FAQs

The MBA is aimed at people who have gained some high-quality work experience, but who are at a relatively early stage in their career. The Programme is suitable for people who want to increase their knowledge of business and management to:

• enhance their existing career and accelerate their promotion prospects
• change career by changing function, or industry
• start their own business.

The highly international nature of the Programme also makes it suitable for people who want international mobility. Above all, it is a preparation for general management with a global outlook rather than US-centric or Euro-centric one.

As a general management Programme, the MBA is good preparation for any job that requires general management competence.

The Programme is of particular interest to people working in, or planning to work in finance, consultancy, manufacturing and service industries. Increasingly, some use the London Business School MBA to help them establish their own business or return to help run a family business.

The average amount of work experience is 5.3 years. (Participants from some countries usually have less work experience than the average since their undergraduate study may be longer than others and/or national service has meant they started work later than others).

Admission may be granted to candidates with less than three years work experience if they can demonstrate superior academic credentials and truly outstanding evidence of leadership through professional and personal experiences.

No, 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. Some of our students have less typical backgrounds, such as doctors, vets, an opera singer, a theatre director and even a show jumper.

A key feature of the MBA is the stimulating and varied international participant mix. Each year approximately 10 per cent of the class come from the UK, with the remaining 90 per cent made up of participants from 50-60 different countries. Many of our participants come to London Business School with their partners and family. View the current class profile.

Yes. The Executive MBA is a part-time programme designed for those in full-time employment. In the 20-month programme classes are run fortnightly on Fridays and Saturdays during the first year of the Programme. In the second part greater flexibility is offered as electives can be chosen which run at different times, including in the evenings or at weekends. The average EMBA is a mid-career manager with an average of 10 years' experience. Find out more about the Executive MBA.

You should consider the 10 month Masters in Finance as well as the MBA if you are absolutely sure you want to pursue a career in finance. The ten-month Masters in Finance provides a curriculum of pure finance. The 15-21 month MBA covers all aspects of general management as well as providing the opportunity to specialise in finance. The London Business School elective portfolio is open to all London Business School degree programmes (with the exception of the Masters in Management), and so if you choose to specialise in finance on the MBA you will study alongside Masters in Finance participants.

A key difference between the MBA and Masters in Finance Programmes is the work experience requirement: in order to qualify for the Masters in Finance, applicants must have relevant work experience within the Finance Industry. Those who do not have relevant finance experience will find that the MBA provides the right training and opportunities to move into a finance career. Find out more about the Masters in Finance.

Sloan is a 10 month general management programme for experienced managers in mid-career. It is full-time and highly intensive. The average length of work experience for a Sloan fellow is 14 years, so if you fit this profile, have a successful career and now wish to either move from a functional role to general and strategic management, or take up a position of leadership, you might want to find out more about Sloan.

The fee for MBA2012 is £49,900. The figure covers the full 15-21 months of tuition and course materials. See MBA: Fees and financing

If you are made an offer of a place on the Programme, you pay an initial commitment fee to reserve your place in the class. This is normally due 3-4 weeks after you receive your offer letter, and is deducted from your total fees. The second payment is the reservation fee, which is made in June before the class begins in September. This payment is also deducted from your total fees. These payments are non-refundable. All deadlines are subject to change on an annual basis.

Yes. You can pay your first-year fees in three instalments, one at the beginning of each term. Or you can pay in full for your first year when you start the Programme in September. (If you pay in instalments, a small additional charge is added.)

When researching the cost of the MBA Programme, you should take into account the substantial earning opportunities that students have while on the Programme. In 2008, summer internship salaries averaged £1,003 per week (10-12 weeks' duration), and the top earnings were £2,000 per week. Students also earned an average of £100-£300 per day for their second-year project (25-30 days' duration).

London Business School encourages candidates to explore all scholarship and financing opportunities available to them in their home country or country of residence.

Depending on nationality, a variety of loans and scholarships are available to students including US Federal and Stafford Loans, AMBA loans, the UK Career Development Loan and the HSBC Bank & London Business School Loan Scheme (download PDF, 50KB) . For more information about loans and London Business School scholarships, see Financing your course.

