The dean of Stanford University¡¯s business school has refused to rule out launching a one-year MBA programme even though he questioned whether the shorter degree would have such a transformative impact on students.

The one-year MBA model has traditionally been favoured in Europe as an alternative to the US¡¯ two-year programme, but an increasing number of US institutions now offer the one-year degree.

When asked if Stanford was considering joining this trend, Jonathan Levin, dean of the Stanford Graduate School of Business, said he would ¡°never say never¡± and acknowledged that the shorter degree was cheaper for students and meant that they could take ¡°less time out of their career¡±.

However, the ¡°amount of change¡± that students undergo in the second year of a two-year MBA was ¡°extraordinary¡±, he added.

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¡°I¡¯m not sure the extent of their transformation would necessarily happen after one year,¡± he said, explaining that the two-year programme gave students a ¡°whole year to take advantage of and use¡± what they have learned in year one, particularly skills such as leadership, decision-making and networking.

A recent analysis of global business schools, conducted by Times Higher Education in partnership with The Wall Street Journal, found that one-year MBA programmes outperformed two-year programmes on internationalisation and representation of women at staff and student levels. But two-year programmes record high scores on other metrics, including the strength of their alumni networks and the propensity for their graduates to do voluntary work.

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Professor Levin said that a former president of Stanford University had proposed reducing undergraduate degrees from four years to three in a bid to alleviate concerns about the rising cost of higher education. But students were, in fact, spending more time at university, Professor Levin said.

¡°Now more than half of students at Stanford stay a fifth year¡± to undertake a master¡¯s degree, proving that students actually want more time at college, he said.

Meanwhile, a fifth of MBA students do a second degree at Stanford University while at the business school, he added.

¡°The barriers between the schools are really low ¨C students go back and forth to take classes; faculty go back and forth and teach classes or do research with each other. That¡¯s been one of the central things that we¡¯ve worked on and emphasised,¡± he said.

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Professor Levin said that the demographics of students at the business school has also changed: 20?years ago, just 2?per cent of MBA applicants came from the public sector or non-profit companies, but today that figure is 20?per cent.

The institution has a loan forgiveness programme aimed at students who work in the non-profit or public sector. It means that those who earn below a certain salary on graduation will have their loan written off after 10?years.

ellie.bothwell@timeshighereducation.com