INSEAD vs HEC Paris: An MBA comparison

INSEAD

Students can engage in pre-MBA elements in ‘Period 0’, including an optional business foundations week, language classes, webinars and networking opportunities. Core courses take up the first two periods, including financial accounting, organizational behavior, introduction to strategy, corporate financial policy and processes & operations management.

From period three onwards, students can choose from around 90 electives (taking four in period three, four in period four and three in period five). Elective topics include accounting, decision sciences, economics & political science, entrepreneurship, finance, marketing, organisational behaviour, strategy and technology & operations management. You will also complete a capstone project in period five.

Many electives offer students the chance to learn outside the classroom, with field trips to locations such as China and Silicon Valley. Participants have the chance to spend at least one period at another INSEAD campus – including Fontainebleau, Singapore and Abu Dhabi.

HEC Paris

The 16-month programme is divided into two eight-month phases: fundamental and customised. The first two terms are fundamental, where you will learn core business skills. Term one modules include financial accounting & reporting, financial markets, leadership communication, managerial economics and statistics & business analytics. Modules in term two cover corporate finance, ethics & sustainability, management accounting and organisational behaviour. Both terms in the fundamental phase include business simulations.

Terms three and four are the customised phase. In term three you can choose to complete five electives; or the HEC Paris certificate; or three electives and partake in the Creative Destruction Lab; or one elective and a half term international exchange. Alongside each of these options, students will have the opportunity to take part in an optional MBA Tournament. In term four, participants can either specialise in one of the following areas: entrepreneurship, finance, advanced management, strategic marketing, strategy, data & AI for business transformation or sustainable & disruptive innovation; or do an international exchange.

For both international exchange options, HEC has over 30 partner schools which span five continents for students to choose from.

INSEAD

Career development is integral to INSEAD’s MBA programme. As soon as, or even before you start your programme, the career development team recommends you consider your career plan. Throughout the course, the career development centre organises a series of activities including workshops, training, panel discussions and one-on-one counselling sessions.

Their employment stats - for the graduating class of 2023 - are impressive, with 88 percent of graduates landing jobs within three months of graduating. Students also noted a median salary of €113,400 (around £97,100 GBP or $120,750 USD).

INSEAD promotes a ‘work hard, play hard’ approach to MBA life on campus. They run a variety of clubs and activities for students to get involved in, including business and industry focused clubs to boost career prospects through networking events, annual forums and trips. There are sports clubs if you’d like to participate in INSEAD’s sporting traditions, plus social clubs for students to pursue personal interests and meet new people.

INSEAD has three campuses, the original near Paris, France – one of the financial hearts of Europe; one in Singapore, one of the most dynamic and business-focused locations in Asia; and one in Abu Dhabi, an entrepreneurial hub in the Middle East. The also have a hub in San Francisco in the US which offers a selection of executive education programmes. INSEAD pioneers the multi-campus approach as a method to increase students’ international experience.

HEC Paris

The HEC Paris careers center offers a number of services to help participants achieve their professional goals. This includes one-on-one career coaching, recruiting events, career workshops and access to alumni.

HEC has some seriously impressive career stats, with 92 percent of students hired within 3 months after graduation in the graduating class of 2022.

The school prides itself on having a huge variety of extracurricular activities on and off campus for MBA participants to enjoy. Cultural Weeks celebrate the diverse student body, with student-led weeks offering a five-day immersion of different cultures (such as Japanese Cultural Week).

Students play an active role in the running of the school, with MBA participants having their own student government, the MBA Council. Representatives liaise between the MBA student body and faculty and organise a variety of fun on- and off-campus social activities.

There is also a wide range of professional clubs to expand your network and build knowledge, plus social clubs to pursue outside interests.

HEC is built around a 19th-century château, on a woodland campus close to Versailles and Paris in Jouy-en-Josas. Its proximity to the heart of France, and one of Europe’s major business cities, makes it perfect for MBAs moving into the business world.