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MBA Programme
Academics
Integrating sustainability into core business areas.
The new MBA curriculum meets the increasing demand for sustainability-focused leaders in the job market. It equips future business leaders with the knowledge and skills needed to manage sustainability risks and opportunities in business, enabling them to make better decisions and integrate performance and progress. It also inspires them to champion creative sustainable solution that address global challenges.
Our accelerated 10-month MBA comprises five periods, each lasting eight weeks and concluding with an exam, essay and/or project. The first part of the programme is built around 14 core courses, which provide you with a robust foundation of key management disciplines. In the second part, you will be able to choose from over 75 different electives in a variety of subjects.
10
Months
Weeks
Curriculum Overview
Pre-MBA Elements
- Business Foundations Week
- Language Classes
- Student Life Webinars
- Networking Opportunities
6 Core Courses
- Financial Accounting
- Financial Markets & Valuation
- Organisational Behaviour 1
- Prices & Markets
- Uncertainty, Data & Judgement
- Introduction to Strategy
6 Core Courses
- Corporate Financial Policy
- Managing Customer Value
- Organisational Behaviour 2
- Managerial Accounting
- Processes & Operations Management
- Leadership Communication Foundations
2 Core Courses
- Macroeconomics in the Global Economy
- Business and Society
- Ethics
- Political Environment
- Public Policy
3.5 Electives
4 Electives
3 Electives
+
Capstone Course
Personal Leadership Development Programme with individual and group coachingProviding students with a new standard in personal and interpersonal awareness and communication effectiveness. | ||||||
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Pre-MBA | Core Courses | Elective Courses | Capstone | |||
Learning Methodology
The INSEAD MBA programme requires a high level of engagement from our participants under the expert leadership of our professors. In fact, it is the vast diversity of experiences brought by our students and faculty to campus that makes the programme unique.
Technology and Innovation Strategy
Technology change and innovation affects every domain of business, changing the face of industry at an accelerating pace. In an MBA class on Technology and Innovation Strategy taught by Professor Nathan Furr, Assistant Professor of Strategy, students are exposed to different teaching techniques to enhance their learning experiences. What's more, there are discussions and interactions with the latest technologies to see how the lessons are applied in the real world.
Strategy, Structure and Incentives
INSEAD Professor Maria Guadalupe brings forward a case study to her class: Volkswagen Brazil is ending an alliance with Ford and needs to figure out how to produce automobiles in the country. Which solution do they go for given two proposals? Two MBA students talk about their experience in taking this course at INSEAD, highlighting the importance of learning strategy by capitalising on the collective intellect and diverse insights of the class.
Diverse study groups
You will initially join a study group of five to six students, selected to maximise diversity in terms of age, gender, nationality, experience, previous education and professional background. During most of the core courses and the PLDP, your group will become the focal point for your work as you complete assignments and solve problems together.
Lively classroom exchange
In the classroom, INSEAD professors aim to bring out the best in each of you, so that you learn from each other’s experiences as well as from their own cutting-edge research. Their objective is to examine different perspectives in order to orchestrate a multi-faceted debate and challenge everyone’s assumptions.
Multiple teaching methods
There is no single preferred teaching method at INSEAD. Our faculty is free to choose the method they believe fits best with the content of the session. You will, therefore, experience a wide variety of teaching styles and techniques, including case studies, computer simulations, role-plays, project work and study tours. What matters to INSEAD is not the method chosen but the result: the effectiveness of your learning experience.
Campus Exchange
Learning to lead across different cultures and geographies is critical to success in this global world. Our campuses in France and Singapore, as well as our partnerships with Wharton and Kellogg in the US and CEIBS in China, offer you as many opportunities to broaden your horizons.
