Best European MBA Course

What is the best MBA course in Europe?

This is not a simple answer. There are so many rankings that it's difficult to tell which is truly the top business school. It's like with the top MBA course in the world, where Wharton, Kellogg and Harvard Business School are competing with each other and each comes top in different rankings. There are three schools that share the top spot for best MBA course in Europe and they seem to be INSEAD, IMD and the London Business School.

INSEAD is based in two places - Fontainebleu in France and Singapore . Through these two locations the school offers to students a profound international experience. This, according to the school, leads to a long-lasting attachment to it and strong friendships. There are more than 20,000 alumni of the business school and more than 10,000 of these are from the MBA programme. This means that the on-campus class reunions that they run are very well attended. This is what puts INSEAD's MBA up the top of Europe - the networking opportunities are so good. Other strengths are in strategy, general management and entrepreneurship. Students can go to either campus, and the intake of the school has been increasing since 1996.

IMD is a very small school, despite being so admired and well-known. The faculty does not have departments - in other words they are integrated, which keeps the faculty numbers down. A lot of the effort that IMD makes is in executive education - which makes its MBA programme small. The main strengths of IMD are entrepreneurship, leadership and networks. Students on the programme come from more than 30 different countries, as do the faculty - which makes the course totally international. Because the course is small - it is very difficult to get into. It makes offers now to about 100 students a year - and normally 80% will accept a place. To get in, an individual must show that they have potential to become global leaders in the future. In a way, rather than being like other MBAs, students say it is a leadership development course for more experienced managers.

London Business School (LBS) has cemented its place in the pantheon of top MBA schools. The major strengths of the school are entrepreneurship, strategic and international management and finance. It is one of the only schools in Europe that has a two year course like in North America . It has a very strong internship programme in the summer like USA business schools but also has a diverse mix of nationalities on its course like European business schools. It is located in the center of London , able to invite business leaders to speak. There is a small and friendly collegiate atmosphere and the faculty and programme are very high quality.