The full-time MBA Program of IE Business School has been ranked third in Europe and sixth in the world in the 2009 edition of the annual Financial Times ranking of full-time MBA programs.

This position marks a rise of two places on the 2008 ranking, and consolidates the school as the top ranked institution in Spain. One of the most outstanding aspects of this year´s ranking is the No. 1 position worldwide of IE Business School with respect to the career progress of graduates. The program also delivers one of the highest percentage rises in terms of increase on base salary, evidencing the value added to the career development of the program´s participants.

An MBA for change
´In 2008 we recalibrated the program, aiming to adapt certain aspects of it to the needs of companies in the rapidly changing global economic environment. The intention is to accentuate the capacities of the participants to understand and manage change, helping them to be adaptable and flexible in the evolving global markets we face today. We focus on innovation to leverage the search for creative solutions to global problems, creating real value for companies and society´, said David Bach, Associate Dean for MBA Programs. In 2008 the school launched the revamped MBA program complete with a number of new modules in the curriculum. They included the LAUNCH module (Learning, Awareness, Understanding, Networking, Communication, Humanities) which kicks off the program. The objective of LAUNCH is to drive internal change in the participant through exposure to a wide array of disciplines and approaches not necessarily associated with business and management. This year the module included sessions with actors from the renowned Shakespeare´s Globe Theatre in London, and professors from the Architectural Association School of Architecture.

Change is the theme of two other new modules in the program; ´Making change happen´ focuses on changes in organizations by studying the same business case from numerous perspectives, observing the impact of changing social, economic and market forces on the corporation and how it affects corporate strategy and organization. The final module, ´Change in action´, explores the impact of macro changes in society and the environment and how this shapes economies and markets. The module takes a key issue, such as energy, bringing in guest speakers alongside IE faculty to provide an insight into their respective fields, challenging participants to look for innovative solutions to major problems.

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