For admission requirements, see MBA: Applying

Our average for the Class of MBA2010 is 697 with a range of 600-800. However, the GMAT is just one of several admission criteria. Just as a high score does not guarantee admission, a below -average score does not eliminate a candidate. You must ensure that your GMAT score is still valid on the 01 September for the year you will be matriculating.  GMAT scores are valid for five years from the date you take the test. For example, for the class beginning in 2010, we will only accept GMAT scores obtained since 01 September 2005.

We will use your highest score. You must ensure that your GMAT score is still valid on the 01 September for the year you will be matriculating. GMAT scores are valid for five years from the date you take the test. For example, for the class beginning in 2010, we will only accept GMAT scores obtained since 01 September 2005.

If English is not your mother tongue then you are required to take a language proficiency test. You may request a waiver if your degree (minimum two years' duration) was conducted exclusively in English, or you have lived or worked in an English-speaking country for at least two years since graduation. Our TOEFL institution code is 0898. Find out which language proficiency tests are acceptable

Admission may be granted to candidates with less than three years' work experience, who present superior academic credentials and truly outstanding evidence of leadership through professional and personal experiences. We insist on students having good postgraduate work experience as our collaborative style of learning from the diversity and excellence of peers is a key feature of our MBA Programme.

There is no particular preference. We welcome applications from arts, languages and philosophy graduates as well as those from the pure sciences, engineering, maths and the social sciences, including business and economics.

Yes. We are happy to consider non-graduates who have an excellent career record.

We will consider you, but the strength of your case will depend on the quality as well as the length of your work experience.

Yes, anyone can reapply. However, you should take a look at your last application and check if you have made significant changes in your profile before submitting a new application. We sometimes specifically ask applicants to reapply in the future, often after gaining more work experience, or improving their GMAT score.

To reapply, you will need to complete a whole new application, with essays (including Essay 7), new references and application fee. We hold unsuccessful applications for one year only. You will need to send new undergraduate transcripts if you originally applied more than one year ago.

Yes.

You pay a non-refundable application fee of £150, which you can pay online by credit card when you submit your application. Your application will remain incomplete until the correct fee is received. If you do not have a credit card or encounter a problem when trying to complete the online payment form, please contact the Fees Officer: fees@london.edu

Application to the MBA Programme is free to London Business School alumni and graduates of the University of London. Please note your school must be a current college at UOL (University of London). To qualify, you must provide a copy of your course transcript at the time of application.

We would like references from people who know you well. Don't just look for a well-known individual or the CEO of your company. We ask for:
1. A reference from your current employer (if you do not want to use your line manager, a colleague or client is acceptable).
2. A reference from someone who knows you in a professional capacity, such as a former employer, client or peer. Only choose someone who taught you at university if you have remained in close contact.

In order to present a complete application you must submit a copy of your transcript. This can be uploaded as part of the online application form or couriered to the School.

If you are offered a place to study on the Programme then you will be required to submit a hardcopy of your original transcript, or a copy that has been certified by a lawyer or Notary Public.

Yes. This form can be used to request your transcripts from your university. You can download a transcript request form here (download PDF, 20KB)
Note: The transcript request form is intended to help you in obtaining your transcript, and is not required by the admissions committee

Yes. You need to provide a certified or notarised English translation.

Supporting documents can be delivered personally to the MBA Programme Office, or sent via courier or registered mail to:

MBA Recruitment and Admissions
London Business School
Regent's Park
London, NW1 4SA
United Kingdom

We do not advise sending documents via standard mail.

London Business School Staff are unable to accept applications at overseas events. Please do not contact the School to ask for confirmation that your documents have arrived. Due to the large volumes of mail received during peak periods this is not possible. Should you require confirmation of delivery we recommend that you contact your courier service.

See staged admission dates

Students studying the MBA who are not nationals of the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland will require a visa to study in the United Kingdom. For information about applying for a UK student visa see the UK Border Agency (link to: www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/studyingintheuk/) website.  London Business School will issue the relevant document to applicants who have accepted their place on the programme. We encourage you to make sure you read the UK visa entry guidelines and have the most up to date information so your visa application goes smoothly and in good time.

