Country Vignette: Pre-experience graduate management education in the United Kingdom

Discover how UK GME has evolved and the forces driving change.

Overview

The Country Vignette Series has been developed to illustrate how pre-experience business master's degrees have evolved over a ten-year period. Focusing on the supply of, and demand for, English-language taught master's programs in a single country, each vignette combines quantitative data-compiled from GMAC research on the entire market-with qualitative insights from domestic business schools.

Quick Facts

The provision of management education in the UK was initially stimulated in the years following the second world war (1946-1950) as the UK sought to tackle poor productivity. Successive waves of development resulted in the creation of the first national schools – London Business School and Manchester Business School – and a broader landscape of graduate management education programs and schools emerged. As employers have reduced the role they play in graduate development, they have looked to universities to provide rounded individuals with knowledge and skills beyond their field of study and this has contributed to the growth in business master’s programs. Drawing a significant proportion of students from outside the UK, only time will tell what impact Brexit and changes to the work-study visa will have on international student numbers.