Whether you’re a business school hopeful, months into an MBA, or have already bagged your graduate degree, you’re probably here because you’re fascinated by business. And who better to learn about business from, than the M7 business schools? To help you immerse yourself in the latest business discussions, we’ve rounded up the best podcasts from the leaders in MBA education. These business school podcasts dive into faculty research, leak insider tips from admissions experts, and spotlight the stories of MBA students and alumni.
Read on to learn more about the M7 business schools’ MBA podcasts!
Chicago Booth: The Chicago Booth Review Podcast
Chicago Booth’s Review presents academic MBA research in podcast form. It dives into today’s big questions in business, markets and policy, grounds its insights in data, and distills academic answers into digestible chunks.
Listeners to The Chicago Booth Review can expect to hear of ways to improve their work, make better decisions, and streamline their lives. Topics such as billionaires, remote work, AI, and even insider trading are put under the microscope.
Since launching in March 2023, The Chicago Booth Review has released nearly 100 episodes. Recently, an episode led by Booth’s own Eric Budish explained “Why Bitcoin Will Fail,” while another demonstrated that “Writing Matters” and “How to Get Better at It” with Melissa Harris.
The Chicago Booth Review can be streamed on:
- Apple Podcasts
- YouTube Music
- Spotify
Other podcasts by Chicago Booth School of Business include:
- Chicago Booth Review Podcast
- CareerCast by the University of Chicago Booth School of Business
- Capitalisn’t
- ETA Insider Podcast
- Tech for Non-Techies
- The Differentiator: What it Takes to Get into Business School
- Unapologetically
Columbia Business School: Bizcast
Columbia Business School’s podcast platforms MBA experiences. Hosted by alumnus Fahad Ahmed and titled Bizcast, the podcast examines the Columbia MBA from the perspective of students, faculty and alumni.
Speakers dive into stories of their time on the MBA, what brought them there in the first place, and what happened after. Listeners to Bizcast get MBA insights in podcast form, and insider information on what drives CBS’s innovative graduates.
Since launching in 2017, Bizcast has released 76 episodes. Some recent highlights include a discussion on the “Genesis of Data” by Professor Chris Wiggins, a revelation on “the Truth about Secrecy” by Professor Michael Slepian, and a discussion on “the Future of AI” by LinkedIn Co-founder Reid Hoffman.
Bizcast can be streamed on:
- Apple podcasts
- Soundcloud
- YouTube
- Spotify
- Stitcher
Other podcasts by the Columbia Business School include:
- Value Investing with Legends
- Capital for Good
- Please Unmute Yourself
Harvard Business School: Cold Call
Harvard Business School’s MBA podcast tackles a topic that is unique to HBS. Rather than looking outward to the world of business at large, the school turns its sights to within its own walls; it dissects the case studies for which HBS is famous, unravelling the school’s pedagogy and bringing its teaching methods to life.
The Cold Call podcast, launched in 2015 and boasting a monthly audience of over 160,000 listeners, is named after the start-of-case-discussion question that is famous for sending a shiver down any graduate student’s spine. The naming is a stroke of genius from Brian Kenney—Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at HBS and creator of the podcast—who correctly predicted that all HBS alumni would recognize the term and “immediately get the concept of the show.”
Each episode features a faculty member and, more often than not, the case protagonist, who discuss together the case in question.
Since its inception, the Cold Call episode count has far exceeded 200. Recent highlights include a study on “The Leadership Style of Football Legend Deion Sanders,” one on “Scaling a Family Business While Maintaining Founding Values,” and one on “How Pernod Ricard Is Integrating AI into Its Workforce.”
Cold Call can be streamed on:
- Apple Podcasts
- RSS
- Google Podcasts
- Spotify
Other podcasts by Harvard Business School include:
- After Hours
- Climate Rising
- Cold Call
- Dealcraft
- Deep Purpose
- IdeasCast
- Managing the Future of Work
- Skydeck
- Think Big, Buy Small
- Women at Work
MIT Sloan: MIT Sloan Management Review
MIT Sloan’s Management Review podcast positions the questions of leadership against the backdrop of a disruptive world. The podcast explores—alongside thoughtful guest speakers—how the challenges of today are changing the way in which organizations operate. Topics span technology, environment, and society, all of which are considered alongside the question of how business can create value.
Since 2018, MIT Sloan’s Management Review podcast has released 11 episodes. Some recent highlights include a discussion titled “So, Do Analytics Actually Work?,” an episode titled “Mapping Tom Brady’s Brain,” and an exploration of “Artificial Intelligence Podcasts” with Jennifer Strong.
