INSEAD
International business school From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
INSEAD (/ɪnsiːæd/ IN-see-ad),[5] a contraction of "Institut Européen d'Administration des Affaires" (lit. 'European Institute of Business Administration'),[6] is a non-profit graduate business school that maintains campuses in France (Europe Campus), Singapore (Asia Campus), and the United Arab Emirates (Middle East Campus). INSEAD is associated with Sorbonne University and in a strategic alliance with The Wharton School. The school is known for its emphasis on internationality, advocacy for globalization and sustainability, strong culture of entrepreneurship and successful alumni in corporate and politics.
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Institut européen d'administration des affaires | |
 | |
| Motto | The Business School for the World |
|---|---|
| Type | Grande école de commerce et de management (private research university business school) |
| Established | 1957 |
Academic affiliations | Sorbonne University, Conférence des Grandes Écoles |
| Endowment | €370 million[1] |
| Chairman | Andreas Jacobs[2] |
| Dean | Francisco Veloso[3] |
Academic staff | 250+ 98% PhD.;[4] 22% female;[4] 91% international[4] |
| Students | ~1,540 (~1,000 in MBA) (~300 in EMBA) (~130 in MIM) (~30 in MFin) (~80 in Ph.D.) |
| Location | |
| Language | English |
| Website | insead |
Georges Doriot, born in Paris, France in 1899, was a French-American venture capitalist and a professor at Harvard Business School. Often regarded as the "father of venture capitalism," he founded the American Research and Development Corporation (ARDC) in 1946, one of the first publicly owned venture capital firms.[7] Doriot’s career was also shaped by his service as a General in the US Army during World War II, where he led the Military Planning Division.[8] His experience with the war fueled his determination to contribute to Europe’s recovery.
After the war, Doriot envisioned a business school that would unite leaders from different countries, including the formerly hostile, to rebuild economies and promote lasting peace. To ensure that, his vision for the school includes citizenship limits and language of instruction to be interchangeably in either French, English or German to ensure cross-culture collaboration.[9] The school still keeps the citizenship limit, currently at 12% [10] but today all classes are taught in English, with students required to be proficient in three languages for graduation.[11]
In 1955, Doriot presented this idea to the Paris Chamber of Commerce, whose presidents, Jean Marcou and Philippe Dennis, not only funded the venture but also became first presidents of the school. Doriot’s vision gained international backing, including from U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who supported INSEAD's role in reconstructing Europe.[12]
Doriot selected Claude Janssen and Olivier Giscard d'Estaing, his former students at Harvard, as his co-founders. Janssen, well-connected in European business circles, had experience in finance, while Giscard d'Estaing, younger brother of the future French president, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, brought a political network, securing support from influential figures in France and abroad.[13]
INSEAD was established in 1957 and initially operated out of the Château de Fontainebleau, before relocating to its current Europe Campus in 1967.[14] The first MBA class began on 12 September 1959, with 57 students.
