Copenhagen Business School

What Copenhagen Business School does

Copenhagen Business School (CBS) is a publicly funded Danish university founded in 1917 and headquartered at Solbjerg Plads 3, Frederiksberg. It delivers undergraduate, graduate, and executive business education to prospective bachelor students, master's candidates, mid-career professionals, and international exchange students, and conducts research across business economics, social sciences, languages, and management. The institution operates a portfolio of 15 bachelor programs, more than 28 master programs, three MBA formats (Full-time, Executive, and Executive MBA in Shipping and Logistics), executive master degrees (MBD, Management Development, Public Governance, Master i Skat), HD graduate diplomas, a Summer University, PhD programs, and short executive certificates. CBS holds triple-crown international accreditation (AMBA, AACSB, EQUIS) and is a CEMS MIM partner, providing differentiation through globally portable credentials.

Revenue flows from degree tuition (bachelor, master, executive education), government appropriations as a public institution, and external research grants including ERC Advanced Grants and Danish Sapere Aude funding. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer via the cbs.dk application portals for degree programs, supplemented by community-led engagement through hosted conferences such as Green Minds Gather 2026, Climate Risk and Expected Returns, and the Leadership in AI conference. Leadership sits with President Peter Møllgaard, Deputy President Inger Askehave, Dean of Research Morten Frederiksen, Dean of Education Anna Thomasson, and University Director Arnold Boon.

The 2026 strategic agenda centers on ministerially approved expansion into AI-business hybrid education and strategic financial management, plus applied sustainability research through the EU Switch Asia Green Threads Project with Foundation for MSME Clusters, SIDBI, and Young Entrepreneurs Society in India, and climate-finance research via the CBS-hosted Pension Research Centre (PeRCent). CBS Permahaven and the AI-assisted CBS Library signal incremental internal capability buildout, while GDPR compliance, GDPR-compliant privacy operations, and a 2025 whistleblower disclosure (two reports, one dismissed, one resolved) reflect standard public-sector governance.

Name

Copenhagen Business School

Legal name

Copenhagen Business School

Website

https://cbs.dk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1917

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Copenhagen Business School is a publicly funded Danish university offering 15 bachelor programs, 28+ master programs, and executive MBAs, serving prospective students, mid-career professionals, and international exchange learners with triple-crown accredited business education and sustainability research.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education / Business School

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Business Schools and Computer and Management Training (6114), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

International Business & Global Management Schools (EDAHAHAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Undergraduate Business Schools (BBA/BSBA Programs) (EDAHAHAA)

Keywords

• Higher education
• Business school
• Executive education
• MBA programs
• Graduate diplomas

Headquarters

HQ city

Copenhagen

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tuition and degree programs: Revenue from bachelor, master, and graduate degree programs including tuition fees for domestic and international students.
2. Executive education and continuing education: Revenue from HD programs, MBA programs (Full-time MBA, Executive MBA, Executive MBA in Shipping and Logistics), Master of Business Development, Master of Management Development, Master of Public Governance, Master i Skat, and executive certificates.
3. Research grants and project funding: CBS receives research funding from EU programs (EU Switch Asia – Green Threads Project) and Danish research councils (Sapere Aude grants, ERC grants).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Copenhagen Business School is a public university that delivers business and management education through undergraduate bachelor programmes, graduate master programmes, MBA programmes (Full-time, Executive, and Executive MBA in Shipping and Logistics), executive Master programmes, HD graduate diplomas, PhD research training, and short-form executive certificates and summer courses. Offerings are taught in English and Danish, accredited by AMBA, AACSB, and EQUIS, and supported by a research library, research centers, and corporate training partnerships.

