Top 10 MBA Programs in the UK And Ireland for Low Work Experience

You would need no further evidence of this than the UK’s prestigious London Business School. The institution’s full-time MBA has been ranked as the fourth best globally over the past three years, according to the Financial Times. Yet the school’s MBA cohort that will graduate in 2020 has just 5.5 years’ work experience, on average.  Not that this has dampened the quality of the class; 64 nationalities are represented and the average GMAT (standardized test) score is an impressive 708. 

Not far from LBS, both in terms of location and arguably quality, is the University of Cambridge’s Judge Business School. The average years of work experience of the MBA cohort is just six — at the top end, but still a good option given the quality of the course. The Cambridge MBA is ranked sixth in Bloomberg BusinessWeek’s international MBA ranking of non-US schools. 

Completing the trifecta of arguably Britain’s best business schools is Saïd at the University of Oxford, one of the oldest and most respected universities in the world. MBAs there have just five years’ experience, on average. Saïd was ranked even higher than Cambridge by Bloomberg, at number four among schools outside the US.  

Outside of England, Dublin’s Trinity College Business School is well-regarded. Trinity College is considered to be among the best, if not the best, school in Ireland. Yet for entry to its MBA, the minimum number of years of work experience is between three and five. At €34,500, the course is also very affordable. 

Imperial College Business School is also well-known at home and abroad. The UK school’s MBA cohort has an average of six years’ professional experience. Forbes ranked Imperial 13th among schools offering international, one-year MBA programs. According to Forbes, the school offers a five-year MBA gain of $73,000 — total compensation minus tuition, fees and forgone salary to get the degree. 

Further north in the UK, Durham University Business School is also a solid option. The school’s full-time MBA was ranked by The Economist as Britain’s fifth best. Durham requires that MBA applicants only have three years’ continuous post-graduation work experience to apply for the prestigious program. 

Henley is lower ranked than the aforementioned UK business schools, but with a requirement that would-be MBAs have just three years of work experience, it’s a solid option for those still early in their career. Henley is fifth in the UK behind Durham, according to The Economist. The ranking noted that Henley’s career services are second-to-none, with good employment outcomes for the MBA graduates. 

This UK-based business school asks for only three years’ work experience to get into its MBA, which was ranked reasonably well by the FT, 61st globally. Some 91 percent of the graduates are employed at the three month mark, netting an average salary of $122,184, which is a 72 percent pay rise compared with the average pre-MBA salary. 

To get into Bath’s MBA, you’ll only need three years of professional work experience. The Economist ranked the school eighth in the UK, while the FT also counts Bath among the best-100 business schools globally. An impressive 100 percent of MBAs are employed within three months of donning their graduation caps, boosting their salaries by 66 percent to $93,461. Because Bath’s MBA costs just £37,500, and students spend just one year out of the workforce, the return on investment would appear to be quite high indeed. 

Likewise, Strathclyde asks for only three years’ experience for entry to the program. The Scottish-based business school was placed ninth in the UK by The Economist. What’s more, the school is one of only one percent worldwide to hold the “triple crown” accreditation of AACSB, AMBA and EQUIS, which all ensure quality standards.