IMD and INSEAD have structured their curriculum with focus on two different learning objectives. IMD with building skills for those working in the Consulting and Operations functions while INSEAD for those in the Finance and Consulting industries.
IMD: Four phases are included in the one-year IMD Full-Time MBA Program.
First, the participants in the pre-program are oriented toward the MBA program with guidance on adapting to the Swiss culture, finding the ideal option for housing, starting the preparatory work on foundational concepts in Finance & Accounting, and doing pre-program networking with peers before the opening week.
Second is the Foundation phase, where the participants must complete the core courses covering themes in operations, finance, accounting, strategy, entrepreneurship, and leadership. Simultaneously with the Career Development team (CDC), candidates will begin to orient themselves to their post-MBA career.
Third, the Beyond Foundation phase, which starts with the innovation labs, digital week, and discovery trip that can be started only after completing the core courses as the labs and discovery trip require applying the concepts learned during the core.
Fourth is the exploration period, during which participants might select specialist courses that resume after the summer break. Candidates must choose the electives based on their interests or post-MBA goals. Since 40% of the courses are experiential in nature, the electives are often mapped to the theme of the experiential learning focus in Leadership, Sustainability, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation. For candidates with traditional career goals, electives on Operations, Finance and Strategy are ideal. Regardless of the post-MBA goal, all candidates must select a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 5 electives to graduate.
INSEAD: Five sections make up the 10-month accelerated MBA; each last for eight weeks and is followed by an exam, an essay, and/or a project. When you include the pre-MBA orientation, the INSEAD team brands its curriculum into six periods.
The pre-MBA orientation, or Period 0, includes Business Foundation Week, language classes, and students' live webinars and networking events.
Period 1 covers the first 6 core courses in the curriculum, providing students with a strong foundation in Accounting, Organisational Behaviour, Pricing, Decision Science, and Strategy.
Period 2 builds on the core courses and continues with themes of Accounting and Organisational Behaviour, while adding foundational skills in policy, customer relationship, and leadership communication.
Period 3 is the last period with core in the schedule with themes around Business and Society & Macroeconomics. Most of the schedule is dedicated for the 3.5 electives that students can choose from 75 electives in 9 disciplines - Accounting and Control, Decision Sciences, Economics & Political Science, Entrepreneurship and Family Enterprise, Finance, Marketing, Organisational Behaviour, Strategy, and Technology and Operations Management.
Period 4 is exclusively an elective focus with four electives from the nine disciplines.
Period 5 is also an elective focus with 3 electives and a capstone course. The capstone is a simulation of a crisis where the participants will make critical decisions for the assumed company around strategy, operations, marketing, accounting, and finance.
With a strong case-study legacy, INSEAD MBA program is light on experiential learning with the exception of entrepreneurial candidates who have the option to travel to China and Silicon Valley to network and engage with entrepreneurs to understand how to build brands and do business in the country. The other exception is for the students opting for the Abu Dhabi Module who have the opportunity to pursue a consulting project in the Middle East.
| IMD MBA Curriculum | INSEAD MBA Curriculum |
|---|---|
| Fixed Core Themes: 6 | Core Themes: 9 |
| Fixed Core Theme: Strategy, Finance, Operations, Marketing, Leadership, Economics, Accounting, Business & Society. | Core Themes: fundamental practices of business, finance, accounting, marketing, economics, leadership, strategy, business ethics, and broad management skills |
| Electives Themes: 6 | Electives: 10 |
| Specialization Courses: 4 (negotiations, international strategy, strategy beyond the market, and finance); Experiential Learning: 40% | Capstone Course: 1 (Simulation): Case Study Method |
| Electives Themes (below) | Electives Themes (below) |
| Leadership | Accounting and Control |
| Sustainability | Decision Sciences |
| Finance | Economics and Political Science |
| Strategy | Entrepreneurship and Family Enterprise |
| Entrepreneurship | Finance |
| Operations | Marketing |
| Organizational Behaviour | |
| Technology and Operations Management | |
| Strategy |
Core Courses: INSEAD>IMD
Elective Courses: INSEAD >IMD
Experiential Learning Courses: IMD>INSEAD
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