Pimp my MBA

23 January 2026

Andrew Crisp looks at a rising trend for students to customise their MBA.

From 2004 to 2007, MTV ran a show called Pimp My Ride, where often quite ordinary cars were transformed, at least cosmetically, to become something very different.  While such radical change to the MBA may not be on the agenda, there is a growing demand for significant customisation according to data from the soon-to-be-published Tomorrow’s MBA report.

Historically, MBA customisation might have meant picking an elective from a long list of options.  As numbers dwindled on MBA programmes, electives were sometimes cancelled with too few students to make them viable.

Today, there are a host of new options.  Some students are taking matters into their own hands and taking a variety of short courses from online providers, adding content specific to their career ambitions.

However, the upcoming Tomorrow’s MBA study suggests an opportunity for business schools to curate the customisation.  Almost two-thirds of the 1646 respondents (64%) indicated they would consider taking a qualification with a professional body to enhance their MBA.

Seven organisations that offer qualifications were offered to the survey respondents, with only 5% indicating that they weren’t interested in any of those listed.  Top of the list was the Project Management Institute, followed by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), the Chartered Institute of Management, the Institute of Directors and the Chartered Institute of Marketing.

While interest in customisation is high, it may come at a cost to business schools; 42% expect costs to be included in their MBA course fees, but 41% would be willing to pay more.  Adding value to the MBA experience makes sense for employers, students and a school, potentially offering a win-win-win with students gaining vital skills, employers able to recruit and/or retain staff who are better equipped for future roles and business schools making programmes more attractive to candidates with the opportunity to grow income.

The Tomorrow’s MBA report will be published in February 2026 and will be available to purchase on the CarringtonCrisp website.  The next round of this long-running annual study will take place in November 2026.  For more details, send an email to info@carringtoncrisp.com