INSEAD expanded globally with the establishment of its Asia Campus in Singapore, inaugurated in 2000 by Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. With this, the school adopted the official branding "INSEAD" and the tagline "Business School for the World," replacing its original name, the European Institute of Business Administration, signaling a more global mission.[15]
In 2012, INSEAD became a founding member of the Sorbonne University Alliance, moving toward a merger with specialist institutions to create a multidisciplinary university. In 2024, INSEAD, in collaboration with Cambridge Judge Business School, HEC Paris, IE Business School, IESE Business School, IMD, London Business School, and Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford, launched the Business Schools for Climate Leadership (BS4CL) initiative to address global climate challenges through integrated education and research.[16]
The original campus (the INSEAD Europe Campus) is located in Fontainebleau, near Paris, France. INSEAD's second campus (the INSEAD Asia Campus) is in the one-north district of the city-state of Singapore next to one-north MRT station. The third campus (the INSEAD Middle East Campus) is located in Abu Dhabi. INSEAD expanded its presence to North America in 2020 with the opening of the INSEAD San Francisco Hub for Business Innovation. INSEAD follows the US model of a business school.[17] INSEAD has been a pioneer in setting up a multi-campus business school as a way to increase the global presence and nature of its faculty and curriculum and to reflect the global diversity of its international student and participant population.[18][19] A Harvard Business School case study, for instance, explores its approach to business education in a global context and how it functions with a multi-campus setting.[20]
INSEAD is a grande école, a French institution of higher education that is separate from, but parallel and connected to the main framework of the French public university system. Similar to the Ivy League in the United States, Oxbridge in the UK, and the C9 League in China, grandes écoles are elite academic institutions that admit students through an extremely competitive process.[21][22][23] Alums go on to occupy elite positions within government, administration, and corporate firms in France.[24][25]
Although they are more expensive than public universities in France, grandes écoles typically have much smaller class sizes and student bodies, and many of their programmes are taught in English. International internships, study abroad opportunities, and close ties with government and the corporate world are a hallmark of the grandes écoles. Many of the top-ranked business schools in Europe are members of the Conférence des Grandes Écoles (CGE), as is INSEAD, and out of the 250 business schools in France, only 39 are CGE members.[26][27] In addition to the French Ministry of Education (French: Le Ministère de L'éducation Nationale), INSEAD is further accredited by the elite international business school accrediting organizations and it holds the much coveted Triple accreditation: The European Foundation for Management Development (EQUIS),[28] The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB),[28] and Association of MBAs (AMBA).[28]
Master in Management (MIM)
The Master in Management programme is targeted to younger individuals with 0–2 years of experience and consists of coursework in both the Europe and Asia Campuses, with optional field trips to China, Abu Dhabi, and San Francisco. The programme ranked 4th in the 2022 QS Business Masters Rankings for Management.[29]
MBA programme
INSEAD MBA participants can take the MBA core courses at either or both of its Europe and Asia Campuses[30] (as well as an MBA period at its Middle East Campus). They follow the same core courses in parallel regardless of campus, and there are faculty who teach on both the Europe and Asia Campuses as well as permanent faculty at each of the three campuses who live and work in the respective regions.[31] Approximately 20% of the class entered the MBA programme with other graduate or professional degrees; including medical doctors, lawyers, and PhDs.
INSEAD offers two MBA schedules per year: one starting in September which takes ten months to complete, and a 12-month promotion starting in January for students who want to complete a summer internship.[32] INSEAD admits no more than 12% of students of the same nationality, applying to its MBA.[33] INSEAD requires candidates to demonstrate practical knowledge of at least one other language before starting MBA. All students are required to exhibit at least a basic knowledge of a third language before graduating. Students are supported by the school in achieving this goal, as it offers regular courses in ten languages. The three-language requirement is a differentiator for INSEAD.
Executive MBA programme
INSEAD has two Executive MBA programmes. The Global Executive MBA (GEMBA)[34] and the Tsinghua INSEAD EMBA (TIEMBA).[35] Both EMBA programmes are master-level degree programmes that take place on a part-time, modular basis.
The programmes offer experienced business executives an intensive 14–17-month modular course that takes place in modular periods (approximately every six to seven weeks). Each period on campus is between one and two weeks' duration. For the GEMBA programme the physical time on campus represents 12 weeks in total with participants going to all three campuses (Fontainebleau (France), Abu Dhabi and Singapore). For the TIEMBA programme the physical time on campus represents 12 weeks in total with participants alternating between Tsinghua's campus in Beijing, China[36] and the INSEAD campus in Singapore.
Both the GEMBA and TIEMBA programmes include a schedule of group coaching, 360-degree assessments and team activities designed to develop a leadership style, called the Leadership Development Programme.[37]
Executive Master in Change
INSEAD Executive Master in Change (EMC) is a specialised executive master's degree that provides a grounding in basic drivers of human behavior and the hidden dynamics of organisations. INSEAD EMC integrates business education with a range of psychological disciplines, and prepares participants to assume roles in leading organisations, drive individual and organisational development, and successfully execute change management.
