Accelerated MBA programs overview: Accelerated MBA programs offer a degree after an intensive one year of study, rather than two. They appeal to students looking to save time and expense.
Best accelerated MBA programs: The September 16, 2009 The Wall Street Journal had a special report that ranked accelerated MBA programs based on surveys of alumni and students, who were asked how these programs enhanced their skills, leadership abilities and overall career development. The top 15 are:
- IE Business School, Madrid, Spain
- IMD, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Cranfield School of Management, Bedford, England
- Kellogg School, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
- Olin School, Babson College, Babson Park, Massachusetts
- ESADE, Barcelona, Spain
- INSEAD, Fontainebleau, France
- IAE, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Farmer School, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio
- Goizueta School, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
- Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
- Copenhagen Business School, Copenhagen, Denmark
- University of St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland
- Durham Business School, Durham, England
- Said School, University of Oxford, Oxford, England
Best return on investment: The WSJ also ranked accelerated MBA programs by return on investment. This is the cumulative increase in pay during the first five years after leaving the program (compared to pay before entering the program) divided by the cost of the program. The top schools were:
- IE Business School, Madrid, Spain
- Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School, Belgium
- Cranfield School of Management, Bedford, England
- University of Birmingham, England
- SDA Bocconi School of Management
- INSEAD, Fontainebleau, France
- University of St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland
- Copenhagen Business School, Copenhagen, Denmark
- IMD, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Kellogg School, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
- Olin School, Babson College, Babson Park, Massachusetts
- Durham Business School, Durham, England
- Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
- Said School, University of Oxford, Oxford, England
- ESADE, Barcelona, Spain
Accelerated MBA honorable mentions: The WSJ also listed several schools that received high marks from their alumni and studens, but for which they got too few responses to qualify for the rankings:
- Ashbridge Business School, Ashbridge, England
- EM Lyon Business School, Lyon, France
- Mannheim Business School, Mannheim, Germany
- Graziadio School, Pepperdine University, Malibu, California
- University of Miami School of Business, Coral Gables, Florida
Class size: Except for IE (398) and INSEAD (481), all the programs mentioned in this study have very small graduating classes, ranging from 14 to 90 students.
