Cambridge MBA - Class Profile, Fee, Salary & Curriculum

With an intense academic program, the 1-year Cambridge MBA program is the fastest way for career switchers to enter consulting and leverage the strong Technology and Life Science presence in Cambridge. The entrepreneurial focus of the curriculum and a relatively older class ensure that the overall experience is designed to achieve career goals and develop entrepreneurial thinking in traditional functions.

In this in-depth analysis of Cambridge Full-time MBA Program, we cover:

• Cambridge MBA Class Profile
• Cambridge Pre-MBA Education
• Cambridge Pre-MBA Industry
• Cambridge MBA Fees and Total Cost
• Cambridge MBA Scholarships and Financial Aid
• Cambridge MBA Application Process
• Cambridge MBA Curriculum
• Cambridge MBA Experiential Learning - Projects
• Cambridge MBA - Entrepreneurship
• Cambridge MBA - Leadership Development
• Cambridge MBA Salary - By Function
• Cambridge MBA Salary - By Industry
• Cambridge MBA Employment Location

Cambridge MBA Class Profile

The Cambridge MBA class at Judge Business School are much smaller in size compared to top US MBA programs. The latest class had only 221 candidates. Although the requirement for MBA applications is only 2 years of professional experience, the latest class average was much higher at 6 years. The average age is also marginally higher at 30 years of age.

Cambridge Pre-MBA Education

STEM (collectively) represented 37% of the class. The affinity to the enterprising candidate is not a surprise as the University had close collaboration with the larger science and technology community in the region since the 1980s. The unique cluster in Cambridge houses over 1000 technology companies, with Life Science, FinTech, and Services companies among the three chief contributors to the growth of the region. Business/Accounting/Finance/Economics collectively contributes 44%, bringing in close to a 50-50% representation not seen in other top universities in the US or Europe.

Cambridge Pre-MBA Industry

57% of the class were employed in industries other than Consulting, Finance, and the public sector. Internet services and eCommerce was the largest pre-MBA employment sector (32%), followed by Healthcare/Pharma/Biotech (19%), Technology (17%) Consumer goods (11%) and Arts/Media (9%).

Healthcare/pharma/biotech candidates had far higher representation at Cambridge MBA compared to top US MBA programs. Of those in pre-MBA finance roles, 47% were in Finance roles like Accounting, Investment Banking, Investment Management, 37% in industry roles, and 13% in Consulting. Within Consulting, 55% were employed in Industry, 6% in Finance, and 17% in Consulting.

Cambridge MBA Fees and Total Cost

Cambridge MBA has flat fees for international and local students. The tuition fee is £61,000, with additional living expenses (for one person alone) estimated to be another £15,250. These living costs do not include the cost of transport, utilities for private accommodation, or laptop and mobile phone expenses. The total cost can be estimated to be £90,000. The non-refundable reservation fee upon securing a place for the MBA is £7,950. A further £5,300 is due upon three weeks of securing a seat that is deducted from the tuition fees.

Cambridge MBA Scholarships and Financial Aid

Scholarships

Cambridge scholarships are awarded based on the broader diversity and inclusivity (women, nationalities, LGBTQ, and entrepreneurial professionals) goals and merit of the accepted candidate. The awards range from £1,000 to £30,000. Additionally, there are bursaries (need-based educational grants) with variable allowances that are by invitation only.

Loans

12 different loan options are provided for international and domestic (UK citizens) candidates. The loan providers listed in the table below are some popular options available to candidates, with the earliest application accepted 6 months before the term begins. Loan applications must include a conditional acceptance letter from Cambridge Judge Business School.

Cambridge MBA Application Process

The entire lifecycle of applying and receiving a decision on admission at Cambridge takes around 12 weeks. Candidates need to apply online for a fee of £150 with an undergraduate degree as a minimum requirement  (first-class or GPA above 3.5), GMAT/GRE (median 700), English language proficiency transcripts, and the candidate’s resume (2 years of professional experience). It is worth noting that although the minimum experience is 2 years, the average is 6 years for the latest class. In addition, candidates require one recommendation letter by a supervisor and 4 essay questions.

Essays

The 500-word career essay can be split into three areas – the role the Cambridge MBA plays in the candidate’s career goals, the candidate’s fit for the desired industry/role/location, and details of the candidate’s preparation to achieve their goals. This essay requires applicants to emphasize short-term vision, research, and goals more than long-term goals. Adequate reasoning and relevance must be provided for the selected Cambridge-specific resources, faculty, and facilities mentioned.

The remaining second, third and fourth essays have a 200-word limit. The second essay analyses the candidate’s decision-making skills that should include the situation, the candidate’s learning, and the shift in their perspective from the experience. The third essay requires the candidate to cite teamwork skills with details of the challenges faced, the learning, and demonstration of growth by providing an alternative approach to the problem if given a second chance.
The fourth and final essay is focused on self-reflection, where the candidate is required to give their 18-year-old former-self advice. The candidate should focus on one piece of advice and demonstrate the wisdom they have gained to better navigate a former experience.

