Hult International Business School

Hult International Business School is a private global business school with campuses in London, Boston, Dubai, San Francisco, Shanghai, New York City, and Hertfordshire, UK. It originated from two historic institutions: the Arthur D. Little School of Management, founded in 1964 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Ashridge Business School, established in 1959 in England. In 2002, following the bankruptcy of Arthur D. Little, Swedish businessman Bertil Hult acquired the school, leading to its reorganisation as Hult International Business School in 2003, with a renewed focus on international business education.

Hult has since expanded its presence worldwide, opening campuses across the US, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. In 2014, Hult merged with Ashridge Business School, creating one of the largest global business schools. The school promotes a unique model encouraging students to rotate among its campuses during their studies, offering undergraduate, postgraduate, MBA, and executive education programmes.

The London undergraduate campus won the Royal Institute of British Architects National Award in 2015. Hult also leads the Hult Prize, a student competition focused on addressing global social challenges, in partnership with the United Nations Foundation and the Clinton Global Initiative. The winning team receives a $1 million grant to develop their solution.

Hult holds triple accreditation from AACSB, AMBA, and EQUIS—an achievement held by only a small percentage of business schools worldwide. It is also accredited by several other educational bodies including NECHE and the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education.

The school’s programmes are regularly ranked by notable bodies such as the Financial Times, The Economist, Bloomberg, and Forbes. Notable rankings include 17th worldwide for its Master of International Business programme by The Economist in 2019 and placement among the top 100 for its Executive MBA and MBA programmes.

In 2020, Hult partnered with Ernst & Young to launch the EY Tech MBA, an online programme offered free to EY employees globally. Today, Hult serves about 3,000 students and has over 19,000 alumni across more than 150 countries, focusing on delivering global business education with practical experience.

Hult International Business School has its origins in two separate institutions from the United States and the United Kingdom. The American side began with the Arthur D. Little School of Management, founded in 1964 by Arthur Dehon Little in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Initially designed as an executive management education programme, the school gained degree-granting status after accreditation by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges in 1976. In 1996, it entered into a partnership with Boston College’s Carroll School of Management to share faculty and facilities.

On the British side, Ashridge Business School traces back to the College of Citizenship, established in 1929 with support from the Conservative Party. This institution was re-established as Ashridge Business School in 1959, located on the Ashridge Estate in Hertfordshire, England.

In 2002, the Arthur D. Little company declared bankruptcy. At that time, Kaplan Education, the for-profit educational branch of The Washington Post, considered acquiring the school, then known as Concord School of Management, but later withdrew. The school had 26 students at this point. Later in 2002, Swedish businessman Bertil Hult purchased the school. This acquisition led to its reorganisation and the founding of Hult International Business School in 2003. The new school introduced a curriculum focused on international business.

Following its restructuring, Hult expanded globally, opening campuses in Dubai in 2008, San Francisco in 2010, Shanghai in 2011, and New York City in 2014. In 2007, Hult acquired Huron University London, a private American university based in London’s Bloomsbury district, which became Hult’s London campus.

A major development occurred in 2014 when Hult merged with Ashridge Business School, creating one of the largest business schools worldwide. From 2015, the two operated as a single entity, with Ashridge Executive Education serving as Hult’s executive education division. Also in 2014, Hult opened its undergraduate campus in London near the City of London financial district.

Hult encourages student rotation between its seven campuses located across three countries. These include two undergraduate and postgraduate campuses in London and Boston, three postgraduate summer rotational campuses in San Francisco, Shanghai, and Dubai, one exclusively postgraduate campus in New York City, and an executive education campus at Ashridge Estate in Hertfordshire. The London undergraduate campus, designed by Sergison Bates Architects, was awarded the Royal Institute of British Architects National Award in 2015.

The school operates global research centres focused on business and market research. It also leads the Hult Prize, an international student competition launched in 2010 in partnership with the United Nations Foundation and the Clinton Global Initiative. The competition challenges students to develop solutions to global social issues, with the winning team receiving a $1 million grant from Bertil Hult to implement their solution.

Hult holds triple accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the Association of MBAs (AMBA), and The European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS). It was the first business school in the United States to receive this triple accreditation, a status held by less than one percent of business schools worldwide. The school is also accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE), the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, Dubai Knowledge, and the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE).

