Senior leadership teams are lifting their eyes from the spreadsheets to look at the map. At the start of 2026, commercial and political tensions are reshaping strategy through rising costs, shifting timelines and, above all, a growing loss of predictability in the economic and regulatory frameworks that underpin healthy trade relationships. US tariff policy has returned to centre stage, with measures affecting critical technology components, including AI-linked semiconductors, directly impacting supply chains and investment decisions.

Rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI), accelerating digitalisation, geopolitical uncertainty, and rising demands for accountability are reshaping what society expects from business leaders and from the institutions that educate them. Reputation and curriculum breadth alone are no longer sufficient. Students, employers, accreditors, and ranking bodies are increasingly focused on a more demanding question: what measurable outcomes does an MBA deliver, and how effectively does it prepare graduates for an AI-driven world?

In Peering into the Immediate Future of MBAs, Prof. Alon Rozen examines how generative AI is fundamentally reshaping MBA education, not simply as a tool or a discrete subject, but as an ever-present force influencing how business schools teach, assess and define leadership. Now, in 2026, AI has moved beyond being an optional addition to curricula and has become embedded across MBA programmes, shaping classroom practices, faculty roles, accreditation requirements and broader societal expectations.

Northern Kentucky University is partnering with Risepoint, an education technology company, to expand its online Master of Business Administration program with two new concentrations in artificial intelligence and supply chain analytics. These additional degree paths will prepare professionals to lead in industries that are rapidly changing with technology and data.

As a student in the Rutgers Part-Time MBA Program, James Kindelsperger mastered some skills that allowed him to succeed through four years of studies. A working professional with a full-time job and a young father with a wife who had her own career, Kindelsperger faced the task of coordinating schedules, "being there for everyone," and often collaborating with classmates with responsibilities of their own.

In the 1980s, the primary motivation for doing an MBA was probably a desire to master marketing, as that was seen as the shortest career path to the C-suite. In the 1990s, it was a desire for well-paying jobs in finance that drove many to pursue an MBA (with the exception of marketers who were being promoted and realised that (oops!) they knew nothing about marketing).

When Faith Ann Norman left her job at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, few would have guessed that she was headed to Barcelona, not for vacation but to earn an MBA and transform her professional identity. A registered nurse with five years of surgical experience, Norman had built a solid career specializing in neurosurgery and otolaryngology...

Our Full-Time MBA begins the academic year with a renewed focus on innovation, diversity, and social impact, all while maintaining its well-established global standing. The program is currently ranked 8th in the world by the Financial Times. This year’s class brings together 180 students from 54 nations, 42% of whom are women, reflecting Esade’s international character and its strength as a global hub for talent and ideas.

The USF MBA is more than a degree—it’s an immersive, career-shaping experience at the heart of one of the world’s most dynamic business hubs. USF’s MBA isn’t confined to the classroom. Through client projects with leading companies, access to top industry conferences, and daily networking opportunities...

Q: What makes Deakin University’s MBA experience unique? We have designed the Deakin MBA around flexibility, industry relevance, and leadership with real-world impact. We know our students are balancing busy professional and personal lives, so we’ve designed a program that fits around them, whether that means studying on-campus, online, or through immersive experiences like international consulting projects, study tours, or residential intensives, or a bit of all of these.

Earlier this year, I had the privilege of attending the Accounting for Sustainability Summit in London, hosted by S&P Global and the Accounting for Sustainability (A4S) network. The Accounting for Sustainability initiative was established in 2004 by King Charles III, who was then the Prince of Wales. His vision was to inspire finance leaders to embed environmental and social considerations into the heart of business strategy and decision-making.