Cambridge Judge Business School

Cambridge Judge Business School

Former names	Judge Institute of Management Studies (1990–2005) Judge Business School (2005–2010)
Type	Public
Established	1990
Parent institution	University of Cambridge
Dean	Gishan Dissanaike
Academic staff	80
Students	≈900
Address	Old Addenbrooke's Site, Trumpington Street , Cambridge , United Kingdom 52°12′01″N0°07′17″E / 52.200224°N 0.121461°E / 52.200224; 0.121461
Campus	Urban
Website	www.jbs.cam.ac.uk

Cambridge Judge Business School is the business school of the University of Cambridge. The School is a provider of management education. It is named after Sir Paul Judge, a founding benefactor of the school. ^[1] The School is a department of the university's School of Technology administrative group. ^[2]

The School is embedded in the high tech cluster called the Silicon Fen, ^{[3] [4]} with its own accelerator ^[5] and close ties with Cambridge Enterprise, ^[6] the university's technology transfer office.

The School is situated on the site of the Old Addenbrooke's Site on Trumpington Street, near the Fitzwilliam Museum. The building was converted by John Outram, and in 2018, a new adjacent building was opened to host classes and executive education activity: the Simon Sainsbury Centre. ^[7]

History

Cambridge Judge Business School

Interior of Cambridge Judge Business School

Founding and early years

The School was established in 1990 as the Judge Institute for Management Studies. ^[8] In 1991, donations from Sir Paul and Lady Judge, together with the Monument Trust, provided the funds for the construction of a building for the newly formed business school. Architect John Outram was appointed to the project, which was completed in August 1995 and officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II.

Prior to the founding of the business school, management studies had been taught at the university since 1954.^{[ citation needed ]}

Name changes

In September 2005, the Judge Institute of Management Studies was renamed as the Judge Business School. It then adopted the title Cambridge Judge Business School during 2010, and revised its logo to read "University of Cambridge Judge Business School" rather than "Cambridge Judge Business School" in November 2010.

Benefactor Sir Paul Judge died in 2017.

Architecture

John Outram converted the listed ward blocks and arcades of the old hospital building, and rebuilt the central block into a space that now contains a library, common room, seminar and teaching rooms, floating staircases and balconies, break-out boxes and the main hall. He also added three new buildings:

• The Ark, containing rooms for faculty, research graduates, and administrative staff.
• The Castle, containing two key lecture theatres and MBA teaching spaces and room.
• The Gallery, an 80 feet (24.5m) high space containing seminar rooms, multi-level circulation routes, and part of the hall. ^[9]

Programs

PhD and Research Masters

CJBS provides Ph.D. and advanced master's degrees, such as an MPhil in Innovation Strategy and Organisation and an MPhil Strategy, Marketing and Operations. These courses have the highest entry requirements within the Judge Business School with the lowest acceptance rates of less than 10%. All students on the research programs have received either first class honours or a 4.0 GPA for their undergraduate studies. ^[10]

Business Doctorate

The Business Doctorate (BusD) is a four-year full-time research-based doctorate for senior business leaders with at least 20 years of professional experience. ^[11] To date, only five persons have enrolled or graduated from the program, including Lord Karan Bilimoria. ^[12] The degree costs £230,000 in tuition in its entirety, making it one of the most expensive degree programs in the world. ^{[13] [14]}

MBA

The full-time Cambridge MBA is the flagship MBA program of the university. As of 2022 ^[update] , there are 210 students attending the 12-month program, of which 96% come from outside of the UK, and 47% of students are women. ^[15] Admissions standards are high, with an average Graduate Management Admission Test score of 680. ^[15] The average age of students on the full-time MBA is 29 ^[15] and generally students come with extensive work experience. ^[16] MBA students from Cambridge Judge Business School and Oxford's Saïd Business School maintain a friendly rivalry and have numerous opportunities throughout the year to meet for athletic events and business conferences. ^[17]

