Cranfield School of Management

School

Cranfield School of Management is one of the oldest business schools in Europe. As part of Cranfield University, the UK’s only wholly postgraduate university, it is uniquely placed to connect technology and leadership. Its contribution to global innovation is world-leading, changing the way society thinks, works and learns.

Location

Cranfield School of Management is located in Cranfield, a village in the west of Bedfordshire, England. It is a peaceful location in the countryside, but only a short distance from other cities and towns. Positioned between the modern city of Milton Keynes and the country town of Bedford, Cranfield offers a range of social, recreational, and sporting opportunities.

Cranfield’s vast campus consists of its own airport(!), two hotels, sports and recreation facilities, student accommodation blocks, and a technology park where you’ll find several businesses. All campus amenities are within walking distance, including bars, shops, a post office, a bank, a bookshop, and a sports center. The university also provides an on-campus nursery and pre-school.

Accreditations

Cranfield School of Management is part of an elite group of schools worldwide to hold the triple accreditation of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS), and the Association of MBAs (AMBA).

Programs

Cranfield School of Management offers three MBA programs. The Cranfield MBA is a one-year, full-time general management program, with a focus on practical learning and leadership development. Cranfield’s full-time MBA is for professionals with at least three years of work experience.

The Cranfield Executive MBA is a 28-month, part-time program, offered in partnership with Grant Thornton, one of the world’s largest accounting firms. This program is designed for senior leaders with mid-to-senior-level experience and a minimum of five years’ work experience.

Lastly, the Cranfield Senior Leader Apprenticeship+ Executive MBA – also offered jointly with Grant Thornton – is a 28-month, part-time program for students seeking a Senior Leader Apprenticeship+ Executive MBA via the Apprenticeship Levy. Cranfield is the first school to run the Senior Leadership Apprenticeship in the UK. It is a Level 7 Apprenticeship, which means it’s the highest-level apprenticeship on offer for students.

Scholarships

Cranfield School of Management has a wide range of scholarship opportunities, ranging from sector-specific scholarships to diversity and inclusion scholarships to alumni-sponsored scholarships.

The Exceptional Student Scholarship, for example, is the most competitive scholarship in the Cranfield MBA. It covers 100% of the tuition fees and is awarded to the candidate who Cranfield deems most promising (based on past academic success and career progression, GMAT scores, and other personal and professional attributes).

Fun fact

The Cranfield campus has its own airport! Owned by Cranfield University, Cranfield Airport is available for private air travel, bringing general and business travelers to London in less than 60 minutes.

The airport officially opened in 1937 and is now undergoing a new development with plans for an Air Park. The Air Park will help Cranfield University develop a state-of-the-art airport for private jets and maintain the airport for Cranfield University’s research objectives.

Cranfield University offers postgraduate courses in aerospace, defense and security, energy and power, and manufacturing and transport systems, including airport planning and management.