This programme offers a unique transformational experience, with a clinical approach which implies that real-life situations are examined – as opposed to "theoretical" knowledge. All of the programme's learning is derived from real life or can be applied to it. The programme is designed to provide a safe, reflective transitional space, where participants have the opportunity to step back, gain perspective and even experiment with themselves.
Spread over 18 months, EMC consists of eight on-campus modules of three to four days each. In addition, participants have a total of 60 hours of "practicum" (various experiences designed to apply the course content and bring the clinical perspective alive) as well as written work, readings and group calls. The programme concludes with a Master Thesis.[38]
Executive Master in Finance
INSEAD Executive Master in Finance (EMFin) teaches participants finance and accounting skills on a par with those taught in an MBA programme, and also offers leadership and management perspectives. The programme is offered in a modular format over a 18-month period to allow professionals to study while continuing to work. Participants take time off from work for each of the six modules (two weeks each) to take classes on campus and continue working in between.[39]
PhD programme
The INSEAD PhD in Management is a doctoral degree in business to prepare students for a career in academia. It requires four to five years of full-time study – the first two years devoted to coursework, while from the third and fourth (or sometimes fifth) years dedicated to research and dissertation.[40] Students have the option to start their studies on either the Asia (Singapore) or Europe (France) Campus[41] and do an exchange in North America (USA) through the INSEAD-Wharton Alliance.[42] There are eight areas of specialisation: Accounting, Decision Sciences, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Marketing, Organisational Behavior, Strategy, and Technology and Operations Management.[43] INSEAD offers fellowships, whereby students receive full tuition fee waiver, annual stipend and research support funding.[44]
Business Foundations programme
INSEAD in collaboration with Sorbonne Université offers the dual degree: Business Foundations (BFC) programme which is one of INSEAD's most selective degrees. "BFC" is tailored for recent master or PhD graduates from the sciences, medicine, humanities, engineering and law. Both universities offer fellowships to selected students.[citation needed]
INSEAD holds both company/firm specific and open enrolment executive education programmes at its locations in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and North America, as well as in partnership with corporate universities. The school offers programmes in-person, online, and virtually. Participants usually come from senior or top management, with many years of experience within their company or industry and younger 'high-potentials' identified as being key in succession strategies within their companies. Approximately 10,000+ executives of around 180+ nationalities undertake courses or programmes at INSEAD each year.[45]
Open programmes
The INSEAD Executive Education Open Programmes, include more than 60 offerings, covering all business disciplines as well as specific industries and world regions.[citation needed]
Customised programmes
Certificates
INSEAD offers six certificates: The Certificate in Global Management, the Certificate in Negotiation, two Certificates in Corporate Governance, the INSEAD Online Certificate: Leading in a Transforming World and the new INSEAD LEAD Certificate.[citation needed]
| Business School International Rankings | |
|---|---|
| European MBA Ranking | |
| QS (2025)[46] | 3 |
| Financial Times (2024)[47] | 1 |
| Global MBA Ranking | |
| QS (2025)[48] | 7 |
| Financial Times (2024)[49] | 2 |
QS World Universities Rankings has been ranking INSEAD #2 globally in the Subject Ranking for Business and Management since 2018, behind Harvard University.[50] Before 2018, INSEAD had been ranked #3 globally. This ranking takes into account academic reputation, research citations and employability across business and management degrees.[51]
MBA and EMBAs
Its MBA program has produced the second-highest number Fortune 500 CEOs, behind Harvard Business School.[52] It is also amongst the largest 20 producers of ultra high-net-worth individuals,[53][54] and is among the top 10 producers of billionaire alumni amongst global MBA programs. [55]