Upon Application | You will be asked to choose a preferred home campus when you apply to the programme. Please note that campus preference is not taken into account in the selection of candidates, which means that we consider an applicant's campus preference only after we have made a decision on whether or not to admit him or her. Also, in order to balance the class size and diversity across campuses, it is not possible to guarantee all selected candidates admission to their preferred campus. |
Period 1 (Online Bidding) | Approximately 6 weeks after the programme starts, you will be asked to indicate your campus preferences for Period 3, 4 and 5. You will be awarded a number of points that you will draw upon to bid for the INSEAD campus exchange, the US or China exchange as well as for the elective course bidding. |
Period 3, 4 and 5 | Students are required to spend the first two periods of their programme in their home campus. Therefore, the Campus Exchange (CE) option only starts from Period 3 onwards. Whilst INSEAD ensures the ability to exchange to another campus at least once, we do not guarantee what period that may be. CE is not mandatory. Not taking part in CE means that you are a “lifer” staying on one (home) campus for your entire MBA journey. Please note that CE is not automatic, you can only exchange to another campus with INSEAD or outside with a partner school through the bidding process. Whether you are successful in the bidding will depend on your bidding decision, the bidding behaviour of your class and the campus’ capacity constraints. If you are not successful, you will stay and study at your home campus. The US exchange is only available for one period of study. For both classes, this will coincide with Period 4, i.e. March/April for the July class and September/October for the December class. Due to the academic calendar, December class students will have some seats available at Wharton also in Period 5. |
Changes to Campus Exchange Rules | Changes to the rules regarding CE are at the discretion of the MBA Office. It is likely that amendments will be made to the bidding system for each new cohort. |
Our Partnerships
Johns Hopkins University SAIS (Washington, DC, US, or Bologna, Italy)
 | INSEAD and The Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) offer students the possibility to complete a dual MBA/MAIR degree programme in a condensed period of time by spending one and a half years at SAIS and one year at INSEAD. The dual-degree programme allows students from both schools to work toward completing the SAIS Master of Arts in International Relations (MAIR) and INSEAD MBA simultaneously with the aim of preparing students for careers that combine international affairs and business administration. Applicants interested in the dual-degree must apply to each school separately and have to meet the admissions requirements for each school. Current students at INSEAD and SAIS are also eligible to apply. For further information please visit the SAIS website or contact saisadvising@jhu.edu |
Teacher’s College, Columbia University (New York, US)
 | Starting in 2014, INSEAD and Teacher’s College, Columbia University, are partnering to create a dual degree for students interested in pursuing a high-level management career in K-12 independent and international schools around the world. The dual degree will provide graduates with a Master of Arts (MA) in Education Leadership from Teacher’s College and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from INSEAD. The accelerated curriculum will allow graduates to earn the dual MA/MBA degree in just two years. The programme aims to train social entrepreneurs in education to combine the passion of a social mission with business-like discipline and determination. Applicants interested in the dual-degree must apply to each school separately and have to meet the admissions requirements for each school. For further information please read the FAQs. |
Discover the MBA Programme
Download our brochure for more information on our MBA.
- Benefits of the INSEAD MBA
- Admissions Criteria and Class Profile
- MBA Curriculum
- Personal Leadership Development Programme
- Career Development
- Application Dates & Fees
FAQs
How will I be graded at INSEAD?
Final course grades for most classes will be determined by a mix of class participation, projects and exams. For core courses, INSEAD grades on a Standard Normal Curve, also called a Z-Curve, with a mean of 3.0. There are no forced fails. To graduate, participants must maintain a mean grade of 2.1 in core courses and electives.
Will INSEAD disclose my grades?
No. INSEAD adheres to a strict non-disclosure policy. Your grades will never be shared with recruiters, classmates, or anyone outside of the INSEAD community. During on-campus interviews, recruiters are not permitted to ask about your grades, and you are not permitted to volunteer them. This policy allows you the freedom to challenge yourself and enhance the breadth of your knowledge by taking electives in unfamiliar subject areas without worrying that your grades will influence your job prospects
What are the benefits of the one-year format?
The INSEAD MBA curriculum is designed to quickly and thoroughly prepare you for a career in international business. Taking on the challenge of our accelerated programme, you will see a considerably faster and greater return on your MBA investment. Our recruiters tell us that the one-year format helps students to manage their time efficiently and effectively. Setting priorities and making choices about learning, socialising and personal time from the very beginning of the programme, you will become an expert at decision making which is one of the most valued qualities in a business leader.