The MIT Sloan Management Review podcast can be streamed on:
- Apple Podcasts
- Spotify
Other podcasts by MIT Sloan School of Management include:
- Three Big Points
- Data Made to Matter
- Counterpoints: The Sports Analytics Podcast from MIT Sloan Management Review
- CSAIL Alliances Podcasts
- MIT CISR
- Trust the Process @ MIT
Northwestern Kellogg: The Insightful Leader
The podcast for MBA students who are dreaming of leadership, Northwestern Kellogg’s flagship podcast is a fountain of management knowledge. Proclaiming to teach current and prospective MBAs how to be more informed and strategic leaders, “The Insightful Leader” covers topics that range from hiring challenges to climate change.
Since its inception in 2022, The Insightful Leader has aired 37 episodes. Recent highlights include a discussion on “When AI Becomes a TA,” advice on “How to Grow as a Leader Without Burning Yourself Out,” and a discussion on “How to Get Delegation Right.”
The Insightful Leader can be streamed on:
- iTunes
- Spotify
- Stitcher
- Overcast
- RSS
Other podcasts by Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management include:
- Insight Unpacked
- Kellogg INSIGHT
Stanford Graduate School of Business: View From the Top
Just like HBS, the Stanford Graduate School of Business grounds the concept of its podcast in its long-standing academic traditions. Specifically, the dean’s speaker series—a GSB tradition of discussion on leadership, in which business leaders from around the world share their insights on “effective leadership, core values, and lessons learned throughout their career.”
The View From the Top podcast echoes this format, staging interviews between MBA students and global business leaders, allowing listeners to get a glimpse of education at GSB and to learn more about becoming an effective leader.
Since it began in 2018, The View From the Top has aired over 50 episodes. Some recent highlights include a discussion with Hemant Taneja on “Balancing Profit and Purpose,” one with Daniella Pierson on ‘Why Failure is the Measure of Success’, and one with Aicha Evans, titled “You Must Have the Irrational Belief That It Will Work Out.”
The View From the Top can be streamed on:
- Apple Podcasts
- Google Podcasts
- Amazon Music
- Spotify
- YouTube
- Art19
Other podcasts by Stanford Graduate School of Business include:
- If/Then
- Grit & Growth
- Podcases
- Think Fast Talk Smart
- Stanford Initiative on Business and Environmental Sustainability
- Know What You See
- Pfeffer on Power
- All Else Equal: Making Better Decisions
- unSILOed
University of Pennsylvania’s The Wharton School: Ripple Effect
Pennsylvania Wharton’s business scholars spend their days researching the world’s big questions. Every day, their work exposes new ideas and uncovers new data that could change the way we think about business. Now, The Wharton School is answering a new question: What does all that research mean for you?
Wharton’s podcast, Ripple Effect, is providing the answer. The podcast spotlights the MBA faculty at Wharton as they explain the inspiration, inner workings, and relevance of their studies. Hosted by Dan Loney, Ripple Effect unpacks the “why” of Wharton’s academic research and explains its necessity when examining the world’s most pressing challenges.
Some podcast episodes are grouped into mini series titled “Women and Work,” “The Climate Crisis,” or “The Rise of AI,” while others are split into two parts to grapple with especially complex subjects. With the cryptocurrency market looming large as we enter 2025, the first Ripple Effect podcast of the year will feature four Wharton School professors discussing their crypto expertise.
The Ripple Effect podcast was first released in March 2023. Since then, 73 episodes have been aired. Recent episode highlights include a discussion with Christian Terwiesch on “What Will AI in Education Look Like,” and an examination of “The Role of Firms in Immigration and Economic Prosperity” with Britta Glennon.
If you’re unsure where to start with the Ripple Effect, you can take a look at Ripple Rewind, the curated two-parter that features highlights of the past year’s podcast discussions.
Ripple Effect can be streamed on:
- Apple Podcasts
- Spotify
- RSS
Other podcasts by The University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business include:
- Marketing Matters
- Wharton Business Daily
- Wharton Moneyball
Bonus Addition: Clear Admit’s Admission Podcast
Since we are rounding up the best podcasts for MBAs, we figured it would be remiss to exclude the ever-popular Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast.
Every week, your hosts Alex Brown and Graham Richmond discuss candidate profiles, selected from ApplyWire or DecisionWire, in the Wire Taps series. By examining and discussing these candidate profiles, our admissions experts give listeners immediate feedback and actionable advice..
But the podcast doesn’t stop there! Some of the Clear Admit episodes go beyond admissions evaluation, spotlighting instead leading voices in the MBA admissions space. In a recent episode, for example, listeners can hear from Stanford GSB’s Admission Director, Erin Nixon, discussing topics that range from Stanford GSB’s iconic essay question to the unique benefits of an MBA on the West Coast. Alex and Graham also keep on top of the latest in MBA admission news, tips for the admissions process, post-MBA career placement and more each week.
The Clear Admit MBA Admissions podcast was launched in 2018 and recently celebrated its 400th episode. You can stream Clear Admit’s MBA Admission Podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
