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Imperial Business School

Coordinates: 51°29′57″N 0°10′29″W / 51.4992°N 0.1748°W / 51.4992; -0.1748
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Imperial Business School
Glass-fronted Imperial Business School building on Exhibition Road
MottoWhere science means business
Established2003
Parent institution
Imperial College London
AccreditationAACSB, EQUIS, AMBA
DeanPeter Todd
Location
London
Websiteimperial.ac.uk/business-school
Map

Imperial Business School is the business school of Imperial College London. Established in 2003, the business school was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in London, United Kingdom.[1]

Imperial Business School offers primarily postgraduate education programmes, including an MBA, Masters specialisations, PhD, and executive education. Degrees hold triple accredidation in the UK (AMBA), US (AACSB) and Europe (EQUIS).

In the most recent Research Excellence Framework, the business school ranked second in the United Kingdom for business and management.[2] In the latest QS MBA by Career Specialisation Rankings: Entrepreneurship, Imperial’s MBA programme ranked third worldwide and first in Europe.[3][4]

History

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In 1851, the Great Exhibition (the first World's Fair) was organised by Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria. The Great Exhibition was a financial success, where its profits funded the building of the Victoria and Albert Museum, Natural History Museum, Science Museum, Royal Albert Hall and colleges in South Kensington.[5]

In 1907, Imperial College London was established by royal charter, unifying several of these colleges - the Royal College of Science, the Royal School of Mines and the City and Guilds of London Institute - into a university.

In 1909, King Edward VII laid the foundation stone for the Royal School of Mines building, which is now part of the present-day Business School facilities.

In 1955, Imperial College London offered its first postgraduate course in business, an MSc in Production Engineering and Management.[6]

In 1965, Imperial College London and the London School of Economics co-sponsored the founding of the London Business School.[7][8]

View from the entrance. Across the street is the Brevan Howard Centre for Financial Analysis.

In 1971, a Department of Management Science was established at Imperial. This was followed in 1978 by the Department of Social & Economic Studies.[9]

In 1987, the Management School was founded through the merger of the Departments of Management Science and Social & Economic Studies. It focused on integrating management studies with emerging technology and entrepreneurship.

In 2003, the Imperial Business School was elevated to Faculty status, alongside the Faculties of Natural Science, Medicine and Engineering.

In 2004, Queen Elizabeth II accompanied by The Duke of York held a royal opening of Imperial's new business school.[1]

In 2021, Imperial College London’s new White City campus opened, providing additional space and facilities for innovation and entrepreneurship activities.[10]

Campus

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Royal School of Mines
Translation & Innovation Hub

Imperial Business School is based at Imperial College London’s South Kensington campus. The school’s main building – an all-glass structure designed by Sir Norman Foster – was inspired by the Crystal Palace of 1851, reflecting the College’s historical origins from the Great Exhibition. The glass-fronted design incorporates the 19th-century vaults of the adjacent Royal School of Mines building, blending modern architecture with Victorian heritage.

In addition to its South Kensington facilities, the Business School has a presence at Imperial’s White City campus. This campus serves as an innovation and entrepreneurship eco-system for the university.[11] Resources available to the Business School at White City include Imperial's White City Incubator, the Scale Space, the Translation & Innovation Hub, the Invention Rooms, and a hackspace for manufacturing equipment and training.

Academics

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The business school offers undergraduate and primarily postgraduate education - including MBAs, Master's, PhDs, and Executive Education. Degrees hold triple accreditation in the UK (AMBA), US (AACSB) and Europe (EQUIS).

The school is organised around five themes:

  • Entrepreneurship – how to thrive in dynamic and uncertain environments
  • Digital Transformation – from AI to blockchain, how technology transforms business and society
  • Healthcare Policy & Management – policy and practice to improve health and wellbeing
  • Finance & Institutional Resilience – building resilient businesses and a stronger global economy
  • Sustainability & Climate Change – responsible and inclusive business models for sustainable growth

Research Centres

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  • Brevan Howard Centre for Financial Analysis – enhances Imperial’s expertise in financial economics.[12]
  • Centre for Climate Finance & Investment – unlocks solutions within capital markets to address global climate change.[13]
  • Centre for Financial Technology – studies the global impact of technology on finance, business and society.[14]
  • Centre for Responsible Leadership – helps organisations redefine their approach to leadership.[15]
  • Centre for Sectoral Economic Performance – improves the competitiveness of the UK economy and drives growth.[16]
  • Gandhi Centre for Inclusive Innovation – connects innovation to organisations globally to create social impact.[17]
  • Imperial Business Design Studio – studies how design thinking influences business performance and strategy.[18]
  • Centre for Health Economics & Policy Innovation – analyses incentives and policy in healthcare.[19]
  • Leonardo Centre on Business for Society – explores innovative business models for a net-positive impact on humanity.[20]

Rankings and reputation

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Business school rankings
Europe MBA Rankings
QS (2026)[21]8
FT (2025)[22]10
Global MBA Rankings
QS (2026)[23]19
FT (2025)[24]39

