Institute of Management and Management RANEPA

The oldest Russian business education institution. It traces its origins to the Academy of National Economy, founded in 1988. Originally named the International School of Management, it was renamed in 1995 to the Institute of Business Administration and Management, IBDA. MGIMO participated in shaping this business school. The first EMBA programs for senior executives appeared in Russia in 1998 at this institution, and in 2000 IBDA began offering MBA degrees.

Today the business school hosts four faculties and seven departments offering more than 30 programs. More than two thousand students are enrolled at any given time, and the total number of graduates exceeds forty thousand. The faculty comprises over 200 teachers, and the scientific director of the school’s MBA programs is the renowned Itzhak Adizes.

IBDA maintains membership in various international and Russian associations and collaborates with leading universities and business schools across several countries.

In 2022 the Financial Times ranked IBDA as the 30th best business education institution in Europe. IBDA has led Russian business school rankings for over a decade. The Russian MBA League reports that graduating from IBDA yields an average salary increase of about 82 percent, one of the strongest indicators in the country.

Moscow Business School Skolkovo

Skolkovo Moscow Management School was registered as a private institution in 2005, and enrollment began in 2006.

Founders include both Russian and international companies along with notable individuals. Among them were Ruben Vardanyan, Leonid Mikhelson, Andrey Rappoport, and Konstantin Nikolaev, among others.

These leaders later joined the Coordination Board to address strategic questions for the project and to explore improvements in local and global business education. From 2011 to 2016 the chair of the board was held by the head of the Constitutional Court, Vardanyan, followed by Rapoport. Alexander Kim has led the school since March 2022 as its director.

The campus sits in a village area near the Moscow Ring Road, with the renowned British architect David Adjaye as the designer. Since 2010 Skolkovo Innovation Center has stood adjacent to the school.

As of 2023 the institution offers more than 130 educational programs, including corporate and online formats that began in 2009, plus MBA and EMBA options. Since its inception, around forty thousand individuals have completed courses there.

Skolkovo is active in research and international cooperation with industry. Partners have included Siemens, Cisco, and Nokia. The school has run joint programs with IMD in Switzerland and HKUST in Hong Kong and collaborates with leading global business education bodies.

In 2020 the Financial Times placed Skolkovo 46th in the world for the quality of open and corporate programs, and in 2021 EMBA programs ranked 58th. In 2022 the Russian business newspaper Vedomosti recognized Skolkovo as the best in Russia.

Institute of Business Administration St. Petersburg State University

The idea of creating a business school at St. Petersburg State University emerged in 1992, and the first class began a year later with 33 students. The inaugural president was economist Yuri Pashkus.

In 2005 the school launched an EMBA program in collaboration with leading European business schools, and the GSOM campus opened in 2006.

In 2009 the institution introduced the Master of Management program, becoming the first in Russia to offer MiM. Four years later this program ranked 65th in the Financial Times global list for the first time in Russian business education history. A modern campus expansion followed in 2015.

In 2019 a 5G research laboratory opened at GSOM. By the end of the next year the school had adopted a five-year development plan. In 2021 the school earned accreditation from three major international business education associations, achieving the triple crown status that signals top-tier quality standards.

Today approximately 1.4 thousand students pursue various programs at GSOM SPbU, while more than 9.5 thousand alumni hold degrees. The school maintains more than 200 corporate partners.

Institute of Management, Moscow State University

The school opened in 1989 as the Faculty of Business Administration at Moscow State University. Its first director was Professor Oleg Vikhansky, Doctor of Economics. In 1995 one of Russia’s earliest MBA programs began at the institution, which at that time fostered strong ties with Japanese partners. In 2001 the school adopted its current name and secured a dedicated building on campus.

In 2004 the institute became the only Russian business school to crack the top 100 of the prestigious QS ranking. It has also been listed among the top 40 business education institutions in Europe. EMBA programs began in 2007, and in 2013 Eduniversal named its MBA program the best in Eastern Europe.

The school collaborates with major domestic and international companies and maintains partnerships with more than 40 universities and business schools across Europe, Asia, North America and South America. About 600 students study at the university each year, and the alumni network totals around 3,500 graduates.