Recommendation Letter

The recommendation letter should detail the recommender’s contact information, length of time, and professional context in which they have interacted with the applicant. Additionally, recommenders are required to rate the applicant’s leadership and character in a graded matrix. This matrix provides a holistic range of metrics from creativity to quantitative numerical skills of average (top 50%), Good (top 25%), Outstanding (top 10%), and Exceptional (top 2%).

The recommendation letter should detail examples in which the recommender has rated the candidate below average and outstanding/exceptional in the matrix. The best and least favorable attributes of working with the applicant and weaknesses of the applicant as compared to their peers should be detailed in the recommendation letter in addition to envisioning the role the applicant is likely to take in the next 10 years as well.

Cambridge MBA Curriculum

Core Curriculum

13 core courses and 6 electives make up the 12-month MBA course. The Cambridge MBA at Judge Business School is the only program to provide entrepreneurship as a core module, as opposed to an elective. The traditional courses in Corporate Finance, Marketing, Strategy, Organizational Behavior through the prism of Markets, Economics (Macro and Micro), and Operations are augmented by Digital Business and hands-on learning experience with Management Praxis I and II.

Electives

Students need to choose 6 electives in total, out of which 2 need to be from their chosen concentrations. The 40 electives are based on functions (strategic management, finance, entrepreneurship, global marketing,  brand management, mergers & acquisitions), and sectors (venture capital, private equity, investment management, fintech, disruptive technology, pharma & biotech, supply chain, healthcare). The wide variety of electives equips students with the right balance of breadth and depth in knowledge and application, along with the scope for interdisciplinary learning and practice. Each of the electives has a broad scope for beginners and specialists, with entrepreneurship a strong theme throughout all the electives.

Concentrations

A combination of project work and courses, a concentration is a specialization with a narrow focus. Students are assigned to specialist coaches who might be either a Judge Business School faculty member or expert in a field. Under their guidance, students will be coached in the respective theme and receive the choice to do a boardroom simulated final team presentation on one of the concentrations.

Culture, Arts and Media Management

New technology and media platforms are shaping consumer trends and behavior in a competitive business environment. The purpose of this concentration is to transform students into leaders who can navigate the creative and business challenges faced in this dynamic environment. The course blends functional aspects of the business (value creation, financial planning, market positioning, and human resources management) with the demands of companies in the arts, culture, and media industries.

Digital Transformation

Technological innovation is not only disrupting but transforming industries. This concentration explores AI and neural networks, the Internet of Things, Big Data, and blockchain technologies and explores cases in  Finance and Healthcare that have provided a strategic competitive advantage. Mobile technology use in emerging markets is also explored in detail to study the impact of technology on greater financial inclusion and clean energy. Students will learn to implement digital innovation in organizations through successful frameworks implemented across the globe.

Energy and Environment

The UK Energy Crisis of 2021 highlighted the significant need for economies to shift from fossil fuels to cleaner and more efficient fuel sources. This concentration explores the biggest opportunities and challenges for firms transitioning to alternative energy sources by exploring the power of the Internet of Things to tackle energy distribution and wastage.

Entrepreneurship

The concentration gives students the advantages of networking with entrepreneurs from Cambridge and London. Students are taught the various forms of entrepreneurship, building a management team, culture, and funding strategies to develop and grow a business. These skills are great for those seeking entrepreneurial roles post their MBA or who wish to start an enterprise in the long term.

Finance

The finance concentration is apt for those seeking careers in financial management, banking roles, and also for entrepreneurs. The course discusses the transformation of the industry by blockchain and digital lending technologies and several emerging trends. Networking is a core aspect of this concentration as transition to Finance and FinTech are often led by a strong peer network.

Health Strategies

The concentration provides learning and networking sessions with senior global faculty. The course combines the general and business management knowledge learned from the core courses and applies them to challenges and opportunities faced in the healthcare industry. Experienced professionals, as well as those seeking consulting opportunities, in the industry should apply.

Global Business

The effects of globalization in managing firms and competencies are becoming increasingly challenging with the dynamic changes in the environment and a greater call for nationalistic governments. Students are provided with insights and frameworks to combat these issues. Globalization and business management with context to lead in emerging economies are also explored in the concentration.

Marketing

The concentration includes a ‘Broad Impact’ project and a real-world analysis of cases. Additionally, industry speakers from Facebook, Barclays, Marks & Spencer, CNBC, Brunswick, Flock Associates, and McKinsey have previously shared their insights on emerging marketing trends. Students get insights into topical issues, the boundaries, and the overlap with business practices to combat the challenges of balancing data privacy with meaningful customer engagement through 4 different lectures from marketing strategists.

Social Innovation

Social change, social innovation, and sustainability are the focus of this concentration. Students are exposed to the opportunities and limitations of social innovation as a tool for societal problem-solving.

Strategy

Resource management and sustained competitive advantage are the focus of this concentration. Evolving factors like globalization, technology, and competition mean that firms need to frequently review strategies, including those of new alliances or strategic adaptation.