Master of Accounting

The Cambridge Master of Accounting is a part-time, two-year degree program in accounting and related fields. ^[18] The curriculum is designed to help students learn to make complex decisions in the face of ambiguity relying on knowledge of accounting standards, judgment, and discretion; formulate questions, gather data, apply statistical techniques, and persuasively communicate inferences; and to anticipate and incorporate innovation. ^[19]

The program is oriented towards leadership and change management, not technical professional certification. Core courses include data and descriptive analytics, policy discussion regarding audit practice, financial reporting, and sustainability reporting, and courses in change management and interpersonal dynamics. The Cambridge MAcc is designed to accelerate students for leadership roles within current employment or help students transition to roles such as accounting firm partnership, CFO, Controller, financial leadership, market regulator, climate-related or social-related disclosure, and finance or accounting public policy.

Master of Studies in Entrepreneurship

The Master's in Entrepreneurship (MStE) is a two-year, part-time academic program focusing on developing impactful entrepreneurs and growing entrepreneurial ventures. MStE combines online modules with in-person residencies, blending theoretical concepts with practical skills and offering opportunities to build valuable networks. The curriculum includes core courses on idea generation, audience persuasion, strategic capability development, and team management. The program includes 58 students with an average age of 31, representing 30 industries and 21 countries of residence. Dr. Monique Ingrid Boddington, Associate Professor of Management Practice, directs the Master's in Entrepreneurship program. ^[20]

Executive MBA

The School also offers the "Cambridge Executive MBA" for those who have already reached a senior level in their organisations or professions, and are seeking to study part-time while maintaining their current role. As of 2017, the average age of students is 38, with around 14 years of working experience, who from a wide range of professional backgrounds. ^[21]

Currently, Khaled Soufani serves as the Director of the Cambridge Executive MBA programme. Kamiar Mohaddes serves as the programme's Deputy Director.

Master of Finance

The Master of Finance ^[22] is a one-year specialist finance course designed for people with at least two years' experience in the finance and banking world who wish to accelerate their career in finance. The course is designed to give students a rigorous grounding in the theory and practice of finance. ^{[23] [24]} It combines a set of core courses that provide the theoretical and statistical foundations for a range of electives that cover the main areas of applied finance. There are three compulsory projects and one optional one, which help students to integrate theory and practice. ^{[23] [24]}

MPhil Management

The Master in Management ^[25] is a one-year full-time, pre-experience postgraduate program designed for students who have not previously studied business or management and who wish to pursue a professional career in business. This program aims to admit and educate outstanding students, both academically and in terms of personality and maturity, who are likely to become leaders in their chosen fields. The core of the MPhil in Management covers quantitative methods, accounting, organisational behavior and analysis and marketing (foundation); business economics, finance and strategy (consolidation), operations management and the Management Consulting Project (implementation). This is complemented by a range of electives aligned to potential careers in management.

MPhil Finance

The MPhil Finance is a one-year postgraduate course in finance designed for people with no prior work experience. The program combines advanced study and research and is especially suitable for students intending to continue to a Ph.D. although the majority of graduates decides to work in the financial industry. Based on the number of applications, the MPhil Finance program is the most competitive degree offered by the whole of the University of Cambridge; applicants need the equivalent to a first class degree to even be considered. ^[26] Students on the MPhil Finance program can choose from a variety of modules offered by the business school, the Faculty of Economics and the Math Faculty.

MPhil Technology Policy

The MPhil in Technology Policy is an intensive, nine-month masters programme designed for people with a background in science or engineering who are interested in developing the skills needed to meet the challenges of: integrating technology, management, economics and policy. ^[27]

MSt Social Innovation

Business School International Rankings
European MBA Ranking
QS (2025) [28]	3
Financial Times (2024) [29]	8
Global MBA Ranking
QS (2025) [30]	7
Financial Times (2024) [29]	29

The Master of Studies in Social Innovation is a part-time postgraduate program for practitioners in the business, public and social sectors.

