Full-Time MBA
Providing graduates with the professional skills and business knowledge to pursue a career in business.
Overview
Our intensive, one-year full-time MBA combines academic rigour and practical relevance.
There is a careful balance between teaching, learning, individual work and group work. Case study methodology and class-based discussions are used to strengthen your conceptual, analytical and problem-solving skills. There are also regular seminars held by expert guest speakers.
Your analytical, innovative and entrepreneurial skills will be challenged and stretched, and the selection of projects available allow you to apply your learning to real-world situations.
Study programme
You will complete pre-study modules to equip you with the basic knowledge and skills required for the programme. You are required to pass these modules, but they are not formally assessed.
Core modules begin in the autumn term and continue throughout the academic year. All students follow the same programme for these initial months and cover key concepts in business.
During the spring and summer terms, you choose optional modules to study. Optional modules allow you to shape the programme to your own ambitions and specialise in the areas of business that interest you the most or suit your career ambitions.
The programme includes a number of integrative modules that bring learning together, allowing you to develop by putting into practice what you have covered in the core modules. These include the Global Experience Week, Capstone Week, Business Simulation, Imperial Innovation Challenge, Consulting Project or Entrepreneurial Journey, and a final individual project or internship report.
Our optional exchange programme is a great opportunity to network internationally whilst taking advantage of specialised optional moduless at one of our partner schools. You can choose to travel to another business school and learn from their expert faculty, or join one of their abroad tours and build your network in another country.
Careers
You have access to personalised support from the Business School’s Career and Professional Development Service throughout the programme.
The combination of your enhanced professional skills, strong understanding of business, and numerous opportunities to network with leading experts from the business world will help you pursue your ideal role in business.
Professional accreditation
We are among a handful of business schools worldwide to achieve triple accreditation:
- Association of MBAs (AMBA)
- Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)
- European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS)
We have also been recognised for our work in tackling gender inequality in higher education with a Bronze Athena SWAN award.
Structure
This page reflects the latest version of the curriculum for this year of entry. However, this information is subject to change.
The curriculum of this programme is currently being reviewed as part of a College-wide process to introduce a standardised modular structure. As a result, the content and assessment structures of this course may change for this year of entry.
We recommend you check this page before finalising your application and again before accepting your offer. We will update this page as soon as any changes are confirmed by the College.
Find out more about the limited circumstances in which we may need to make changes to or in relation to our courses, the type of changes we may make and how we will tell you about any changes made.
Page last reviewed on 25 October 2021.
Structure
Core modules
You study all of the core modules below.
- Accounting
- Business Economics
- Organisational Behaviour
- Business Problem Solving
- Corporate Finance
- Marketing
- Strategy
- Design Thinking and Innovative Problem Solving
- Decision Analytics
- Innovation and Entrepreneurship
- Investments and Risk Management
- Macroeconomics
- Operations
Non-assessed modules
- European Business Insights Trip (see below)
- Induction
- Personal Ethics and Core Values
Pre-study modules
- Accounting Primer
- Data Analysis Primer
- Finance Primer
- Introduction to Corporate Sustainability, Social Innovation and Ethics
- Maths Primer
- Plagiarism Awareness
- Study Skills
Business Insights in Europe
During your MBA journey you will visit a key European city* to learn about international business practices in Europe. You will have the opportunity to visit top companies and learn about the cultural and economic ecosystem of Europe outside of your London classroom. This activity is one of your non-assessed core course elements.
* subject to Covid-19 travel restrictions
Optional modules
You choose six modules from below.
- Advanced Strategy
- Alternative Investments
- Banking and FinTech: Strategies and Challenges
- Big Data, AI and Machine Learning
- Brand Management
- Breakout Strategy
- Building and Managing Reputations During Good Times and Bad
- Business Analytics
- Clean Technology Investment
- Climate Change and Business Strategy
- Consumer Behaviour
- Contemporary Financial Accounting
- Design for Business Transformation
- Defining Moments
- Digital Business
- Digital Business Model Design
- Digital Transformation: leading real-world change
- Economics of Information and IP
- Energy Business
- Entrepreneurial Finance
- Family Business
- IB Glocal: Digital Opportunities - Insights from the Start-up Nation (Tel Aviv)
- IB Glocal: Financing the Blue Economy (Seychelles)
- IB Glocal: The Future of Cities (New York)
- Idea SMART Camp
- Independent Project
- International Business
- Leadership
- Leadership for Sustainable Organisations
- Leading and Executing Strategic Change
- Leading Social Innovation
- Leading Yourself
- Management Challenges in Healthcare
- Managing Negotiations
- Marketing Analytics
- Mergers and Acquisitions
- Operations Management
- Pricing Strategy
- Private Equity
- Project Management
- Sales Management and Leadership
- Service Analytics
- Scaling for Startups
- Strategic Networks for Innovation & Change
- Strategy and Leadership in a Digital World
- Strategy in Uncertain and Volatile Environments
- Sustainability and Competitive Advantage: Rethinking Value Creation
- Topics in Asset Management
- Venture Capital Finance
Project
Integrative modules
- Capstone Week
- Consulting Project or Entrepreneurial Journey
- Global Experience Week
- Imperial Innovation Challenge
- Perspectives on Practice: Project or Internship Report
Capstone Week
This is the final week of your studies where you have the opportunity to celebrate your achievement and continue to apply your MBA learning. You experience a mix of case studies, poster sessions and a conference aimed at consolidating your MBA experience.
Global Experience Week
You will travel to another country to view business in an international context.
