Top 10 MBA programmes for a career in entrepreneurship

The QS MBA by Career Specialisation Rankings 2023 provide insight into the world’s top business schools and MBA programmes for seven different areas of specialism. 

Schools are ranked based on employer reputation and research strength for each of the seven areas, as well as the number of career placements MBA graduates from the school have achieved in the field. Each of these three indicators is assigned a score out of 100. 

Stanford Graduate School of Business has been yet again ranked as the best business school in the world for an MBA specialising in entrepreneurship, with 15 percent of its graduates starting their own business. The complete top 10 can be found below.  

10. The Wharton School

Students undertaking the entrepreneurship & innovation major at Wharton can prepare themselves for entrepreneurial ventures as autonomous entrepreneurs, family-business entrepreneurs, or entrepreneurs in corporate settings. This MBA in entrepreneurship programme scored a perfect score for employer reputation. 

The entrepreneurship focused electives offered include: 

• Finance of buyouts and acquisitions 

• Corporate development: mergers & acquisitions 

• Change, innovation and entrepreneurship 

• Venture capital and the finance of innovation 

• Social entrepreneurship 

• Entrepreneurship through acquisition 

• Strategies and practices of family-controlled companies 

In fact, there are 20+ entrepreneurial elective modules at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. This programme uniquely integrates theory with practice, enabling students to apply classroom concepts by developing real business plans, engaging in field projects and learning from industry leaders. 

9. MIT Sloan School of Management 

MIT Sloan School of Management ranks ninth among the best colleges for entrepreneurship, boasting a near-perfect score for employer reputation, for which it’s ranked eighth. The Entrepreneurship & Innovation (E&I) track fosters a collaborative environment for like-minded students to explore startup concepts and immerse themselves in MIT's distinctive entrepreneurial ecosystem.  

This MBA track also focuses on launching and developing emerging technology companies and allows students to get a certificate in entrepreneurship & innovation, in addition to the MBA degree. 

The entrepreneurship focused electives offered include: 

• Introduction to technological entrepreneurship 

• E&I study tour

• New enterprises 

• Entrepreneurial strategy 

Sloan’s current MBA class is comprised of 40 percent of international students representing over 60 nationalities and 46 percent of female students. Students have an average of five years of work experience and a median GMAT score of 730. 

8. ESADE Business School 

Having climbed up eight places in the MBA specialisation rankings in entrepreneurship this year, ESADE Business School has managed to secure a spot within the top 10.  The highest score achieved by the business school is for the research strength indicator.  

The entrepreneurship focused electives offered include: 

• Venture capital & entrepreneurial finance 

• Social entrepreneurship and impact investing 

• Entrepreneurial and innovative growth strategies 

The programme offers flexible completion options of 12, 15, or 18 months, enriched by various special activities like entrepreneurship study tours to cities like Amsterdam and Berlin, founder talks, and career events.  

Alongside the academic curriculum, the ESADE Entrepreneurship Institute (EEI) facilitates a venture creation project and a ‘business angels’ network to nurture entrepreneurship, while the Rambla of Innovation offers a startup ecosystem encouraging innovation and research.  

Notably, 65 percent of the students from this programme are recorded to have some form of direct involvement with a startup, either launching a company, interning at a startup or consulting for a startup. Eight percent of the graduates were also recorded to have started their own company upon completing the programme. 

7. Saïd Business School 

Saïd Business School has moved up by three places to be ranked seventh in this year’s MBA rankings for a career in entrepreneurship. The one-year MBA programme has scored a perfect score for the employer reputation indicator, one of five institutions to do so. 

The entrepreneurship focused electives offered include: 

• Entrepreneurial finance project 

• Entrepreneurship project 

• Mergers, acquisitions & restructuring 

• Negotiations 

The MBA at Saïd looks at entrepreneurship as the ability to effectively deploy resources to devise business solutions to complex and multifaceted challenges. They typically focus on two main areas of entrepreneurship: social entrepreneurship and technological entrepreneurship. 

Saïd’s current MBA class profile features a class size of 334, 63 nationalities, 97 percent international students, 51 percent female students, an average of six years’ work experience, and a median GMAT of 680. 

6. IESE Business School 

IESE prides itself on its innovative ethos, inspiring the leaders and start-up entrepreneurs of tomorrow. Having climbed up one position from the previous year’s rankings, the programme has achieved its highest score for the employer reputation indicator. 

The entrepreneurship focused electives offered include: 

• Business model innovation 

• Corporate entrepreneurship 

• Creativity & laboratory of ideas 

• Design thinking and innovation 

• Entrepreneurial finance 

• Innovation strategy 

• Sustainable entrepreneurship 

• Acquisitions & search funds 

IESE’s entrepreneurship department focuses on new venture creation, intrapreneurship and entrepreneurial management within existing organisations. The department also offers students with entrepreneurial spirits the possibility of a summer entrepreneurship experience.  

This forum empowers students to dedicate their summer break to pursue their entrepreneurial ambitions in a productive and supportive environment. 

