International School of Management

What International School of Management does

International School of Management (ISM) is a private, specialized business school founded in 1980, headquartered in New York with its primary campus in Paris's 7th arrondissement and partner institutions on four continents (New York, Paris, Shanghai, São Paulo, New Delhi, Cape Town). The institution serves working professionals pursuing advanced business credentials without career interruption, offering a flexible International Master of Business Administration (IMBA, total tuition $39,690) with four specialization tracks, a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA), a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), and ISM Select, a customized corporate executive education program. Programs are delivered through a hybrid model combining periodic in-person seminar blocks at the global partner locations with asynchronous e-learning, supported by US-accredited degree authority (ACBSP, IACBE, US State authority) and French Ministry of Education recognition as an Établissement d'enseignement supérieur privé technique.

The business model is tuition-driven: ISM charges multi-year program fees from individual students, complemented by a small corporate training stream via ISM Select. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer through the school website, an online application portal, admissions officer support, social media (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), student blogs, and the ISM Insights thought leadership platform, supplemented by the peer-reviewed ISM Journal of International Business. The student and alumni body is highly international, drawn from 40+ countries, which ISM positions as a core component of its networking value proposition. The school is founder/Board-controlled, led by President Jack Forget and Executive Director Maurice Forget, with no external parent company, no disclosed funding history, and an employee base of 101-250.

Name

International School of Management

Legal name

International School of Management

Website

https://ism.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

International School of Management is a private business school founded in 1980, headquartered in New York with a primary Paris campus and partner institutions on four continents. It offers IMBA, DBA, and PhD programs to working professionals via a hybrid in-person and e-learning model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education / Business School

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131), Professional and Management Development Training (61143)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

International Business & Global Management Schools (EDAHAHAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Specialized Master’s in Management (MiM) & Business Analytics (EDAHAHAC)

Keywords

• Executive business education
• International MBA programs
• Doctoral business programs
• Hybrid executive learning
• Custom corporate training

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition Fees: ISM generates revenue primarily through tuition fees charged for its degree programs (IMBA, DBA, PhD). Total tuition for IMBA is $39,690. Additional revenue comes from scholarships and payment plans offered to students.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

International School of Management (ISM) is a specialized business school offering advanced degree programs—the International Master of Business Administration (IMBA), Doctor of Business Administration (DBA), and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)—along with custom executive education through ISM Select. Programs are delivered via a hybrid model combining in-person seminars across six global cities (Paris, New York, Shanghai, São Paulo, New Delhi, Cape Town) with flexible e-learning components, enabling working professionals to earn US-accredited degrees without career interruption.

Product overview

The International School of Management (ISM) is a specialized business school offering a portfolio of degree programs: the International Master of Business Administration (IMBA) as its primary offering, along with Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programs. The institution also provides custom executive education through ISM Select and publishes the ISM Journal of International Business for academic research dissemination. Programs combine in-person seminars in major global cities with flexible e-learning options, enabling working professionals to pursue advanced business education without interrupting their careers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ISM Select: Custom executive education program offered by ISM for organizational training needs.

Products and services

• International Master of Business Administration (IMBA) A flexible executive MBA program designed for working professionals, requiring 32 credits and offered with course blocks in Paris, New York, Shanghai, São Paulo, New Delhi, and Cape Town. The program takes 1.5-2 years to complete and offers tracks in International Business, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Finance, and Strategic Technology Management. Total tuition is $39,690. Intended for mid-career professionals with bachelor's degrees and management experience who seek advanced credentials without leaving employment.
• Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) A doctoral-level business program for professionals pursuing advanced research and academic credentials in business administration. Delivered in the same hybrid format as the IMBA, with global seminar locations and e-learning. Intended for senior professionals and executives aiming to contribute to applied business research.
• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) A doctoral research program in philosophy focused on scholarly contributions to business and management disciplines. Delivered in hybrid format with global seminar locations. Intended for academics and senior researchers pursuing original research in management-related fields.
• ISM Select (Custom Executive Education) Customized executive education programs tailored to organizational training needs, providing flexible learning solutions for corporate clients. Leverages ISM's faculty pool and hybrid delivery model. Intended for HR, L&D, and executive development buyers at companies and organizations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Graduates secure positions at major organizations globally (e.g., HSBC, OECD)

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Partner Institutions on Four ContinentscoreOthersISM has partner institutions on four different continents enabling course delivery in Paris, New York, Shanghai, São Paulo, New Delhi, and Cape Town. These partnerships allow the school to offer its hybrid learning model with in-person seminars across multiple global locations.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• INSEAD: INSEAD is a top-tier global business school with campuses in Fontainebleau, Singapore, Abu Dhabi, and San Francisco, offering the iconic one-year MBA. A much larger, more established incumbent operating in ISM's international-MBA category with significantly higher brand and price points.
• IE Business School: IE Business School in Madrid runs IMBA-style, international-cohort programs with optional study in multiple locations and a strong online/hybrid stack. Comparable to ISM in international positioning, but with larger scale and a recognized global brand.
• London Business School: London Business School is a leading European business school offering MBA, EMBA, and executive programs with a strong international cohort. Broader incumbent competing for the same globally mobile working-professional segment as ISM, with significantly higher selectivity and brand.
• ESADE Business School: ESADE is a top European business school in Barcelona with MBA and executive programs serving international working professionals. A broader incumbent whose international-MBA, executive education, and Barcelona/Madrid positioning compete for ISM's European-based candidates.
• SDA Bocconi School of Management: SDA Bocconi is a major European business school in Milan offering MBA, EMBA, and custom executive education. Comparable to ISM on the custom corporate training (ISM Select) and international executive education axis, but at significantly larger scale.
• Open University Business School: The Open University Business School (UK) is a long-established distance and blended MBA provider with AMBA/EQUIS accreditation, serving working professionals globally. Comparable to ISM in combining distance learning with an international working-professional audience, but with significantly larger scale and lower price point.

Emerging players

• Quantic School of Business: Quantic is an accredited, mobile-first online MBA with aggressive pricing and a free admissions model, targeting the same working-professional segment as ISM. An emerging disruptive player whose growth could pressure ISM's price-value proposition and enrollment.

Direct peers

• Hult International Business School: Hult operates a similarly structured global MBA/EMBA with campuses in Boston, San Francisco, London, Dubai, Shanghai, and New York and a one-year rotating format. Closest direct comparable to ISM's international, multi-campus, working-professional MBA model.
• SP Jain School of Global Management: SP Jain delivers multi-city MBA programs with campuses in Dubai, Singapore, Sydney, and Mumbai plus a tri-city rotation model. Directly comparable to ISM in targeting internationally mobile professionals via a multi-continent learning experience.
• Thunderbird School of Global Management: Thunderbird, now part of ASU, is the most globally oriented traditional US business school with executive MBAs and a long-running focus on international management. Comparable in mission and curriculum, but with stronger US ranking brand recognition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ismedu
• Facebookfacebook.com/intlschoolofmgmt
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ism-international-school-of-management
• Instagraminstagram.com/ismparis

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 International School of Management