University of Edinburgh Business School

The Business School is an integral part of one of the world's oldest universities. Granted its royal charter in 1582, it has remained at the forefront of learning throughout its long history. In 1916, the University was encouraged by the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce to consider instituting a degree suitable for study by its members. And so, in October 1919, we had the first students start on our Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) degree. In the same year, the Chair of Accounting and Business Method was also founded, the first in Scotland.

Originally part of the Faculty of Arts, these initiatives led to the creation of the Department of Business Studies and the Department of Accounting and Business Method. The BCom degree survived until the start of the 21st century before giving way to the Master of Arts (MA) in Business Studies. Our Full-time Edinburgh MBA was first offered in 1980, followed by the Part-time MBA in 1984. Since then, over 3,500 students from a wide variety of backgrounds, nationalities and business specialisms have completed these programmes. The precursor to the MBA, the Postgraduate DipBA, dates from 1961. We launched our first MSc in 1996. Since then, our portfolio of MSc programmes has grown significantly and now lies at the forefront of business development in areas such as Finance, International Business, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, and Management.

The Business School has a clear mission, focus and vision for the future, including global rankings amongst all other business schools. Mission is to developing effective and responsible leaders by creating insightful knowledge and inspiring minds in dialogue with the world around us. Vision is to be recognised as a progressive and connected community for thought leadership on the international business stage. Values
The Business School has identified 5 key values that will help us to achieve our vision and thus staff are being encouraged to adopt these wherever possible Visionary, Inspirational, Collaborative, Impactful and Sustainable.

The Business School strives to ensure the quality of our teaching and research. We comply with the Quality Guidelines disseminated by the broader University and publish extensive guidance for staff on the topic. We are committed to equal and fair treatment of all employees and students. A number of policies concerning diversity, support for mental health, support for women, and support for work-life balance are in place, and align with wider University policies concerning these topics. The University of Edinburgh Business School strives to embed sustainability in all our day-to-day activities. Our strategy is informed by the University's Social Responsibility and Sustainability Department (SRS).