement in experiential courses and the optional Business Project elective course.
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The LBS Career Centre provides support in four ways:
The One-year MBA is designed for people with a deep-rooted ambition to continuously challenge and evolve their mindset and knowledge relating to contemporary business issues. You’re at a critical junction in your career path with focused career goals and recognise the transformative value of an MBA experience, but having already obtained a management masters, you want to minimise your time away from your career in pursuit of those ambitions.
The highly international nature of our programme will also appeal if you are looking for a career with global mobility. Above all, the One-year MBA prepares you for a career with a global outlook rather than a US-centric or Euro-centric one.
The One-year MBA helps you boost your existing education and experience at a point critical to your career progression. The 11-month format will equip you with the knowledge and exposure to accelerate your career, while minimising your time away from the workforce.
There is, however, no one size-fits-all. The programme caters to people progressing careers across a wide range of industries – everything from finance, consulting, manufacturing, to healthcare, tech and the luxury goods industry. Some students may also use the One-year MBA to help establish their own venture or return to help run a family business.
By taking a brief step away from the demands of your current role the programme will enable you to spend a year challenging and evolving your understanding of contemporary business issues, while sharing and absorbing the experiences of your peers. You’ll complete the programme with a career-map that’s unique to you.
There are typically two different paths MBAs follow in recruitment - structured recruitment specifically for business school students and the open recruitment market, which is sometimes called ‘direct hire’ or ‘just in time’ recruiting.
Companies who want an ongoing, existing pipeline of MBAs have structured leadership/associate/general management programmes. Because they can plan ahead for their business needs, these roles tend to be more visible and competitive. The route to getting these roles is therefore more predictable but the timing is much less flexible. For One-year MBA students, this may mean having to recruit for full-time structured roles within a few weeks of joining the programme.
Students may also pursue recruitment through the open market. These are roles offered throughout the year when a business need arises. Some are advertised but there are also many “hidden” or unadvertised opportunities. Recruitment is driven by your networking efforts but there is also more opportunity to stand out and find a unique role.
For One-year MBA students, these paths are for full-time opportunities only.
As a member of our alumni community we hope that you continue to engage with us for your career development needs. We run an annual calendar of webinars, events and workshops to support you in your career and professional development. These cover a range of topics, from developing your personal brand to becoming a Non-Executive Director. We provide access to a range of resources and also offer alumni the opportunity to work with a career coach.
The expected range of work experience after completing your masters in management is 3 to 10 years.
We will consider you, but the strength of your case will depend on the quality as well as the length of your work experience.
In addition to having obtained a masters in management, you will need to have at least three years’ relevant, high-quality work experience that demonstrates a strong track record of achievement.
Your work experience does not necessarily need to include experience as a manager. The programme is suitable for people who come from technical backgrounds (for example, engineering or IT), as well as for people who have worked in finance or consultancy or run their own business. We also welcome applications from people who have worked in the public sector/government.
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You must ensure that your GMAT, GMAT Focus or GRE score is valid upon submitting your application.
Our average GMAT score for the MBA class is around 700, with a typical class range of 600 to 800. You should note that the minimum score we will accept is usually around 600, depending on your academic and professional background.
Our score expectations for GMAT Focus are in line with the equivalent scores from the previous GMAT. You should aim for 645, but we are likely to require at least 555 and above.
For GRE, we prefer scores over 160 for both verbal and quantitative sections.
We will look at all elements of your score and although a good score is preferable, the GMAT / GRE is just one of the admissions criteria. Just as a high score does not guarantee admission, a below average score does not always eliminate a candidate.
If you feel that you could improve your score, you are advised to retake the test to help make you a more competitive candidate. If you plan to retake your GMAT after the application deadline you should liaise directly with the MBA admissions team at apply.mba@london.edu for further advice.
We will accept the EA if you have a good score on a prior GMAT / GRE, but it is from more than five years ago.
You should be aware that some employers may prefer you to have a GMAT score.
Please note, you may be asked by the Admissions Committee to retake a test before receiving an offer if they feel that your current score is too low. Practise the GMAT test with London Business School's GMAT simulator and prepare yourself for the test.
No. You’ll need to select which programme you’re applying to at the beginning of your application. If you are unsure which is best for you, please contact our recruitment team oneyearmba@london.edu.
The School does not have any arrangements for students to transfer between its programmes or to/from a programme at another institution.
Yes, we believe that military experience is very valuable. We strongly encourage former military personnel onto our programmes, as they have proven leadership, interpersonal and team-building skills.
Application to the One-year MBA will be free to London Business School alumni and active military candidates.
Applications for the inaugural 2025 class will open in July 2024. Please register your interest to receive programme updates.
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We expect tuition fees for the 2025 One-year MBA intake to be £75,000 (indicative price).
Fees are exclusive of any programme related travel expenses. This gives you flexibility to tailor your student experience and associated costs. For example, the different Global Experiences incur varying travel and accommodation costs depending on which location you choose.
In addition to the School fees, there is a Student Association Fee of £180 that covers the Student Association (SA) subscription, enabling students to participate in our vibrant community.
You will have the option to pay in two instalments before the end of Term 1. The first instalment deadline is September, and the second is December. You can also pay in full when you start the programme.
Yes. You will have the option to pay your tuition fees in instalments, one at the beginning of each term.
We have a range of loans and scholarships on offer to support your studies. Please take a look at our Fees, financing and scholarships page to find out more.
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