What Master's Degrees Does London Business School (LBS) Offer and How Do You Choose One?

London Business School offers master's-level study across several distinct programmes, and the right one depends mainly on how much work experience you have and what you want to do afterwards. The school's own site groups its offerings into Masters Degrees, MBA, Executive Education, LBS Online and PhD, and the Sloan Masters in Leadership and Strategy is described there as an immersive one-year programme for experienced leaders. If you are early in your career, you are looking at the pre-experience master's programmes; if you already have substantial management experience, the Sloan Masters is the relevant route.

The master's programmes at LBS

Based on the school's programme structure, the master's-level options fall into two broad groups.

Pre-experience master's degrees

These are aimed at candidates with little or no full-time work experience who are building a foundation for a career in business, finance or analytics. They are typically full-time and campus-based in London.

• Masters in Management (MiM) — a general management degree for recent graduates who want a broad business foundation before entering industry, consulting or a graduate scheme.
• Masters in Financial Analysis (MFA) — a finance-focused degree for candidates targeting investment banking, asset management, private equity or similar roles.
• Masters in Analytics and Management (MAM) — combines data and analytics skills with management training, for those who want to work at the intersection of business and data.

The Sloan Masters in Leadership and Strategy

This is a different proposition entirely. The LBS site describes it as a one-year immersive programme designed for experienced professionals, with the stated aim of helping participants "discover your true purpose and unlock your potential." It is built around learning alongside senior peers and faculty who consult to major corporations, institutions and governments. It is not an entry-level degree.

How the programmes differ

The key dividing line is experience. The pre-experience degrees assume you are starting out; the Sloan programme assumes you are already established and want to lead at a higher level.

How to choose

Work through these questions in order:

1. How many years of full-time work experience do you have? If you are a recent graduate or have only a year or two, the pre-experience master's programmes are the fit. If you have a decade or more of management experience, the Sloan Masters is designed for you.
2. What is your target function? Finance roles point to the MFA. Data-and-business hybrid roles point to the MAM. General management, consulting or a broad graduate career points to the MiM.
3. Do you want to specialise or generalise? The MFA and MAM are more specialised; the MiM is broader.
4. Are you looking to relaunch or to accelerate? Pre-experience degrees launch careers; the Sloan programme accelerates an existing one.

Finding official details

The LBS website lists Masters Degrees, MBA, Executive Education, LBS Online and PhD as its main programme categories, and each programme has its own page with curriculum, duration, admissions requirements and application details. Start from the Masters Degrees section of london.edu and follow the link for the specific programme you are considering. The site also offers a 360° campus tour and a newsletter (Think at London Business School) if you want to get a feel for the school before applying.

Because admissions requirements, deadlines and fees change, check the individual programme page rather than relying on second-hand summaries.