For entrepreneurship, INSEAD estimates around half of their alumni found a company at some point in their careers.[56] Pitchbook's 2023 analysis found INSEAD was fourth worldwide in terms of capital raised, founder count, and company count (only behind Harvard, Stanford, and Wharton) [57] Approximately 800 alumni of the school founded more than 700 companies, which in total have raised $23 billion.[58] As of 2023, Harvard University, Stanford University, and INSEAD are the only three universities that have topped Poets and Quants' list of most-funded startup by MBA students.[59] In Europe, INSEAD is the top unicorn producing university across degrees, with graduates having founded 18 unicorns by 2022.[60] In Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, INSEAD is second biggest alma mater of top-funded founders across degrees, behind Stanford, according to an 10-year analysis from 2014-2023. [61]
In 2023, INSEAD was named Poets & Quants' MBA Program of the Year, with particular recognition for its commitment to sustainability. According to Poets & Quants, "No B-school on Earth has done more to weave sustainability into its programming than INSEAD." The school has integrated sustainability into its curriculum across various disciplines, preparing students to tackle global challenges related to environmental and social impact. [62]
Linkedin’s 2024 Global MBA Rankings, the first global ranking of MBA leveraging career big data on the professional social network, also ranks INSEAD’s MBA #2 globally, after Stanford’s and before Harvard’s. According to LinkedIn, top job titles for INSEAD’s graduate include Product Manager, Strategy Consultant and Founder. [63]
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Global MBAs Ranking | 1st | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 1st | 3rd[64] | 2nd | 2nd |
| Tsinghua—INSEAD EMBA (TIEMBA) | 2nd | 3rd | 3rd | 9th | 5th | 11th | 3rd | ||
| INSEAD Global EMBA (GEMBA) | 4th | 8th | 13th | 19th | 9th | 15th | 17th | ||
| European Business Schools | 3rd[65] | 5th[65] | 3rd[65] | 5th[66] | 3rd[66] | 3rd[66] | 15th[67] |
The INSEAD MBA program ranked first in 2021, 2017 and 2016 in the Financial Times Global MBA Ranking.[68] The dual degree Executive MBA with Tsinghua University is consistently ranked in the top ten by the Financial Times.[69]
MIM
INSEAD's Master in Management (MIM) program was ranked 2nd globally by the Financial Times in its 2024 ranking of the top Master in Management programs. This ranking is a significant achievement for INSEAD, especially considering the relatively young age of its MIM program, which was launched in 2020.[70]
The INSEAD alumni community consists of 68,861 individuals across 179 countries with 171 nationalities.[71]
17 billionaires were educated at INSEAD, of which 14 people holds the MBA. INSEAD alum billionaires are mostly in healthcare, technology, finance and consumer goods.
Notably, Sergio Fogel (MBA 1994)[72], Uruguayan Billionaire Co-Founder of unicorn dLocal, studied in the same study group with Oren Zeev (MBA 1994)[73], Israeli-American Billionaire Venture Capitalist; in the same study group was Chen Amit (MBA 1994),[74] Israeli Founder and CEO of accounting unicorn Tipalti.[75] They went on to build their careers separately.
Several unicorn tech companies where launched as the result of class projects at INSEAD, such as Sennder[76] or fintech unicorn Prodigy Finance which was then founded by three classmates of MBA Class of 2006[77]. Some are founded or by classmates who teamed up such as Blablacar being founded by classmates Frédéric Mazzella (MBA 2011) as Chairman and Nicolas Brusson (MBA 2011)[78] as CEO or fintech unicorn Qonto founded by classmates Alexandre Prot (MBA 2011)[79] as CEO and Steve Anavi (MBA 2011)[80] as President. Tudou, Chinese unicorn video platform, was launched by Gary Wang (MBA 2005) and Marc van der Chijs, whose wife Grace Wang (MBA 2005)[81], a classmate of Gary Wang at INSEAD, introduced the two and she herself became Chief Administrative Officer of the company.
The school also educated 5 heads/deputy heads of state/government, including Johann Schneider-Ammann (MBA 1977), President of Switzerland, Najib Mikati (AMP 1980), Prime Minister of Lebanon and billionaire founder of Investcom[82], Jusuf Kalla (MBA 1977), Former Vice President of Indonesia[83], Mamuka Bakhtadze (MBA 2010), Prime Minister of Georgia[84] and Wopke Hoekstra (MBA 2005), EU Commissioner for Climate Change and Former Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands[85].
- Blue Ocean Strategy – a book and strategy concept developed by INSEAD faculty
- Management science
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