Beauty and the Building – Top 50 Business Schools Named

It may not be the most salient criterion when choosing a business school, but a list of the top 50 business schools for the beauty of their architecture and immediate environs suggests that aesthetics are not an entirely inconsequential issue. 

While a top business school’s MBA program options, teaching quality and anticipated return on investment are all much more likely to figure higher in your decision-making process, the website, Top Management Degrees, argues that some schools, “are as aesthetically pleasing on the outside as they are innovative on the inside”, and that this might even, “inspire students to work harder.”

So, who makes the list of the top 50 business schools around the world for beauty? Well, it transpires that a number of those rated in the QS Global 200 Business School Report are included.

IMD’s Executive Learning Center, situated on the banks of Lake Geneva, is one such school, placing at 50. Here, every attempt has been made to make the most of the views offered from its location, and a glass exterior reflects these very surroundings.

Harvard, Nyenrode and London Business School in the top ten

Harvard is the highest QS Global 200 business school to feature among the top 50 business schools for beauty. Placed at #3, particular reference is drawn to the Baker library as the school’s centerpiece. Listed at #5 is Nyenrode Business University – which is only 20 minutes outside of Amsterdam, yet resides within the grounds of a 13th century castle, complete with a moat and a 124-acre estate.

“With all that to explore, we’re not sure we’d ever get down to opening our books, but it does seem a lovely place in which to study”, is the list-makers’ opinion of Nyenrode. Indeed, in a selection that focuses largely on modern architectural designs, the historic building of Nyenrode stands out.

Right behind Nyenrode is London Business School, which has a particularly prime spot in a capital city renowned for its historic buildings. Its home on the borders of Regent’s Park is a 19th century terraced structure designed by the famous architect, John Nash – who also worked on expansions at Buckingham Palace, evident in the look of London Business School.

Notable mentions elsewhere on this list should go to Canada’s Sauder School of Business at #22 for its recent makeover, Lebanon’s Suliman S. Olayan School of Business at #23 which encompasses regional styles in its new build as well as the ‘space-age’ building at the University of Auckland Business School and the pixel-perfect design at RMIT University’s College of Business at #28 and #33 respectively.

However, the school listed at the head of the top 50 business schools for beauty is the brand new Tom and Vi Zapara School of Business at La Sierra University in California, a recent design award-winner in the US. The full list complete with images of each can be found here.