Product overview

Copenhagen Business School (CBS) operates as a comprehensive university-level business school offering a unified portfolio of educational products across multiple delivery formats. The core offering consists of undergraduate (15 bachelor programmes) and graduate programmes (28+ master programmes), alongside executive education products including Full-time MBA, Executive MBA (with specialized variants in Shipping and Logistics), and specialized Master programmes (MBD, MPG, Master i Skat). The institution also offers HD-uddannelser (graduate diploma programmes), Summer University courses, Executive Certificates, and CBS Executive Upgrade for lifelong learning. Support services include the CBS Library with AI-assisted search capabilities, and the Permahaven sustainability initiative. All offerings are delivered under the unified CBS brand with international accreditations (AMBA, AACSB, EQUIS).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bachelor Programmes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Council for Return ExpectationscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 August 2026Joint conference organizer with CBS on Climate Risk and Expected Returns. The Council is a Danish financial sector body focused on return expectations in investment markets.
• Pension Research Centre (PeRCent)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 August 2026PeRCent is a CBS-hosted research center that co-organizes the Climate Risk and Expected Returns conference with the Council for Return Expectations, focusing on long-term return expectations and climate risk.
• Foundation for MSME Clusters (FMC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 April 2026FMC partnered with CBS, Young Entrepreneurs Society, and SIDBI to organize a Green Financing Workshop for Panipat's textile MSMEs. The workshop introduced green financing products, EU sustainability regulations (ESPR, EPR, WSR), and launched Digital Product Passport pilot programs.
• Young Entrepreneurs Society (YES)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 April 2026YES partnered with CBS, Foundation for MSME Clusters, and SIDBI to organize the EU Switch Asia – Green Threads Project workshop in Panipat, India, focusing on sustainable textile production and green financing.
• SIDBIcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 April 2026SIDBI (Small Industries Development Bank of India) collaborated with CBS and other partners to deliver green financing workshops and support schemes for textile MSMEs under the EU Switch Asia Green Threads Project.
• EU Switch Asia - Green Threads ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 April 2026EU-funded regional program implemented in collaboration with CBS, focusing on promoting sustainable practices and green financing access for textile sector MSMEs in India.
• CEMS - The Global Alliance in Management EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCBS partners with CEMS to offer the Master in International Management (MIM), providing students with international business education and global network access.
• Erasmus ProgrammecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCBS participates in the Erasmus exchange program, enabling student mobility and collaboration with European universities.
• SMI DIGITAL (Ship Management International)minorOthersCBS participated in SMI DIGITAL's industry survey on maritime trends, contributing insights on changing leadership demographics and providing perspective on the sector's digital transformation.
• START - Centre for Sustainable Agrifood SystemscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSTART Centre at CBS hosts the Green Minds Gather 2026 conference, bringing together research, policy, and industry stakeholders around green transition in agrifood systems.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• HEC Paris: Top-tier European business school with deeper global brand, larger research footprint and premium pricing. Comparable program structure (Grande École, MBA, executive) but at a higher prestige and price tier.
• Imperial College Business School: UK-based business school within a STEM-strong research university. Comparable in triple-crown accreditation and program breadth, with stronger STEM/finance brand and London location premium.
• IESE Business School: Elite European business school (University of Navarra) with globally top-ranked MBA and executive programs. Comparable program mix but stronger global brand and higher pricing power.

Direct peers

• Mannheim Business School: German business school affiliated with University of Mannheim, with comparable public-university affiliation, triple-crown accreditation and AACSB/EQUIS profile.
• Aalto University School of Business: Finnish triple-crown business school within a public research university, with similar program mix and Nordic public-institution funding model. Directly comparable on positioning and scale.
• BI Norwegian Business School: Leading Norwegian business school offering bachelor, master, MBA and executive education with EQUIS/AACSB/AMBA accreditation. Comparable Nordic positioning and target student segments.
• Stockholm School of Economics: Closest Nordic peer: a private business university in Sweden offering bachelor, master, MBA and executive education with EQUIS accreditation and a similar Nordic recruitment funnel. Directly comparable on scale, program mix and CEMS participation.
• WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management: German triple-crown school offering bachelor, master, MBA and executive programs with similar mid-tier European positioning and CEMS membership.
• Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University: European triple-crown business school embedded in a public research university with comparable program breadth, Erasmus network integration, and international student share — directly competitive for European talent.
• ESADE Business School: European triple-crown school with strong bachelor, master, MBA and executive programs. Comparable on accreditation set, international mix and reliance on fee-paying professional students.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CopenhagenBusinessSchool
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/copenhagen-business-school
• Instagraminstagram.com/cbscph
• Xx.com/CBScph

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Copenhagen Business School