Cambridge MBA Experiential Learning - Projects

The teamwork-intensive projects are compulsory for students and provide them opportunities to increase employability, grow networks and explore areas of ambition.

The Cambridge Venture Project (CVP)

Working in small teams of 4 or 5 in the first term with an assigned mentor, students conduct a market analysis for a British client (organization). The project requires finding market opportunities and the usage of quantitative and qualitative analysis to evaluate consumer behavior and competitive forces relating to the product/service/treatment. Potential go-to-market and commercialization strategies need to be analyzed and assessed during the project.

Global Consulting Project (GCP)

Previous GCP have taken Cambridge MBA students to work with blue-chip companies such as Amazon, Google, Shell, The World Bank Group, WHO, IBM, IKEA, Aston Martin, and Citi Bank. Working on these projects in small teams laid the foundations for collaboration, strategic thinking, and positive impacts for organizations, as well as exposure and networks for the candidates. The scope of these projects defined by the clients covers operational, financial, management and innovation challenges faced by international businesses. Students are also invited to bring unique projects that their MBA team could like to work on.

Summer Project

Students have the freedom of choice between work placement, an individual project, or a research paper in the Summer. The main difference between Students working for companies with individual projects and work placements is that the latter usually leads to students working full-time for the company. Students also have the freedom to pursue internships of their choice at a sector/company relevant to their ambitions.

Cambridge MBA - Entrepreneurship

Silicon Fen is Cambridge’s version of Silicon Valley, where 39 Fortune 1000 companies are located. The establishment of Microsoft’s largest research lab outside the US was a hint of an evolving technology ecosystem. Cambridge Cluster Insights found 26,000 companies within a 20-mile radius in Cambridge, out of which 21% were in IT, life science, and technology manufacturing, accounting for 239,000 jobs with a combined turnover of over £50 billion.

The Cambridge MBA allows its students to work alongside one of the member entrepreneurs of Silicon Fen through the Cambridge Venture Project, conducted just weeks into the beginning of the MBA. In 2020, students who worked with Paragraf, also founded at Cambridge, had to work on strategic deliverables, exposing them to the real-world business challenges of building a semi-conductor firm.

In addition to the experiential learning projects against the backdrop of Silicon Fen, Judge Business School has an established entrepreneurship ecosystem. Accelerate Cambridge supports start-ups ideas from students, alumni, faculty, and even the local community who have a Cambridge connection. Support extends from research and customer development, protecting intellectual property, branding, marketing, and fine-tuning business model. The accelerator also has connections with industry experts and angel investors to facilitate funding.

The new Entrepreneurship Lab focuses on social, ethical, and sustainable entrepreneurship. The multidisciplinary core curriculum covering decision making, finance, strategy, leadership, risk management, and real-world case studies lay the foundation to be a successful entrepreneur.

Cambridge MBA - Leadership Development

Addressing the gender gap in the workplace, Cambridge MBA orientation includes a workshop called Unconscious Bias, led by Sucheta Nadkarni, Director of The Wo+Men’s Leadership Centre at Judge Business School. The workshop makes students introspect on inherent biases, challenging them and adopting inclusive perspectives as leaders. Students can tailor their MBA to gain leadership knowledge and experience through the electives - Leadership in Organizations and Leading Effective Projects. In addition, the electives - Doing Good Well: Leading Social Innovation for Local and Global Impact & Strategies for Energy and Climate provide students leadership skills within the context of social innovation and negotiations.

Cambridge MBA Salary - By Function

84% of the last class of Cambridge MBA graduates switched functions. Finance and consulting roles lead the roles secured by Judge Business School graduates, followed by Business Development, Marketing/Sales, and Product Management. Corporate planning/strategy, general management, and operations were at the bottom of the list.

Cambridge MBA Salary - By Industry

Consulting salaries were the highest, by industry, followed by finance. The average post-MBA salaries increase by $26,772. The average base salary was $117,125, and the average package was $158,189. 89% of graduates moved into consulting from a different industry. Within consulting, 78% of graduates took jobs in strategy consulting. Within finance, 75% moved into finance from another industry. Although consulting had the least representation among the graduates, it had the highest remuneration package. Cambridge MBA graduates found most of the opportunities through Silicon Fen in Technology that is counted under Industry.

Cambridge MBA Employment Location

The prospects of changing locations are positive with an MBA from Cambridge. 47% of graduates changed countries post-MBA. Of the graduates that switched countries, 62% chose to stay in the UK, 12% in Europe (Germany 4%, Luxembourg 4%, and Switzerland 4%), and 18% in Asia (predominantly China 6% and Singapore 4%). 30% of the latest MBA class changed sectors, functions, and location. The remaining 38% did not choose the UK nor their home country.

In terms of salaries, the UK had the second-lowest salary of $106,954. Southeast Asia attracted the highest average salary of $136,277, followed by North America with a salary of $115,151.

Related Download

F1GMAT's Cambridge MBA Essay Guide

Reference

• Cambridge MBA
• Cambridge Cluster Insights