The principal objectives of the London Business School MBA are:

• to help participants develop as leaders
• to build participants' global business capabilities
• to help participants, and therefore the organisations that employ them, to extend and enhance their managerial effectiveness.

The Programme aims to achieve these by providing you with a strong foundation in the disciplines and functions of management and the opportunity for you to develop a broad range of knowledge and business skills. And through the elective portfolio, the Programme provides you with the opportunity to follow areas of interest in depth.

Particular emphasis is put on helping you develop the personal management, career and leadership skills needed to be a successful international manager

The Programme begins in late August each year with an Orientation period and Leadership Module running throughout September. This is followed by three study periods: Autumn Term (October to December), Spring Term (January to March), and Summer Term (April to July).

In addition, a number of block weeks, covering various electives, run outside term time. Students are also 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 September through to June each year, with vacations involving consolidation, preparation and project work, as well as completing your summer internship in the main summer break.

The MBA is a flexible Programme that can be completed in 15, 18 or 21 months. In order to graduate in less than 21 months, students take fewer electives: rather than taking the full 12 electives, students wishing to complete in 15 months only take 9. It is still possible to take a Summer Internship and also go on International Exchange.

The core courses are the compulsory element of the Programme. They cover all the key management disciplines and functions and serve as a foundation for the elective courses and a preparation for the summer internship.

The core courses are usually taught in three-hour periods (including a short intermission) once a week for 10 weeks.

The core courses begin with a leadership module, which introduces you to issues and concerns in global general management. The rest of the core courses cover different business functions and disciplines, with care taken to help you make the link between the different perspectives covered. The courses are sequenced so that there is a logical progression between subjects preparing you for summer internship interviews, especially in finance and consulting, which typically take place in January, some time before other internship interviews.

Our unique Shadowing Project gives students the opportunity to shadow a manager in his or her daily activities, observing their challenges, and reflecting upon their own style of leadership.

To graduate from the Programme you must be competent in a language other than English. Many of our students already have several languages when they enter the Programme so do not need to study another, although an increasing number choose to study another language.

If you need to develop your language skills, you can join one of the language electives taught at London Business School. Subject to demand, we offer French, Spanish, German, Mandarin Chinese and Japanese. If you prefer, or if there is insufficient demand for a specific language elective, you can study a language independently. The key outcome is that you can demonstrate the required level of competence by the time you graduate.

If your only language is English, you are strongly advised to begin studying another language before joining the Programme. For those unsure which language to study, we offer a range of language taster courses prior to the start of the Programme.

As well as completing the core courses, you must select classes from the School's elective portfolio. There are over 70 electives drawn from a wide variety of subject areas. By the time you graduate, you must have completed a minimum of nine and a maximum of 12 electives. View our current elective portfolio

In your first year you may take between one and four business or language electives. The majority of your elective study is in the second year.

You will be asked to choose your second-year electives towards the end of the first-year summer term, and to confirm (or change) these choices before you return to London Business School at the beginning of the second year.

You can choose any electives from the available portfolio, for example by subject area or to support your planned career path. You can make changes to your options within agreed deadlines throughout the second year to allow you to react to your experiences and tailor your study accordingly.

You can create a formal specialisation by opting to follow an elective concentration.

Concentrations on offer include:

• Change Management
• Entrepreneurial Management
• Finance
• Marketing
• Strategy
• Technology Management
• International Business
• Private Equity

The elective portfolio is open to all London Business School degree students, so you'll be studying alongside students on the Masters in Finance, Executive MBA and Sloan Fellowship programmes, together with students from over 30 exchange schools and our partner institutions Columbia University and Hong Kong University.

Electives are usually taught in three-hour lessons (with a short break) 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 weekend classes.

If you take five out of your 9-12 electives from one defined subject area, you will be able to inform employers that you have a formal specialisation. See How are the elective courses structured?

The Second Year Project is a major assignment which contributes two credits towards your degree. Usually in pairs, you'll undertake a consulting project for an organisation. In 2007 students earned an average of £100-£300 per day for their second-year project (25-30 days' duration). 

