Imperial College Business School

Imperial College Business School is a global business school that forms part of Imperial College, a top-ranking science-based institution in London. Opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 2004, the school fuses business and entrepreneurship with technology.

Its roots trace back to 1955, when an operational research/management science (ORMS) course started – with just five students – at Imperial College in the production engineering section of the mechanical engineering department.

Through various iterations that led to the formation of the London Business School, which is now a separate entity, the school was launched as the Tanaka Business School in 2004, taking the name of alumni donor Gary Tanaka.

The school changed to its current name in 2008, ostensibly to emphasise its association with Imperial College, a university which is ranked by Times Higher Education as the third best university in Europe. It may also have wanted to distance itself from Tanaka, who was that year found guilty of fraud.

About 5 per cent of applicants are accepted into the 15-person, five-year doctoral programme. Students then divide into three research groups: management, finance, amd innovation and entrepreneurship.

The main building is housed at Imperial’s campus in South Kensington, as well as out of another building in South Kensington. There are about 115 academic staff and about 2000 students., with most courses attracting a majority of international students.

Imperial’s most notable landmark is the Queen’s Tower, a remainder of the Imperial Institute, built to mark Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee in 1887.