IMD business school for management and leadership courses

Accreditations

Accreditation labels signal quality to prospective participants and underline IMD’s commitment to delivering the very highest standards in real learning and real impact.

Since 2004, IMD has sustained the premier “triple-crown” of AACSB, European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) EQUIS, and AMBA accreditations, and, in 2022, IMD earned Swiss institutional accreditation, confirming IMD’s commitment to delivering the highest quality teaching, research and services. 

Swiss Accreditation Council

IMD is accredited by the Swiss Accreditation Council as a university institute. This decision strengthens IMD’s membership in the Swiss higher education ecosystem and consolidates its reputation as an academic institution.

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)

AACSB provides internationally recognized, specialized accreditation for business and accounting programs at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral level.

EFMD Quality Improvement System (EQUIS)

The fundamental objective of EQUIS, linked to the mission of EFMD, is to raise the standard of management education worldwide.

Association of MBAs (AMBA)

AMBA accreditation represents the highest standard of achievement in postgraduate business education and is earned only by the best programs.

Program rankings

IMD’s commitment to excellence is reflected in sustained top rankings from the Financial Times and other influential business publications. 

Across multiple rankings, IMD routinely ranks as among the best in international faculty and the international diversity of participants. The school’s top places in the Financial Times open and custom program rankings are driven by high sub-scores in the categories assessing faculty quality, teaching materials & methods, and aims achieved.

Executive Education Rankings
  • #2 worldwide for open programs – 2022 (Financial Times)
  • #3 worldwide for combined ranking (open and custom programs) – 2022 (Financial Times)
  • In the Top 3 worldwide for executive education / combined ranking for open & custom programs since 2012 (Financial Times)
  • In the Top 4 worldwide for combined ranking for 18 years in a row (Financial Times)
MBA rankings
  • #1 MBA international 1-year program – 2019 (Forbes)
  • #1 MBA program in Europe – 2022-2023 (Bloomberg Businessweek)
  • #1 MBA program worldwide for criteria on international students; international faculty – 2022 (Financial Times)
  • #1 in International faculty and faculty with doctorates
  • #3 in International students
  • #6 in International mobility
  • 89% aims achieved
  • Overall satisfaction of 9.53 out of 10
  • #4 Best International MBA programs – 2021-2022 (Poets & Quants Ranking)
EMBA rankings
  • #1 EMBA program worldwide for criteria on international faculty; languages – 2022 (Financial Times)
  • # 1 in international faculty and faculty with doctorate
  • #6 in International students
  • # 2 in work experience
  • Overall satisfaction of 9.4 out of 10

Partnerships

Responsible Research for Business and Management (RRBM)

Responsible Research for Business and Management (RRBM) is dedicated to inspiring, encouraging, and supporting credible and useful research in the business and management disciplines.

Positive impact in Switzerland

Business School Impact System

In recognition of conducting a comprehensive impact assessment, IMD was honored with the prestigious Business School Impact System (BSIS) label from EFMD. The label recognizes business schools on the forefront of measuring their local impacts.

With the label, IMD became one of the approximately one dozen pioneering business schools to hold the three elite accreditations and the BSIS seal.

Principles for Responsible Management Education

The Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) is a United Nations-supported initiative founded in 2007 as a platform to raise the profile of sustainability in schools around the world.

 

EcoVadis Corporate Social Responsibility

The EcoVadis Corporate Social Responsibility rating methodology measures the quality of a company’s CSR management system through its policies, actions, and results.

IMD has stepped up its action and measurement efforts in the area of sustainability in recent years, resulting in clear year-on-year progression. . For 2022, the academic’s rating improved to gold, putting it among the top 5% of companies in its industry.

Vaud+ Label

VAUD+ is a label, created by the Vaud Promotion (Canton of Vaud, Switzerland), to increase the notoriety, competitiveness, and attractiveness of the region. IMD was honored to be named one of the inaugural VAUD+ ambassadors.

Information security

ISO 27001

IMD was certified by PECB MS for meeting ISO 27001 Information Security Management standards. Earning ISO 27001 certification demonstrates commitment to the highest information security expectations of customers, employees, and business partners.

ISO 27701

IMD is certified also for meeting ISO 27701 Privacy Information Management System standards. This certification focuses on the protection of personally identifiable information and maps to GDPR requirements.