Hult’s programmes have received various rankings. The Master of International Business was ranked 17th worldwide by The Economist in 2019. Ashridge Executive Education appeared 16th in the Financial Times Executive Education Top 50 Schools list in 2020. The Executive MBA was listed among the top 100 in the QS International Trade Rankings in 2022. The school’s MBA and Masters in Management programmes consistently rank within the top 100 globally across independent ranking bodies such as the Financial Times, The Economist, Bloomberg, and Forbes.

In July 2020, Hult partnered with Ernst & Young (EY) to launch the EY Tech MBA by Hult. This is a flexible online MBA programme offered free to all EY employees worldwide. The curriculum includes online learning modules, practical projects, and insight papers, with updates every four months.

Currently, Hult International Business School serves approximately 3,000 students worldwide and has over 19,000 alumni in more than 156 countries. It operates with a focus on international business education, combining global campuses, practical learning, and executive education programmes.

The One-year MBA Programme provides students with a global experience and offers the opportunities to live and study in Boston, San Francisco, London, Dubai, Shanghai, New York, or Sao Paulo. The programme is designed to teach students how to thrive in international business and the curriculum focuses on practical application and gives students valuable tools, training, and hands-on experience. The teaching pedagogy is dedicated to the development of individual, team, and managerial skills and is delivered through five modules and a project management module. Here are the modules and a description of what each one offers.

• Module A: Students build financial and analytical knowledge.
• Module B: Students learn how to sustain successful organisations and maintain a competitive edge in macroeconomic turmoil.
• Module C: Students learn how to execute and lead a business and develop competence in acute areas of business.
• Module D: Students participate in a capstone project and take their choice from a list of electives.
• Module E: Students choose further electives and participate in an international exchange programme.
• Project Management Specialisation: Equips students with the technical and people skills needed to manage projects for multinationals, family businesses and NGOs.

Hult runs their MBA programme based on the “LEAP Method – Learn, Experience, Action Project”. This method ensures students have plenty of hands-on experience and are ready to function in the real-world come graduation. The Executive MBA Programme is a part-time programme designed for professionals looking to enhance their business knowledge and credentials while gaining an international business perspective. The curriculum is delivered over two years and classes are taught four days a month. The LEAP Method and international exchange programme are offered, as well as the fundamental teachings of the MBA programme. Below is the outline for years one and two, provided by Hult.

Hult International Business School is recognised in various international rankings across its programmes. Its Master of International Business was ranked 17th globally by The Economist in 2019. The school’s Ashridge Executive Education was placed 16th in the Financial Times Executive Education Top 50 Schools list in 2020. In 2022, Hult’s Executive MBA was ranked among the top 100 in the QS International Trade Rankings.

The school’s MBA and Masters in Management programmes regularly appear within the top 100 in global rankings by established organisations such as the Financial Times, The Economist, Bloomberg, and Forbes. In the 2024 Financial Times Masters in Management ranking, Hult was positioned 44th overall, with particular recognition for its international student population and career progress. Its Masters in Finance programme ranked 42nd overall, with noted international mobility and salary outcomes.

Hult’s Global MBA programme ranked 86th in the 2024 Financial Times Global MBA rankings, with specific rankings in areas such as environmental, social, and governance (ESG) impact and faculty internationality. The Executive MBA programme achieved 71st overall in the Financial Times 2024 rankings, with notable placements for international student diversity and regional performance.

In The Economist’s 2022 Full-Time MBA rankings, Hult was placed 37th overall and received high marks for overseas alumni chapters and student and faculty diversity. The Executive MBA ranking by The Economist in 2020 placed Hult 53rd overall, ranking first for student diversity and second for geographic diversity.

Additional rankings include placement in Fortune’s 2024 lists, where Hult appeared 28th in the Global Online MBA ranking and 50th in the Executive MBA ranking. The school also ranked 47th overall in the 2024 graduate entrepreneurship programmes listing.

Hult International Business School reports strong employment outcomes for its graduates across various programmes. According to the 2024 Global Careers Report, 95% of Hult graduates are employed or pursuing further education within six months of graduation.

For specific programmes, 95% of MBA graduates secured employment within three months of completing their degrees . Among international One-Year MBA students at U.S. campuses, 73% gained employment in the U.S. Additionally, 50% of Global Online MBA graduates attained director-level positions or higher within 12 months of graduation.

The undergraduate programme also demonstrates positive outcomes, with 80% of graduates employed full-time, 9% starting their own businesses, and 9% joining family businesses.

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