Executive Education open and custom programs

The Executive Education portfolio consists of over 20 open enrollment programs, typically two-day to three-week programs covering fundamental business management topics such as: finance, marketing, general management and strategy. These programs are taught by Cambridge Judge Business School faculty and academic staff from the wider University of Cambridge community.

Cambridge Judge Business School also offers custom programs which are tailored to the specific learning and development requirements of an organisation. Programs are delivered internationally in areas such as leadership, strategy and finance.^{[ citation needed ]}

Other

• Professional Practice Masters and Diplomas
• Programs for members of the University of Cambridge
• The Digital Business Academy
• DisruptEd Venture Creation Weekend: An annual intensive mentoring weekend to encourage and support new edtech start-ups. ^[31]
• The Judge Business School collaborates with the Cambridge Centre for Development Studies for the MPhil in Development Studies. ^[32]

Research centers

• Alternative Finance
• Business Research
• Chinese Management
• Circular Economy
• Endowment Asset Management
• Experimental & Behavioral Economics
• Finance
• Financial Reporting & Accountability
• Health Leadership & Enterprise
• India & Global Business
• International Human Resource Management
• Process Excellence & Innovation
• Psychometrics
• Risk Studies
• Social Innovation
• Wo+Men's Leadership Center ^[33]

Research Excellence Framework

In the most recent Research Excellence Framework conducted in 2021, the Judge Business School was ranked the number one research department in the UK for business and management studies. ^[34]

Directors of the School (Deans)

• Prof Stephen Watson, 1990 to 1994 ^[35]
• Dame Sandra Dawson, 1995 to 2006 ^[36]
• Prof Arnoud De Meyer, 2006 to August 2010 ^[37]
• Prof Geoff Meeks, acting director, September 2010 to August 2011 ^[38]
• Prof Christoph Loch, 2011 to 2021 ^[39]
• Prof Mauro Guillen September 2021 ^[40] to June 2023 ^[41]
• Prof Gishan Dissanaike Interim Dean, July 2023 to 30 November 2024 ^[42]
• Prof Gishan Dissanaike 1 December 2024 onward ^[43]

Notable alumni

• Diezani Alison-Madueke, politician and former President of OPEC
• Ben Barry, author and entrepreneur
• Semaan Bassil, Chairman & General Manager of Byblos Bank S.A.L.
• Alison Brittain, CEO of Whitbread, Former head of Lloyds Banking Group
• Badr Jafar, CEO of Crescent Enterprises
• Sacha McMeeking, New Zealand academic, lawyer and activist
• Maggie O'Carroll, co-founder of The Women's Organisation
• Ollie Phillips (rugby union), former Captain of England Sevens and '7s World Rugby Player of the Year'
• Tom Ransley, British rower and Olympic gold medalist
• Eben Upton, co-founder of the Raspberry Pi Foundation
• Zhang Zetian, chief fashion adviser at JD.com

Notable faculty

• Dame Sandra Dawson (academic), KPMG Professor of Management Studies from 1995 to 2013, and Director of the School from 1995 to 2006, Fellow and former Master of Sidney Sussex
• Prof Mark de Rond, Professor of Organisational Ethnography, Fellow of Darwin College
• Prof Gishan Dissanaike, Adam Smith Professor of Corporate Governance, Fellow of Hughes Hall
• Prof Christoph Loch, Professor of Management Studies and Former Director of the School (2011 to 2021), Fellow of Pembroke College
• Prof Christopher Marquis, Sinyi Professor of Chinese Management, Fellow of Jesus College
• Prof Sucheta Nadkarni, until October 2019, Sinyi Professor of Chinese Management, Fellow of Newnham College
• Prof Jaideep Prabhu, Nehru Professor of Indian Enterprise, Fellow of Clare College
• Prof Raghavendra Rau, Rothschild Professor of Finance
• Prof Thomas Roulet, Professor of Organisational Sociology and Leadership, Fellow of King's College

