The London Business School MBA: What You Need To Know

Established in 1964, the London Business School MBA is a product of the city it is based in; cosmopolitan and full of opportunities. The main campus is situated in the Marylebone neighborhood, close to Regent’s Park.

The LBS MBA welcomed 509 MBAs in the Class of 2024, and as a whole, the class averaged a 702 GMAT, with the median score being 710 and the range running from a 600 low to a 780 high. The two-year program is very diverse, typically with over 90% of students from outside the UK. True to their cosmopolitan reputation, this year, 91% of the class hails from outside the United Kingdom – to the tune of 74 countries, and women account for 37% of the class.

Professionally, consultants make up 28% of the class. Finance trails closely behind, holding 25% of the class. Technology (9%), Energy (5%), Retail and Luxury (5%), and Healthcare (3%) also represent substantive segments of the class.

To cater to diversity, LBS takes pride in considering themselves the world’s most flexible MBA. Recognizing that students are on different timelines and have varying needs, LBS offers the option to complete the MBA in 15, 18 or 21 month-formats.

The program has eight “fundamentals” courses with the option of a “tailored core” of courses, where students can take advantage of a variety of concentrations; the newest being Technology and Analytics. As well as core business courses, the program offers skills courses such as programming, coding and digital courses in finance, accounting and quantitative methods to give a more blended experience. Global Business Perspectives courses are designed to raise cultural awareness and help students learn the subtleties of doing business in different regions.

In their second year, students can customize their MBA to fit their interests and goals with 70-plus electives, and have the opportunity to attend a Global Business Experience to cities such as Johannesburg, Yangon in Myanmar, Mumbai, Tel Aviv, and Lima. Their newer Digital for Impact elective is a huge hit – student teams work with micro entrepreneurs from countries like Rwanda and Uganda across many sectors including tourism, finance, retail, handicrafts, e-commerce, tech, coffee, and real estate, applying what they learn in the classroom to tackle a challenge.

Students come to LBS with a wide range of interests and enjoy taking part in international exchanges, international conferences, and a wide variety of student clubs from the Social Impact club to the Retail in Luxury Goods club.

When asked what MBAs have said their most memorable experience of the program was, MBA Program Director Helen Foley tells P&Q, “Almost without exception, our students tell us that the global and diverse connections and networks they make at LBS are what makes their experience as outstanding as it is. The value of bringing together 60 or 70 nationalities in one class, whose backgrounds, cultures and experiences are just as varied, cannot be overestimated. Learning in an environment with such differing perspectives and viewpoints provides an unbelievably vibrant and rich experience. Our students often tell us that they have completely changed their own understanding of the world, and how they act in both business and life going forward, has been entirely turned around as a result.”