Imperial Business School is one of the four faculties of Imperial College London, a world-leading university for science, technology, engineering, medicine and business (STEMB). The school's reputation is closely related to that of its parent university. In 2026, Imperial College London was ranked 2nd globally and 1st in Europe in the QS World University Rankings[25] and 8th globally and 3rd in Europe in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.[26]

In the most recent Research Excellence Framework (REF), a national higher education funding bodies assessment, the business school was ranked 2nd in the UK for business and management studies.[27]

In 2026, the school's MBA programme was ranked 8th in Europe by the QS MBA Rankings and 10th in Europe by the Financial Times MBA Rankings.[28] The school's MBA programme was ranked 3rd globally and 1st in Europe for Entrepreneurship in the latest QS MBA by Career Specailisation Rankings.[29][30]

The 2026 QS Business Master's Rankings ranked its MSc in Marketing 7th globally,[31] MSc in Business Analytics 8th globally,[32] MSc in Management 9th globally[33] and MSc in Finance 14th globally.[34]

In 2026, Imperial was ranked 1st in the UK for career prospects by The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide,[35] the Guardian University Guide[36] and the Complete University Guide.[37]

People

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Directors and deans

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Notable academic staff

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  • Franklin Allen, Professor of Finance, Executive Director of the Brevan Howard Centre for Financial Analysis (2014–present)
  • Patrick Bolton, Professor of Finance, Research Director of the Centre for Climate Finance & Investment (2023–24)
  • Jonathan Haskel, CBE, Professor of Economics
  • David Miles, CBE, Professor of Financial Economics
  • William Perraudin, Economist (former Chair in Finance, now adjunct professor)
  • Carol Propper, CBE, FBA, Chair in Economics
  • Tommaso Valletti, Chair in Economics, Chief Competition Economist of the European Commission (2016–2019)
  • George Yip, Emeritus Professor of Marketing and Strategy

References

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  1. ^ a b Imperial College London (27 June 2014). Royal Opening of Main Entrance and Imperial College Business School 2004. Retrieved 23 May 2025 – via YouTube.
  2. ^ "REF 2021: Business and management studies". Times Higher Education. 12 May 2022.
  3. ^ "QS MBA by Career Specialisation Rankings 2023: Entrepreneurship". TopMBA.com. 18 November 2024.
  4. ^ "Top 10 MBA programmes for a career in entrepreneurship". TopMBA.com. 16 April 2024. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
  5. ^ "History of Imperial College Business School". Imperial College London.
  6. ^ "A History of Management Science at Imperial College (1955-1989)" (PDF). Pubsonline.informs.org.
  7. ^ "A History of Management Science at Imperial College (1955-1989)" (PDF). Pubsonline.informs.org.
  8. ^ Science, London School of Economics and Political. "History of the department". London School of Economics and Political Science. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
  9. ^ Gay, Hannah (2007). The History of Imperial College London, 1907-2007: Higher Education and Research in Science, Technology and Medicine. World Scientific. p. 578. ISBN 9781860947094.
  10. ^ "White City Campus | Imperial College Business School". Imperial College London.
  11. ^ "White City Campus". Imperial College London. 4 June 2025. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  12. ^ "Brevan Howard Centre for Financial Analysis". Imperial College Business School.
  13. ^ "Centre for Climate Finance & Investment". Imperial College Business School.
  14. ^ "Centre for Financial Technology". Imperial College Business School.
  15. ^ "Centre for Responsible Leadership". Imperial College Business School.
  16. ^ "Centre for Sectoral Economic Performance". Imperial College Business School.
  17. ^ "Gandhi Centre for Inclusive Innovation". Imperial College Business School.
  18. ^ "Imperial Business Design Studio". Imperial College Business School.
  19. ^ "Centre for Health Economics & Policy Innovation". Imperial College Business School.
  20. ^ "Leonardo Centre on Business for Society". Imperial College Business School.
  21. ^ "QS Europe MBA Rankings". QS.
  22. ^ "FT Europe MBA Rankings". FT.
  23. ^ "QS Global MBA Rankings". QS.
  24. ^ "FT Global MBA Rankings". FT.
  25. ^ "QS World University Rankings 2026".
  26. ^ "Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026".
  27. ^ "REF 2021: Business and management studies".
  28. ^ "Financial Times Global MBA Ranking 2025".
  29. ^ "QS MBA by Career Specialisation Rankings: Entrepreneurship".
  30. ^ Hall, Rachel (24 September 2022). "Imperial College London: inside the university that is in the business of studying". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  31. ^ "QS Business Master's Rankings 2026: Marketing".
  32. ^ "QS Business Master's Rankings 2026: Business Analytics".
  33. ^ "QS Business Master's Rankings 2026: Management".
  34. ^ "QS Business Master's Rankings 2026: Finance".
  35. ^ "Good University Guide 2026".
  36. ^ "Guardian University Guide 2026".
  37. ^ "Complete University Guide 2026".


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51°29′57″N 0°10′29″W / 51.4992°N 0.1748°W / 51.4992; -0.1748

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