Imperial Innovation Challenge
Business must ask – how can our insight and imagination transform society? The Imperial Innovation Challenge tasks you to solve this question. Through this one-week learning laboratory, you will apply innovating thinking to complex international issues and generate business solutions. Working in groups, you will use business model innovation to create economic disruption with positive environmental and social effects. By the end of the project, you will display critical knowledge of skills related to the management of innovation and understand how to articulate the importance of sustainable business model innovation in addressing global challenges.
Teaching and assessment
Teaching methods
- Case studies
- Equipment/technique demonstrations (e.g. Bloomberg, Datastream)
- Formal presentations
- Group work exercises
- Interactive content including video and module quizzes
- Lectures
- Online discussion forums
- Online lecture materials
- Practical classes and field work
- Pre-programme VLE modules
- Seminars
- Work Placement Opportunity
- Workshops
Assessment methods
- Case Studies
- Continuous assessments
- Essays
- Formal Presentations
- Multiple Choice Tests
- Participation
- Reports
- Written Examinations/Tests
A pass mark in the language component of the programme will be part of the assessment.
Exchange opportunities
There are exchange opportunities available to MBA students. You are able to apply to take a number of module credits at one of the partner institutions listed below.
Exchange partners:
- Aalto University School of Business
- Chinese University of Hong Kong
- Coller School of Management, Tel Aviv University
- ESADE Ramon Llull University Business School
- ESAN University
- ESSEC Business School
- Fudan University - School of Management
- HEC Paris
- Hong Kong University of Science & Technology
- HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management
- McCombs School of Business, The University of Texas at Austin
- NHH Norwegian School of Economics
- NUS - National University of Singapore
- Rotterdam School of Management
- Schulich School of Business - York University
- SGH Warsaw School of Economics
- Smiths School of Business - Queen’s University
- Tsinghua University
- Universidad Torcuato Di Tella (UTDT)
- University of St. Gallen
Entry requirements
We welcome students from all over the world and consider all applicants on an individual basis.
For advice on the requirements for the qualifications listed here please contact the Department (details at the bottom of this page).
Entry requirements
Minimum academic requirement
Our minimum requirement is a 2.2 degree or approved professional qualification.
Acceptable qualifications include:
- Any Institute of Chartered Accountants in the UK or Ireland (Full membership)
- Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accounting (Full membership)
- The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (Full membership)
- Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (Associateship or Fellowship)
Applicants who do not meet the academic requirements listed but who have substantial relevant professional experience may exceptionally be admitted following completion of a ‘Special Qualifying Exam’ (SQE)
You are normally required to sit a careers interview and an academic interview.
You must also hold at least three years' relevant postgraduate work experience.
If your maths does not seem to be at the required level, you may be asked to sit a short maths test prior to an offer being made.
International qualifications
The academic requirement above is for applicants who hold or who are working towards a UK qualification.
We also accept a wide variety of international qualifications. For guidance see our Country Index though please note that the standards listed here are the minimum for entry to the College.
If you have any questions about admissions and the standard required for the qualification you hold or are currently studying then please contact the relevant admissions team.
English language requirement (all applicants)
All candidates must demonstrate a minimum level of English language proficiency for admission to the College.
For admission to this course, you must achieve the ICBS requirement in the appropriate English language qualification. For details of the minimum grades required to achieve this requirement, please see the English language requirements for Business School applicants.
Competence standards
Our competence standards highlight the core skills students should be able to demonstrate by the end of this course.
View Imperial College Business School's competence standards [pdf]
We believe in providing the widest practicable access to all of our degree programmes and will make reasonable adjustments wherever possible to support your study. For more information, please contact the Department using the contact details below.
Imperial College Business School
T: +44 (0)20 7589 5111
E: business.school@imperial.ac.uk
How to apply
Making an application
Apply online
All applicants must apply online.
Visit our Admissions website for details on the application process.
If you are applying to the Business School, you may only be considered for one programme per admissions cycle, with the exception of applicants to our Finance Master's programmes, who may select two programmes.
Application fee
If you are applying for a taught Master’s course, you will need to pay an application fee before submitting your application.
The fee applies per application and not per course:
- £135 for MBA applications
- £80 for all other taught Master’s applications
There is no application fee for MRes courses, Postgraduate Certificates, Postgraduate Diplomas or research courses, such as PhDs and EngDs.
If you are facing financial hardship and are unable to pay the application fee, we encourage you to apply for our application fee waiver.
ATAS certificate
An ATAS certificate is not required for overseas students applying for this course.
Further questions?
Find answers to your questions about admissions. Answers cover COVID-19, English language requirements, visas and more.
Tuition fees and funding
The fees for the Full-Time MBA are the same for UK and international students.
Find out more about fees and funding opportunities.
Tuition fees
Tuition fees
Postgraduate Master's loan
If you're a UK national, or EU national with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you may be able to apply for a Postgraduate Master’s Loan from the UK government, if you meet certain criteria.
For 2022-23 entry, the maximum amount is £11,836. The loan is not means-tested and you can choose whether to put it towards your tuition fees or living costs.
Scholarships
We offer a range of scholarships for postgraduate students to support you through your studies. Find out more about our scholarships to see what you might be eligible for.
There are a number of external organisations also offer awards for Imperial students, find out more about non-Imperial scholarships.
Accommodation and living costs
Living costs, including accommodation, are not included in your tuition fees.
You can compare costs across our different accommodation options on our Accommodation website.
A rough guide to what you might expect to spend to live in reasonable comfort in London is available on our Fees and Funding website.
Further information
Got a question?
T: +44 (0)20 7589 5111
E: business.school@imperial.ac.uk
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