As well as producing a report for your client, you'll complete a report on the project, informed by all your MBA learning.

You may be able to obtain an exemption (or waiver) from the core courses in Managerial Economics and Financial Accounting. For the Economics waiver, you'll need a Masters degree in Economics; for the waiver in Accounting, you'll need to hold a CPA or equivalent qualification. Exemption from Business Statistics and IT for Business Value will be by test.

However, even if eligible, it will be your choice whether to take a waiver. You should consider that our method of teaching is more international than anything else you may have experienced and your classmates' contributions will be of the highest standard, and so there is still a lot to learn.

In the first year you'll join a study group of six or seven people who you'll work with throughout the year. The group will be a microcosm of the class, combining a diversity of nationalities and different professional and undergraduate backgrounds.

In the second year you will have the chance to form your own groups, choosing partners from across all the Programmes.

Successful group working is at the heart of the London Business School experience. Up to 50% of your marks on a given course can be for group performance. It is therefore very important to make your group work well. There is plenty of emphasis on techniques for successful group work in GLAM and through the various skills courses.

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. However, the purpose of the various assignments and examinations we ask you to complete is not simply for assessment. They are also intended to help you to structure your learning and provide you with feedback to help you gauge your progress through the Programme.
The assessment system makes use of the following elements:

• course assignments and class participation
• examinations
• simulations
• the Second Year Project.

You must also demonstrate competence in a language other than English to qualify for the degree.

In order to pass the core courses you must pass the individual assessment component of each course (usually but not always an examination). You'll be graded from A+ to C-. The top 10% of each course gain an A+ grade.  There is no forced failure. The decision whether you pass or fail is a matter of judgment and not a forced curve.

You must complete all the specified credits to qualify for the degree, pass all core courses and complete 9-12 elective credits. With electives, we operate a two-strikes-and-out rule: in other words, you can carry up to one failed elective and still qualify for the degree.

You will be expected to prepare for and attend class and participate actively in discussion 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 se out clearly at the outset. Make sure that the learning and assessment "contract" with the course teacher is clear on both sides from the start of the course.

The Programme will be taught by members of London Business School Faculty, with language teaching by specialists from the Language and Communications Centre at King's College, London. King's College is a sister college and, like London Business School is part of the University of London. For some skills teaching, the London Business School Faculty is assisted by external specialists in management skills development.
London Business School Faculty has an international reputation. Our faculty is a highly international group. Over 55 per cent come from outside the UK and as a result much of their work has an international orientation. Their teaching and research work is regularly assessed and accredited by bodies such as:

• The British Government Funding Agency
• Higher Education Funding Council for England (which gave us top ratings for both teaching and research)
• Association of MBAs
• European Foundation for Management Development's Equis accreditation
• AACSB.

Yes. Many faculty consulting/research activities are brought into the class in the form of case studies. Faculty frequently share their latest thinking in their electives as well as through occasional lectures too. In addition, a small number of students may have the opportunity to work on a research project with a member of faculty as one of their electives.

Teaching faculty are there to support you. It's up to you to contact them to make an appointment to discuss a particular issue. All students will have a faculty supervisor for their Second Year Project.

As well as pursuing research in their own fields of interest, members of faculty also act as consultants and advisers to industry and government, and hold directorships in a range of organisations or in some cases help 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 whom 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.

Most of 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.

You will usually take four or five courses per term. Typically these will involve a weekly three-hour class, resulting in an average of 15 classroom hours per week. You can expect to spend at least the same amount of time in private study, group meetings and group work.
It's impractical to try to take on any paid employment during the first year of the Programme, but you may find it possible to do so in the second year.

Yes. You must have access to a PC and printer. We strongly recommend that you buy a laptop (notebook) that fits the School's configuration specifications: we can then configure your machine for you free of charge. A detailed PC specification will be sent to you once you have been offered a place on the Programme. We also have a wireless LAN in the School, enabling students to work in and around the Campus.

We provide you with comprehensive course materials, included in the fee. You will need to buy some core texts and you will probably want to buy additional books to help you read around the subject. You should allow between £250-500 (US$375-750) per year for books.