INSEAD vs HEC Paris: An MBA Comparison

For those looking to undertake an MBA in Europe, France is one of the most obvious choices. The standard of education is among the highest in the world with many top-ranked institutions to choose from. INSEAD and HEC Paris are regularly recognized as the two most prestigious in the country. In fact, INSEAD was the first business school in Europe to offer the MBA course.

If you’re choosing between the two, find out how their MBA courses differ:

Length and format of program

Fees and funding

Admissions

Class profile

Inside the MBA classroom

INSEAD

Students can engage in pre-MBA elements in ‘Period 0’, including a business foundations week, language classes and webinars. Core courses take up the first two periods, including financial accounting, organizational behavior, corporate financial policy & processes and operations management.

From period three onwards, students can choose from around 90 electives (taking four in period three, four in period four and three in period five). Elective topics include economics & political science, finance and technology & operations management. You will also complete a capstone project in period five.

Many electives offer students the chance to learn outside the classroom, with field trips to locations such as China and Silicon Valley. Participants have the chance to spend at least one period at another INSEAD campus – including Fontainebleau, Singapore and Abu Dhabi. You can also spend period four or five at one of INSEAD’s partner schools: The Wharton School, China Europe International Business School (CEIBS), or The Kellogg School of Management.

Throughout the program, students undertake the Personal Leadership Development Program (PLDP) which uses personalized coaching to develop interpersonal skills and effective communication.

HEC Paris

The 16-month program is divided into two eight-month phases: fundamental and customized. The first two terms are fundamental, where you will learn core business skills. Term one modules include managerial economics, statistics & business analytics and marketing. Modules in term two cover ethics & sustainability, operations management and corporate finance, among others. Both terms in the fundamental phase include business simulations.

Terms three and four are the customized phase. In term three you can choose to complete eight electives (plus an optional internship); or four electives and an MBA project (and/or an optional internship); or an international exchange (plus optional internship). In term four, participants can either select an MBA specialization or an international exchange.

There are seven specializations available: entrepreneurship, finance, advanced management, strategic marketing, strategy, digital innovation and sustainable & disruptive innovation. HEC’s partner schools span five continents and include HKUST Business School, London Business School and The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, plus many, many more.

Outside the MBA classroom

INSEAD

Career development is integral to INSEAD’s MBA program. As soon as, or even before you start your program, the career development team recommends you consider your career plan. Throughout the course, the career development center organizes a series of activities including workshops, training, panel discussions and one-on-one counselling sessions.

Their employment stats are impressive, with 91 percent of graduates landing jobs within three months of graduating. Students also benefit from a fantastic salary uplift of 127 percent on average post-graduation.

INSEAD promotes a ‘work hard, play hard’ approach to MBA life on campus. They run a variety of clubs and activities for students to get involved in, including business and industry focused clubs to boost career prospects through networking events, annual forums and trips. There are sports clubs if you’d like to participate in INSEAD’s sporting traditions, plus social clubs for students to pursue personal interests and meet new people.

INSEAD has three campuses, the original near Paris, France – one of the financial hearts of Europe; one in Singapore, one of the most dynamic and business-focused locations in Asia; and one in Abu Dhabi, an entrepreneurial hub in the Middle East. INSEAD pioneers the multi-campus approach as a method to increase students’ international experience.

HEC Paris

The HEC Paris careers center offers a number of services to help participants achieve their professional goals. This includes one-on-one career coaching, recruiting events, career workshops and access to alumni.

HEC has some seriously impressive career stats, with 93 percent of students hired within 3 months after graduation and enjoying a whopping 152 percent post-MBA salary increase.

The school prides itself on having a huge variety of extracurricular activities on and off campus for MBA participants to enjoy. Cultural Weeks celebrate the diverse student body, with student-led weeks offering a five-day immersion of different cultures (such as Japanese Cultural Week).

Students play an active role in the running of the school, with MBA participants having their own student government, the MBA Council. Representatives liaise between the MBA student body and faculty and organize a variety of fun on- and off-campus social activities.

There is also a wide range of professional clubs to expand your network and build knowledge, plus social clubs to pursue outside interests.

HEC is built around a 19th-century château, on a woodland campus close to Versailles and Paris in Jouy-en-Josas. Its proximity to the heart of France, and one of Europe’s major business cities, makes it perfect for MBAs moving into the business world.