Leading Business Schools are Failing to Prepare Students to Manage the Most Valuable Business Assets

MBA graduates who will go on to manage significant businesses and transactions are not being prepared to work with intangible assets and IP professionals

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, October 14, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — A new report on education at the top 20 U.S. business schools finds more and better courses are being offered graduate business students about the meaning, use and value of intangible assets, like intellectual property rights, but that a quarter schools surveyed offer no courses. At all 20 of the programs, no IP exposure is required for graduation.

It has been well established that the value of most companies today is comprised not of real estate or equipment but of intangible assets like trademarks, patents, copyrights and trade secrets. The Intangible Asset Market Value (IAMV) of the S&P 500, according to the IP valuation firm, Ocean Tomo, is comprised of 92% intangible assets. The historic emphasis on managing balance sheet tangibles is significantly less relevant today with the dramatically increased value of knowledge-related IP assets.

Business students having completed MBAs, many of whom will be leading major corporations or engaged in finance and transactions, need to be prepared to work with technology, legal and market specialists to function in a world of intellectual property rights and AI. But are they being properly prepared?

The new summary report conducted by the Center for Intellectual Property Understanding (CIPU), an independent nonprofit, finds that over the past five years there has been progress at some leading MBA programs but gaping holes still exist.

“Dedicated strategy courses, instruction embedded in growth and innovation electives, and interdisciplinary commercialization programs connect IP with the decisions business students are preparing to make,” the 2026 report update finds. “As AI and data become increasingly embedded in business, that capability deserves greater curricular attention.”

Despite demand for IP Knowledge amidst AI challenges, none of the top programs surveyed requires an IP course or elective be taken to complete requirements for a degree, finds the report, “Intellectual Property Education at Leading Business Schools – 2026 Update Identifying Tools for Today’s Educators and Tomorrow’s Leaders.”

Five years after the CIPU described an evolving scenario for IP education (Intellectual Property Education at Business Schools: An Evolving Landscape
Courses, Content and Instructors at Leading Management Programs) the strongest programs continue to show what is possible. Dedicated strategy courses, instruction embedded in growth and innovation electives, and interdisciplinary commercialization programs connect IP with the
decisions business students are preparing to make.

“The new report, which I thought was well conducted, points out one other glaring shortcoming: the lack of faculty with real, practical operational experience,” said Biran Hinman former IBM licensing executive, Chief IP Officer at Philips and an MBA holder. “Much of the theoretical research on patent valuation, IP strategy, etc., is built on just that, how things are ‘supposed’ to be versus reality in a business setting.”

Discussions in the report with seven esteemed IP academicians quoted, some with hands-on IP licensing experience, convey the importance of sustained student interest, expansion to new audiences, and active adaptation to AI. “The opportunity now is to extend those strengths into a more consistent foundation for MBA graduates,” states the report. One-quarter of the top 20 programs examined offer no IP courses or integration with other courses, about the same percentage as 2021.

The 2026 report dataset identifies 30 qualifying offerings across 15 of the top 20 business schools surveyed: nine dedicated IP courses, 14 substantial integrations, and seven limited modules. Seven schools have a dedicated offering, including some hosted within departments besides the business school; five have no qualifying MBA course listed. This update uses different criteria and a partly different sample from the 2021. Its totals describe the present state of IP education rather than a direct numerical trend.

“The response to these findings suggests a layered approach is needed, introducing IP to MBA students through repeated application in established business subjects [not just stand-alone courses] and accessible opportunities for specialist and experiential learning… The goal is a generation of managers better equipped to recognize opportunity with intangible assets, protect valuable knowledge, negotiate access, and connect innovation with commercial
success.”

Both the 2021 and 2026 CIPU IP education reports can be found here.

The 2025–26 dataset indicates for 15 of the top 20 graduate business programs surveyed.

– 9 dedicated IP courses
– 14 substantial integrations
– 7 limited modules
– 7 schools have a dedicated offering, including some hosted
within other departments
– 5 of the 15 have no qualifying MBA course listed

About CIPU

The Center for Intellectual Property Understanding is an independent nonprofit established in 2016 that raises awareness about the impact of IP rights on creators, businesses, and society. CIPU provides outreach to a range of audiences to improve familiarity and promote sharing. It holds events, such as the annual IP Awareness Summit^® (it is IPAS’ 10th anniversary in 2027), curates IPBasics.org and IdeasMatter.com, both information portals, and produces “Understanding IP Matters,” a critically acclaimed IP podcast series with 20,000 downloads. UIPM provides leading creators, entrepreneurs and industry experts a platform to share their IP story. To learn more, visit understandingip.org.

Bruce Berman
Center for IP Understanding
+1 917-225-6184
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