Top Universities to Study an EMBA in London

Studying in London has many advantages for EMBA students. London is one of the world's international financial capitals – a ‘command centre’ for the global economy, and business schools in London continue to consistently rank highly in many major business school rankings. 

The metropolis has a booming private business sector and is a leading centre of scientific and technological activities. 

In addition to the financial hub that is the City of London; Canary Wharf is also situated in London, home to the global and European headquarters of some of the world’s organizations, including Chevron, Shell International Limited, and J.P. Morgan EMEA HQ – making it a hub of opportunity and commerce for EMBA students studying in London. 

Here is a selection of some of the best schools at which to study an EMBA in London. 

London Business School 

London Business School offers a 20-month executive MBA in London and Dubai. The programme was ranked sixth in Europe in the QS EMBA Rankings by Region 2021: Europe.

Leadership is at the core of the LBS skillset on which there is a focus from day one. Students are given a 360° assessment that examines their leadership behaviour and establishes a framework to improve on that behaviour through continuous personal development throughout the programme. 

The annual Global Business Assignment gives the LBS EMBA its global element. Students engage in week-long residential trips to locations like Buenos Aires, Beijing, San Francisco to learn how to conduct business in different cultural and economic environments. Students in international business-centric concentrations can also opt to take the assignment a second time for an additional cost. 

At the central London campus, core causes are taught on consecutive Fridays/Saturdays of alternate weeks, though students are also expected to commit up to 20 hours to private study a week during individual study time. Students are also required to pass six electives to complete the programmes – each takes 25 to 30 hours to complete. 

Most class-based work is conducted in study groups of six that are determined at the start of the programme. The small groups are designed to assist students with the demands of their study and family life while also building on teamwork and leadership skills. 

Tuition for the programme in London is £103,400 (US$146,646) – or £131,200 (US$186,073) in Dubai –which includes the cost of all course materials and some accommodation expenditure during international assignments and two residential modules in London. 

Imperial College London 

Imperial College London ranked 22nd in the QS Global Executive MBA Rankings 2021, and 11th in the QS Executive MBA Rankings by Region 2021: Europe (and fifth in the UK). 

It is, therefore, one of the most prestigious schools to study an EMBA in London. 

The school offers a 23-month executive MBA programme that unites theory learning and hands-on practice. Lectures are conducted in South Kensington, a royal borough of London, awash with quality restaurants, designer boutiques and cultural attractions. Students have three sessions on campus every four weeks, taking place on Friday and Saturday in their first year to engage with core modules. In the second year, attention is focused on electives and a Global Immersion Week. 

The Global Immersion Week is an international study abroad programme that allows students to explore a country’s business culture and practices, paid for through course tuition fees. 

The school also offers a unique option for students to take part in an Entrepreneurial Journey instead of an elective in their second year of study. This is a live experience that challenges students to investigate the commercial potential of their own individual ideas or work on a project being developed by one of the university’s partners. Emphasis is very much placed on students forming strong client-consultant relationships. 

The school requires applicants to have at least 10 years’ work experience. Total fees for 2021 intakes are £61,500 (US$87,256) – however this doesn’t cover accommodation for the time spent studying in London. 

Bayes Business School 

Bayes Business School – formerly known as Cass Business School – offers another solid EMBA programme in London.

Bayes’ Executive MBA programme is delivered twice a week (Tuesday and Thursday) over 24 months, where the Modular Executive MBA programme is delivered over one long weekend (Friday to Monday) a month over 24 months. Programmes are delivered on evenings and weekends so that students have the flexibility to work full-time while acquiring new business skills and expertise. 

The school seeks to prepare students for global management roles and offers International Consultancy Weeks with small and medium sized enterprises across the globe. The international study abroad consultancy week was first offered in 2003 and has since become a core element to EMBA study at Bayes. Students can choose to take several electives at the school’s Dubai campus during their elective period.  

Teams aim to investigate and solve challenges facing their case companies throughout the travel week and have a further four weeks after departure to provide a concise list of recommendations to the company for analysis and assessment. 

The Bayes EMBA is also assessed through the Business Mastery Project in second year. This is a self-managed business consultancy exercise that involves designing, conducting and managing every aspect of a project, addressing real business problems at chosen companies or industry areas. Many of these projects are conducted on summer internships in conjunction with the Bayes careers service. Past projects have included problem-solving in diverse areas such as travel and tourism, advertising and marketing, law, and stock exchanges. 

The weekend EMBA programme costs £51,000 (US$72,302). Fees cover all textbooks, flights and accommodation for international consultancy project, and professional development coaching sessions. 

London School of Economics and Political Science 

LSE offers the TRIUM Global Executive MBA programme jointly with the NYU Stern School of Business and HEC Paris. This course provides a global curriculum for senior level executives across six international business locations (London, California, Paris, New York, Shanghai, Paris) over 18 months. 

The joint programme is ranked number one in the QS Global Executive MBA 2021, showcasing just how strong its reputation is among EMBA recruiters. 

Modules are designed and delivered by all three schools, allowing students to complement their strengths, on learning retreats of one or two weeks over the 18 months, drastically reducing the amount of time students are required to take away from their professional work – no student will be away from work for longer than 10 weeks in total. 

Students on the TRIUM EMBA enjoy the unique advantage of being offered a degree in by all three schools, also benefitting from accessing each school’s extensive network of alumni students. 

The curriculum covers traditional areas such as finance, accounting, marketing and executive leadership but also offers a variety of contemporary topics such as social media, negotiation, global political economy and the TRIUM Capstone Project. 

The Capstone Project allows students to bring their coursework to life by transforming business ideas into potential life changing start-ups. Students work in teams to develop a business idea from beginning to launch by taking advantage the various skills acquired over the EMBA course and the alumni connections available at HSE Paris, NYU Stern and LSE. 

The programme requires students to have possess a minimum of 10 years’ work experience and costs a total of US$185,150 – which includes tuition, lodging for the Silicon Valley and Shanghai modules, lunch and group dinners and required materials. 

This article was originally published in November 2019. It was last updated in June 2021 to include recent rankings data.