ISB : Is it Executive MBA?

One of the biggest misunderstanding that quite a number of people have is that ISB is an exec-MBA. This stems from mainly its 1-year model which is similar to Exec-MBAs. But that is where the similarity ends !!

MBA education has several models - 

• 1 year

• 15-18 months

• 2 years. 

B-schools in USA/India have majorly 2 year MBA model while Europe & a few major Asian B-Schools has 1 year or 15 months model. Hence a 1 year course in India is automatically linked and assumed to be a Exec-MBA course.

So whats different in ISB vs. Exec MBA courses?

• ISB is full-time while Exec MBA is usually part-time

• Classroom hours are far higher

• Method and Content will be very different as the needs of a Full-time student and part-time Exec are very different

So is the Classroom hours in ISB half of a 2 year MBA ?

• Classroom hours in a typical two-year full time MBA worldwide – 680 hrs

• Classroom hours in a typical two-year programme at IIMs – 950 hrs

• Classroom hours in one-year full time MBA at ISB – 800 hrs

800 Hours in a year vs. 950 in 2 years - Intense !! 

So the difference of 150 ? Does it mean you learn less in a 1 year program? NO. The Profs merely skips the bare basics for a class with work experience. He/She will not delve too deep into theory and focus instead on practical knowledge useful for a manager. For e.g while the Market Research course in the two-year programme might elaborate on how to design a questionnaire, the one-year course would take you through processes to analyse the results from such a study.

But why skip the bare basics? It is because ISB like any other 1 year programme B-School admits only people who have atleast 2-3 years of work ex while IIMs is largely  a 0-1 year work ex school. Thanks to the prior work experience, the students at ISB of the one-year course can relate class discussions to their own experiences in corporate life. This helps them question, debate and finally absorb new management concepts in a thorough manner.

So Capisce ?