5. National University of Singapore (NUS) 

After a remarkable ascent of 15 places in the rankings, the National University of Singapore has clinched the fifth spot in this year's MBA rankings for a career specialisation in entrepreneurship. NUS’s MBA boasts its highest score for the research strength indicator, affirming its strength in academic excellence and innovation. 

The entrepreneurship focused electives offered include: 

• Corporate entrepreneurship & business model evaluation 

• Emerging tech and the value of data 

• Entrepreneurial finance 

• Entrepreneurial management 

• Entrepreneurship & innovation 

• Family business 

• Judgment and decision making under uncertainty 

• Legal fundamentals for entrepreneurs and managers 

In the Innovation & Entrepreneurship specialisation, courses are taught by a panel of experienced faculty and industry professionals. Students receive the necessary tools and concepts to develop groundbreaking technologies and ideas while gaining valuable insights from the entrepreneurial community. 

The current class size of the full-time MBA programme is 120 students from over 24 nationalities and about 37 percent of them are female students. Students have an average six years’ work experience and an average GMAT score of 670. 

4. Judge Business School 

Fourth in the list for an MBA in entrepreneurship specialisation is Judge Business School. This programme has achieved near-perfect scores for both the employer reputation and research strength indicators, securing ranks within the top 10 for both. 

Judge’s MBA in entrepreneurship gives students the skills and knowledge to help them start their own business and grow it successfully. During the entrepreneurship concentration, students will learn about different types of entrepreneurships, including social enterprise, family businesses, blended models, life-style companies, consulting, bootstrapped businesses, and venture-funded businesses. 

The entrepreneurship focused electives offered include: 

• Entrepreneurship through acquisition 

• Net zero entrepreneurship new venture finance 

• Entrepreneurship: how to start a company 

• Venture capital and the entrepreneurial world 

Notably, eight percent of the recent graduating class have started their own business straight out of the MBA. The average class size is around 226 students comprising of students from over 45 nationalities and 42 percentage of female students.  

Students have an average of six years’ work experience and the mean GMAT score of the class is typically around 682. 

3. Imperial College Business School

Located in London, England’s capital and global business hub, Imperial College Business School has secured third position in the rankings for the third consecutive year. The business school has performed excellently in the employer reputation indicator, which is a testament to the impressive employability of their graduates. 

The entrepreneurship focused electives offered include: 

• AI ventures 

• Digital business model design 

• Digital opportunities: insights from the startup nation (IB glocal elective) 

• Digital technologies and digital transformation 

• Entrepreneurial journey 

• Frugal innovation: expanding markets, meeting needs (IB glocal elective) 

• Wicked problems, systems dynamics, and entrepreneurial innovation 

Imperial students can utilise the business school’s entrepreneurial resources such as Imperial Enterprise Lab, The Venture Catalyst Challenge, WE Innovate programme, Imperial Business Pitch, and Advanced Hackspace during their study. 

This one-year programme has a typical class size of 54 students which includes students from over 21 nationalities and 33 percent of the recent class are female students. 

2. Harvard Business School

The runner up in this year’s ranking, Harvard Business School has long been regarded for its stellar MBA programme. The programme earns a perfect score for the employer reputation indicator. The entrepreneurship focused electives offered include: 

• Avoiding startup failure 

• Building ‘web 3’ businesses 

• Data for impact: Impact measurement from startup to fortune 500 c-suite 

• Entrepreneurial finance   

• Entrepreneurial sales 101: Founder selling 

• Entrepreneurial solutions to world problems 

• Global tech entrepreneurship 

• Launching technology ventures 

HBS’ Rock Centre for Entrepreneurship supports faculty research, fellowships for MBA and doctoral students. Students can undertake the annual New Venture Competition, and symposia and conferences, one-one-one meetings with the Entrepreneurs-in-Residence, and Rock Summer Fellows. 

The typical class size is around 930 students which is comprised of around 39 percent of international students and 45 percent of female students. Students hold an average of nearly five years of work experience and a GMAT score of around 740. 

1. Stanford Graduate School of Business

Stanford Graduate School of Business secures the top spot in the MBA specialisation rankings for entrepreneurship, maintaining its position for the third consecutive year. Renowned as one of the best colleges for entrepreneurship, Stanford excels across all indicators, achieving a perfect score in employer reputation. 

At Stanford GSB, students can customise their curriculum with over 60 entrepreneurship and innovation courses. Entrepreneurship focused electives include: 

• Startup garage 

• Formation of new ventures 

• Managing growing enterprises 

• Venture creation for the real economy 

• The lean LaunchPad: Getting your lean startup off the ground 

• Computer-aided product creation 

• Global entrepreneurial marketing 

Approximately around 23 percent of Stanford graduates are recorded to start their own business upon graduating. To encourage the entrepreneurial spirits of students, Stanford GSB offers several beyond the classroom learning opportunities like a venture studio, entrepreneurial summer internship programmes, clubs, workshops and events.