Ten 1-Year MBA Programs for Career Advancement

One year full-time MBA programs have been on the growth path the world over, especially Europe and making steady inroads in the United States too. Here’s a quick look at 10 such programs to propel you in career advancement and other such advantages.

Unlike the 2-year programs, the 1-year MBA allows participants to acquire an equivalent degree in half the time and cost. The lost opportunity cost of staying away from work for a full two years is also reduced. The 1-year graduates are also able to command the same starting salaries as for those in 2-year programs. Several schools even report that their 1-year MBAs make slightly more than the 2-year graduates, mostly due to differences in work experience.

1. INSEAD

INSEAD, With three fully-integrated campuses in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, and more than 90 different nationalities in the classroom, prides in referring to itself as the ‘Business School of the World’. It has maintained the top rank for the second year in succession in the FT Global MBA Ranking 2017.

It claims that the 10-month curriculum is aimed at developing successful, thoughtful leaders and entrepreneurs who create value for their organisations and their communities.

The Fontainebleau-based school in France, with campuses in Abu Dhabi and Singapore, boasts of a 53,784-strong alumni community of 159 nationalities spread over 170 countries with 47 Associations.

While the program Tuition fees for the July Class are set in December each year, fees for the December Class are announced in June. The current tuition fees for the class graduating in December 2018 are €80,800.

It covers the cost of all printed course materials, access to the INSEAD library, access to on-campus information technology services, language tuition and testing, student council fees, gym access, business cards, printing and health insurance.

2. London Business School

LBS claims to have the world’s most flexible MBA customised to suit the participant’s individual interests and career path. It has flexible exit points, core courses that can be tailored to individual needs, 70+ electives and applied learning opportunities.

The LBS MBA is not exactly of one-year duration. Its curriculum is such that can be tailored specifically to support individual career paths with a choice to finish the programme in 15, 18 or 21 months.

The tuition fees for the batch starting in August 2017 are £75,100 Fees include all tuition and required core course reading materials which may be provided electronically and/or in hard-copy. The fees also cover the flights and accommodation for the Global Business Experience.

The fee for 2017/18 session is £52,000. This includes: Course fee, College fee and the Life-long Oxford Union membership

When considering the cost of an MBA, take into account the potential earning opportunities of summer internships and the optional Business Project while studying.

3. Cambridge Judge Business School

The Cambridge Judge MBA is ranked 5th by FT in 2017, up from the 9th spot in the previous year. Its 1-year program offers in-depth learning and personalised career development services. The class size is kept at 170, an optimal number to enhance peer-to-peer learning. The program focuses on experiential learning, with two live client projects to enable global and cross-sector career mobility for the graduates.

The fees for the class of 2017/18 are £51,000 (includes the £2,470 college membership fee). There is also an application fee of £150. Additional costs would be in buying a laptop, a UK mobile phone or a bike and the like, travel expenses and utility bills for those opting to stay in private accommodation.

4. Oxford Said

Oxford Said claims that its MBA provides a solid grounding in the major business disciplines and core business skills. The faculty comprise world-class experts in their fields and they develop courses based on up-to-date best practice and the latest academic research.

The School also has an extended and strengthened talent development program. All MBA students will be provided with professional coaching and a suite of optional courses to help develop interpersonal, communication and team work skills.

The fee for 2017/18 session is £52,000. This includes: Course fee, College fee and the Life-long Oxford Union membership

Applicants who are offered and accept a place on the course are asked to pay a non-refundable deposit of £7,300 which will be offset against their course fee.

5. IE Business School

Participants at the Madrid-based IE Business School’s International MBA are in the average age group of 29 with 5 years average work experience. The program is designed for professionals looking to consolidate their management experience. Since the students come from different backgrounds and nations, a truly international experience is created allowing them to build a global network of contacts.

The IE International MBA tuition fee is 69.200€. The School also awards tuition funding assistance based on merit, distinctive competencies and academic excellence.

6. IMD

The IMD MBA is offered at the school’s campus in Lausanne, Switzerland. The 1-year program that runs from January to December is designed to ensure that the students master the fundamentals needed in business today and increase the self-awareness.

The Tuition fee is pegged at CHF 60,000 along with other fees amounting to CHF 25,000. The approximate living expenses for a single person will be CHF 36,000. This estimate includes housing: CHF 18,750 and living expenses: CHF 17,250. For those having not met the objectives of IMD’s pre-program self-assessment in Accounting and Finance, will need to complete a three-day immersion program at the start of January. The fee will be CHF 750.

7. Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management

Kellogg is one of the school’s in the US with an accelerated 1-year program that starts in June. According to the school, the program begins in summer to allow the students get accustomed to the rigorous academic pace of MBA studies and complete three to five courses. In September, they will join the second-year Full-Time Program class and complete the electives that match their interests and enhance career goals.

Apart from having a choice of 200 courses, the students could bypass core courses and focus on the electives that best meet their career goals. They could either delve into a select number of disciplines or go as broad as they like. The program fee is $ 95,156 with total estimated expenses that include room & board, books & supplies and travel pegged at $ 133,720.

8.Cornell SC Johnson College of Business

The 1-year program follows the same pattern as Kellogg’s kicking off in summer and completing three to four courses prior to joining the 2-year cohort in September to complete the electives. Here again, with a strong inclination towards Finance, qualified Chartered Financial Analyst, Certified Public Accountant, Institute of Chartered Financial Accountants (U.K. and India version of CPA), Society of Actuaries, Project Management Institute (PMP) are awarded credits at the start of the program.

Advanced degrees eligible for credit include, but are not limited to J.D., M.D., Meng, MHA, MPA, Med, M.A., M.S and PhD. The Tuition fee is $ 98,940.

9. University of Southern California Marshall School of Business

The 12-month program at USC’s Los Angeles Campus from July is designed for mid career professionals training for global leadership positions. The small class size is limited to 60 diverse and globally focused participants. The average age of participants is 35. The estimated total tuition and fees amount to $104,068 and estimated living expenses will be $35,000.

10. F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College

Babson’s accelerated one-year MBA program requires what the school calls “a substantial academic background in business.”

Long known as a top place to study entrepreneurial thinking, brings in nearly 80 students a year to its one-year program, about half the size of its more traditional two-year MBA.

With a high percentage of one-year students, about 46% from outside the U.S., the student body is more global than most.  The Tuition is pegged at $80,167 and Total Estimated Cost: $116,747.