Best Executive MBA Program by Region: Europe Edition

A global perspective can be invaluable for an executive seeking an Executive MBA.

But for some, gaining contacts and connections overseas is a core part of doing business. For prospective EMBA students considering education options in Europe, a full 20-percent of our Ivy Exec top 50 schools will fit the bill. But remember, while overseas programs might seem cheaper on paper, that tuition cost rarely—if ever—includes your travel from the States. As a result, these programs will make most sense financially and from a timing perspective if you already have business in Europe necessitating your travel.

• British Invasion

For an EMBA abroad, no other country offers nearly as many options as England: 10-percent of the schools on our Ivy Exec top 50 list are within an hour’s drive of London. Widely considered to be the financial capital of the world, London may be a particularly attractive option as a second base of operations while enrolled in an EMBA program.

The London Business School came in at number four on our Ivy Exec rankings, making it the European program with the highest marks overall. With a prime city location and an average post-degree salary increase of 47-percent, the program has a lot to offer—particularly for professionals in the finance sector.

Some 60 miles outside of London is the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School. Ranked at number ten overall on our Ivy Exec top 50, Oxford promises a 50-percent post-graduation salary increase at a lower tuition price from the London Business School. With a five-figure price tag and the prestige that comes with the name of the oldest university in the English-speaking world, Oxford is—without a doubt—an excellent option for any prospective EMBA student.

The rest of the EMBA programs in the UK fell far lower on our top 50 rankings—but all still offer strong value propositions of their own.

At number 41 on our list, the Cass Business School at City University London offers graduates of the program an average 60-percent salary boost after receiving their degrees. With tuition just under $63,000, the program offers a strong return on investment—particularly for students already traveling to London on business.

At number 44 on our list is the Warwick Business School. At 36 months in duration, the Warwick program is substantially longer than any other ranked by Ivy Exec. However, Warwick has—by a wide margin—the highest return on investment of any other EMBA program: graduates saw an average post-degree salary boost of 94-percent. With an astonishingly low $59,000 price tag and classes that meet in the iconic Shard building in the heart of London, the program has plenty of perks.

At number 45 on our list, the Cranfield School of Management sees a significantly lower post-graduation salary boost of 42-percent with a $125,000 price tag more comparable to the programs stateside.

• The French Connection

For prospective EMBA program participants looking for a school with connections in France, two strong options are available. At number eight on our overall rankings is INSEAD in Fontainebleau, France. About an hour outside Paris, the program has some of the most impressive global learning options of all the programs Ivy Exec surveyed. Modules are available in Singapore and Abu Dhabi as well as in France. Additional locations change annually but past modules have also been conducted in Brazil and San Francisco—making INSEAD a strong option for global-minded executives looking beyond France and the European continent.

At number 50 on our Ivy Exec rankings, EMLYON offers some global learning options but remains predominantly in Lyon, a five-hour drive from Paris. The turbo-speed ten-month program offers a learning experience for participants in Shanghai and several other options within Europe as well. But with a $102,000 price tag and a post-degree salary boost on the lower end of the spectrum at 29-percent, EMLYON may be a hard sell for the average American EMBA student.

• The Spanish Armada

When examining options in Spain, it may be particularly challenging to differentiate between IE and IESE—ranked at numbers 15 and 16 on our Ivy Exec survey respectively. Only six miles apart, these are two distinct programs with their own pros and cons. IE’s program is slightly shorter and cheaper: running 15 months with tuition costs around $80,000. IESE runs 19 months for about $92,000. While both programs offer particularly strong options for executives in the energy sector, the cohort at IE has 14 years of experience on average to IESE’s 10. Both programs offer extensive study outside of Spain with trips to the US, Shanghai, Singapore and Brazil—to name just a few.

In Barcelona, ESADE offers a 16-month program for $61,000. With first-rate options to customize one’s education with ESADE, the program has a unique monthly format that gives students a range of learning opportunities to grow as a cohort. And with over 50,000 alumni in 115 countries worldwide, the networking opportunities are virtually endless for ESADE graduates.

• Standalone in Switzerland

The IMD Executive MBA in Lausanne, Switzerland came in at number 18 on the Ivy Exec rankings. The average student there is 40 years old with 15 years of experience, lending the IMD EMBA cohort more heft than its competitors. The program is also uniquely modular, divided into two stages: the Foundation Stage and the Mastery Stage. Program participants elect when to proceed from one to the next. And while IMD is centrally located in Switzerland for easy access to a variety of other European business hubs, the program includes weeklong modules in China, India, Brazil or Silicon Valley.