• Business schools’ AI teachings may be off-target.
  • Approach needs to change according to geography.
  • Schools’ perceptions of what their students want, and what students expect are different.

A report from the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) indicates prospective business school students prioritise AI skills over human skills, but many businesses still recognise teamwork, adaptability, and personal growth as essential competencies in candidates. This seems to highlight a disconnect between the skills employers are expecting and what students focus on for development.

The GMAC Prospective Students Survey provides a global snapshot of what future business school students want, think, and plan to do. Educational institutions then use this information to shape how programmes are designed and recruit students.

According to the report, a significant 40% of prospective students consider AI as an essential aspect of their ideal business school curriculum, a notable rise from 29% a year earlier. In addition, 35% of candidates focus on building technical skills with the use of AI tools, compared to just 26% of employers, with human skills considered more important by employers. For instance, 45% of employers place a high value on initiative compared to 30% of students, and 34% of employers value grit and perseverance, while only 26% of students deem it an important skill.

Adaptability and personal traits are more important to employers than students expect. Therefore, balancing technical expertise with strong human skills is needed to excel in the modern workplace. Simply knowing AI tools inside out isn’t enough, as teamwork and adaptability is still important for employers.

“Candidates continue to underestimate the importance of people skills,” said Nalisha Patel, Regional Director, Americas & Europe, at GMAC. “Business schools need to help students understand that these are not ‘nice to have’, they’re dealbreakers. There’s a gap between what students think will get them hired and what does […] Schools can help close that gap.”

Students prioritise AI skills over more human-based practices and the GMAC report backs this up, finding there is a rising demand for AI in the business school curriculum, with 46% of candidates saying AI is a must-have. The report says business schools should “ensure AI is incorporated across disciplines, not just in technology-focused programmes.” This highlights a clear trend toward valuing AI literacy as part of a student’s graduate management education.

Students also prefer practical, hands-on AI learning via simulations and case studies, rather than a personalised and theoretical learning path. Judging by the expressed preferences, business schools should focus more on experiential AI learning instead of traditional, modular educational paths to help meet student’s expectations.

54% of students want to explore AI’s role in society and ethics, not just its surface-level abilities. Prospective students are expecting business schools to teach them how AI can shape decisions, organisations, and society as a whole, not just how to use the technology. They understand the wider repercussions AI can have in the future, feel the need to prepare, and expect their school to step up and provide the necessary information in class.

Including AI in the curriculum is crucial, according to Patel. “The findings are a clear message to business schools: integrate AI, but don’t sideline human development. Meeting both employer and student expectations is key to remaining relevant and delivering real value.”

AI training should be utilised to help students prepare for practical, business-relevant challenges, rather than pupils being taught the tools in isolation.

The GMAC report also highlights a variation in AI interest based on age, with 59% of those aged 40 or over seeing AI education as desirable compared to 41% of candidates aged 22 or younger.

The report says, “This may be because older candidates have more work experience without the presence of AI, and therefore are more concerned with formal education on how to integrate it into their skill set.”

For younger candidates, particularly those under 22, they are “still likely completing their undergraduate studies, have never worked professionally without AI, and therefore do not need to adjust to its presence in the workplace. It is all they have ever known.”

There is increased interest in AI as part of business school curricula for both women and men in the last year. In the latest report, 45% of women and 48% of men want AI in their graduate business education curriculum, compared to 37% and 42% respectively a year earlier. This points to AI becoming a mainstream expectation for GME programs, rather than a niche interest – a reason why many business schools have already increased AI integration into their offerings over the last year.

Additionally, interest in AI differs from region to region with candidates in Asia, Brazil, and Pakistan more likely to want AI integrated into their business school environment compared to the US, UK, or Western Europe. In all, over two-thirds of respondents in Brazil and Pakistan prioritise AI in their curriculum, while fewer than one-third in the UK do.

Interestingly, this interest does not align with a country’s AI activity or standing. For instance, the UK and France are both relatively advanced in the use of AI in the workplace, but those countries’ students showed relatively low interest in AI at business school compared to countries with less AI in society in general.

(Image source: based on “classroom” by isaacbowen which is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. This image is released under the same terms.)

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