References

1. "Benefactors". Cambridge Judge Business School. Archived from the original on 1 October 2012. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
2. "School of Technology". www.tech.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
3. "The winning formula behind Cambridge's Silicon Fen success story". Financial Times. 3 July 2019. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
4. Allen, Nathan. "The University of Cambridge's Cambridge Judge Business School". Poets&Quants. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
5. "Accelerate Cambridge". Cambridge Judge Business School.
6. site., Who made this. "Home - Cambridge Enterprise". Cambridge Enterprise.
7. "Simon Sainsbury Centre, Cambridge Judge Business School". www.architecture.com. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
8. "History and today". Cambridge Judge Business School. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
9. "Judge institute, Cambridge :- By JOA". www.johnoutram.com. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
10. "MPhil in ISO class profile". Cambridge Judge Business School.
11. "Business Doctorate - PhD & research masters". Cambridge Judge Business School. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
12. "Our Business Doctorate students - Business Doctorate". Cambridge Judge Business School. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
13. "The University of Cambridge is planning one of the most expensive business degrees in the world". The Independent. 21 May 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
14. "7 of the most expensive degrees in the world". The Independent. 29 December 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
15. "The MBA at Cambridge Judge Business School: class profile of 2022". jbs.cam.ac.uk. Cambridge Judge Business School. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
16. "MBA class profile". Cambridge Judge Business School. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
17. "Oxford Saïd vs Cambridge Judge: An MBA Comparison". TopMBA.com. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
18. "Cambridge Master of Accounting (MAcc)". Cambridge Judge Business School. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
19. "Cambridge Master Of Accounting Review | Curriculum, Class Profile & Application". www.businessbecause.com. 23 June 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
20. "Master of Studies in Entrepreneurship". Cambridge Judge Business School. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
21. "Class overview". Cambridge Judge Business School. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
22. "Master of Finance (MFin)". Cambridge Judge Business School. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
23. "Core courses". Cambridge Judge Business School.
24. "Projects". Cambridge Judge Business School.
25. "MPhil in Management". Cambridge Judge Business School. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
26. "Simon Taylor's Blog: Financial Times rankings". 19 June 2011. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
27. Anonymous (25 June 2015). "MPhil in Technology Policy". www.postgraduate.study.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
28. "QS Europe MBA Rankings 2025". Quacquarelli Symonds.
29. "Global MBA Ranking 2024". Financial Times. 11 February 2024.
30. "QS Global MBA Rankings 2025". Quacquarelli Symonds.
31. "Top six edtech start-ups are named". 12 March 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
32. "Course Details". 30 March 2016.
33. "Home". Cambridge Judge Business School. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
34. "REF 2021: Business and management studies". Times Higher Education (THE). 12 May 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
35. "Professor Stephen Watson | Fellows | Contact | Emmanuel College, Cambridge". www.emma.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
36. "Dame Sandra Dawson". Cambridge Judge Business School. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
37. "Professor Arnoud De Meyer to step down as director of Cambridge Judge Business School » FINCHANNEL". FINCHANNEL » Save Ukraine The FINANCIAL -- Professor Arnoud De Meyer, director of Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, will resign from his tenure at the end of August 2010 to become president of Singapore Management University (SMU). His new appointment begins 1 September 2010. 18 January 2010. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
38. "Cambridge Judge Business School names new Director". Business Weekly. 15 February 2011.
39. "Director Christoph Loch". Cambridge Judge Business School. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
40. Byrne, John A. (10 March 2021). "Poets&Quants | Cambridge Taps A Wharton Prof For Its New Dean". Poets&Quants. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
41. "Professor Mauro Guillén stepping down as Dean of Cambridge Judge Business School at the end of June 2023 - News & insight". Cambridge Judge Business School. 26 January 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
42. "Professor Gishan Dissanaike appointed Interim Dean of Cambridge Judge - News & insight". 25 May 2023.
43. "Cambridge Judge Business School appoints new Dean - News & insight". 28 November 2024.

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