INSEAD

The INSEAD MBA: What You Need To Know

Since 1959, INSEAD has been welcoming students with intellectual curiosity and a desire to apply themselves in a rigorous academic program. With three fully integrated campuses in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East and over 80 different nationalities in the classroom, this business school prides themselves on offering quite a multicultural experience.

“The program strives to develop successful and thoughtful leaders that are valuable and educated community members. INSEAD welcomes applicants from around the world regardless of race, religion, gender, color, or financial status,” says Associate Director Aileen Huang. Two-thirds of students are from outside Europe, and the school has doubled the percentage of MBA women in recent years to around 40%.

The main campus is a sleek modernist building in the forest of Fontainebleau outside of Paris and as tranquil as this may sound, the MBA is still quite rigorous. Post-grad, some INSEAD MBAs are employed by major companies in the region surrounding Fontainebleau, such as L’Oréal, BNP, Danone, and Total S.A.

INSEAD intakes 500 students annually, and their accelerated 10-month MBA begins in September. Students wanting to complete an internship can opt in for the 12-month MBA starting in January. The short timeframe allows for students to only take one year away from working, which is appealing for career building and monetary reasons.

Students are invited to the MBA based on four equally important application criteria that guide the admissions committee in their selection. The first is the ability to contribute insights through professional and personal experience. The next is academic capacity based on a prospective student’s academic foundation and GMAT/GRE scores. Then comes international motivation, where the committee looks for English-speaking candidates with insight into the complexity of international business, and finally leadership potential.

The first part of the program focuses on 14 core courses which provide students with a robust foundation of key management disciplines, such as Finance, Economics, Organizational Behavior, Accounting, Ethics, and Marketing. 75 electives are available as well in areas such as Political Science, Entrepreneurship, Technology, and Accounting and Control.

Huang says, emphasizing the global nature of the program, “Learning to lead across different cultures and geographies is critical to success. This is why we have three campuses; in France, Singapore, and Abu Dhabi, and developed our partnerships with Wharton and Kellogg in the US, and CEIBS in China.”

The Career Development Centre connects students with career professionals before and during their time on campus, who assist them in relationship-building and career development workshops. These professionals also help students discover their desired academic direction.

**Four location addresses**

Europe Office
INSEAD Europe Campus
Boulevard de Constance
F-77305 Fontainebleau Cedex

Asia Office
INSEAD Asia Campus
1 Ayer Rajah Avenue
Singapore 138676

Middle East Office
INSEAD Middle East Campus
Al Khatem Tower
ADGM Square
Al Maryah Island
P.O.Box 48049
Abu Dhabi, UAE

San Francisco Office
INSEAD San Francisco Hub
224 Townsend St
San Francisco
CA 94107, USA