European Business School Leaders Affirm Relevance in the Future of Graduate Management Education

European Business School Leaders Affirm Relevance in the Future of Graduate Management Education

New report sheds light on emerging themes in an ever-changing GME landscape

The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), a global association of leading graduate business schools, released an industry report on “The Future of Graduate Management Education” from the perspective of European business school deans. The one-of-a-kind report aims to make sense of the shifting graduate management education (GME) landscape and forecasts what the future holds for GME through interviewing 20 deans from a select group of European business school thought leaders. The resulting conversations contain rich insights for business school professionals as they cultivate the next generation of impactful business leaders.

“In a volatile world rife with disruption, business schools are standing at the forefront of change to ensure that they provide the most relevant experience to the leaders of tomorrow so that they have the skills needed to meet the changing needs of a dynamic and complex environment,” said Sangeet Chowfla, president and CEO of GMAC.

“As GMAC continues to invest in advancing the sector and serving the needs of students, schools and employers, we appreciate the work of these deans to identify and harness the trends and challenges to continue to create relevant, meaningful and inclusive experiences for students across the globe.”

The forecasting and insights from the deans coalesced along five key thematic areas: the future of technology and digitization; the imperative for business schools to take a lead role in sustainability and social responsibility; upending the way curricula are developed and research applied; what does lifelong learning look like in a post-pandemic world and how business schools remain relevant and differentiate themselves in a dynamic, global market. The report concludes that technology and digitisation are now a way of life and no business school can operate without paying attention to its responsibility to, and place in, the wider society it serves. Business schools also need to rethink content and learning journeys all while ensuring they stay relevant in an ever-changing world.

“It’s not unusual to question the relevancy of graduate business education ─ in fact it’s healthy to do so ─ whether it can keep up with the pace of change and foster inclusive environments, it is clear that business school executives are fully committed to continuing being a key player in moulding the leaders who will impact the future of business, the future of society, and ultimately the future of the planet,” said Nalisha Patel, regional director for Europe at GMAC. “We are grateful to these deans for their candour and contributions to the GME community, and look forward to seeing the journey continue.”

To read the full report, visit GMAC.com.

About GMAC

The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) is a mission-driven association of
leading graduate business schools worldwide. Founded in 1953, GMAC provides world-class research, industry conferences, recruiting tools, and assessments for the graduate management education industry, as well as tools, resources, events, and services that help guide candidates through their higher education journey. Owned and administered by GMAC, the Graduate Management Admission Test™ (GMAT™) exam is the most widely used graduate business school assessment, accepted by more than 7,500 business programs globally.

Every year more than 12 million prospective students trust GMAC’s websites, including mba.com, to learn about MBA and business master’s programs. BusinessBecause and The MBA Tour are subsidiaries of GMAC, a global organization with offices in China, India, the United Kingdom, and the United States. To learn more about our work, please visit www.gmac.com

For more information or to speak with Nalisha Patel, please contact Stephanie Mullins at BlueSky Education by emailing smullins@bluesky-pr.com or calling +44 (0)1582 790 703.