Imperial College Business School, a division of Imperial College London in England, was opened by Queen Elizabeth II. The school cultivates innovative thinking and responsible leadership, preparing its students to drive global impact.
In 1851, the Great Exhibition, the first World's Fair, was organised by Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria. The proceeds from this event were used to establish museums and royal colleges in South Kensington, to become a centre for science, culture, and industry.[1]
In 1907, Imperial College London was established by Royal Charter, unifying the Royal College of Science, Royal School of Mines, and City and Guilds of London Institute into one university.
In 1909, King Edward VII laid the foundation stone for the Royal School of Mines building, which is part of the present-day Business School facilities.
In 1955, Imperial's first MSc in Production Engineering and Management was launched at 14 Prince's Gate.[2] In 1961, Imperial launched an MSc in Operational Research and Management Studies. In 1964, executive education short courses were first given in Operational Research.
In 1965, Imperial College London and the London School of Economics co-sponsor the founding of the London Business School.[2]
In 1971, a Department of Management Science was created.[3] In 1978, the Department of Social & Economic Studies was formed.
In 1987, the Departments of Management Science and Department of Social & Economic Studies merged to form a Management School at 53 Prince's Gate.
In 1989, an Executive MBA was launched.[4] In 2001, an Entrepreneurship Centre was established. In 2002, a Distance Learning MBA was introduced. In 2003, an Innovation and Entrepreneurial group was established.
In 2003, Imperial College London elevated business to its fourth faculty, alongside science, engineering, and medicine.
In 2004, Queen Elizabeth II opened Imperial College's Tanaka Business School.[4][5]
In 2008, the business school dropped the Tanaka name and became Imperial College Business School.[6]
In 2021, Imperial's White City Campus was opened.
The business school is on Imperial College London's main campus in South Kensington. Its modern glass architecture drew inspiration from the Crystal Palace of the Great Exhibition, reflecting the college’s historical origins. Designed by Sir Norman Foster & Partners, the landmark building was opened by Queen Elizabeth II and incorporates the 19th-century vaults of the Royal School of Mines.
The business school has additional facilities on Imperial College London's White City campus, which serves as an innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem for collaboration between students, faculty, entrepreneurs, and industry. Included on the White City campus is the Scale Space, set up as a community to help innovative companies accelerate growth. Located there are Imperial's Translation and Innovation Hub, Imperial's White City Incubator, Invention Rooms, and a Hackspace for manufacturing equipment and training.[7]
The business school offers undergraduate and postgraduate education, including a Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master’s degrees, Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD), and executive education.[8]
The business school is focused around five themes:
Imperial operates the following research centres:
Imperial College London is recognized as a top-10 university globally. In the 2025 QS World University Rankings, Imperial ranked 2nd worldwide, behind MIT, tying its highest ever position.[13] Similarly, the Times Higher Education World University Rankings ranked Imperial 3rd in Europe and 8th worldwide.[14]
According to the UK government's 2021 Research Excellence Framework, Imperial was ranked 2nd in the UK for business and management research, with 97% of its research classified as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’.
The entrepreneurial culture at Imperial, blending business with science, is supported by some of the best-equipped entrepreneurial facilities in the UK and the country’s largest mentoring system for entrepreneurs, modelled after MIT.[15] This approach has resulted in a startup survival rate of 79% at its Enterprise Lab, significantly exceeding the usual 10% survival rate.[15][16] The 2023 QS MBA by Career Specialisation Rankings for Entrepreneurship ranked Imperial's MBA programme 3rd worldwide and 1st in Europe.[17]
In the 2024 QS MBA Rankings, Imperial's MBA programme was ranked 9th in Europe, and the Financial Times ranked it 10th in Europe.[18][19] In the 2024 QS Masters Rankings, Imperial was ranked 4th worldwide for a master's in marketing,[20] 6th worldwide for a master's in business analytics,[21] 13th worldwide for a master's in finance,[22] and 14th worldwide for a master's in management.[23] Similarly, the Financial Times ranked Imperial 15th worldwide for a master's in finance.[24]
Imperial is also known for the high employability of its graduates. In 2024, it ranked 1st in the UK for highly skilled employment or further studies by the Complete University Guide, the Guardian University Guide, and the Times Good University Guide.[25][26][27] A 2021 analysis by the Higher Education Statistics Agency found that Imperial graduates earned the highest median salaries of all UK universities, testifying to the quality and impact of their education.[28]
*Interim
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