How do you hit the Financial Times’ global top 10 for Masters in Management in just a few years? ESMT Berlin’s Guillermo Baquero, Faculty Lead for the Master in Global Management and Anna Frankowska, Manager of the International Office, explain the secrets behind the MGM’s rapid success.
The Master in Global Management at ESMT Berlin is a dynamic international program that prepares students to become impactful leaders in the modern business world. It has already made a mark among business schools in Germany and beyond.
Guillermo puts this into context, “All these aspects together are precisely the reason why our program has jumped in the rankings very quickly, and we are now ranked number 10 in the Financial Times, which is a major achievement for a relatively young program like ours.” (06:12)
The program found success by focusing on responsible leadership, network building, international exchanges, and a real-life Social Impact Project.
The program is structured to be completed over two years. The first year creates a level playing field, bringing everyone up-to-date on the core principles of international management and economics. As the course evolves the second year, students expand their business acumen and apply it directly through a six-month internship.
Equipped with this real-world experience, the course then becomes more specialized, as students find their own path. “In the second year, students have the opportunity to shape their own track, their own specialization, via numerous electives that are available to them,” Guillermo tells us. (01:03)
In response to the challenges facing the world, businesses need leaders who are aware of what is happening around them. There is currently a major talent gap in skills related to environment, society, and corporate governance (ESG). ESMT aims to redress the gap.
The program always teaches through the lens of responsible leadership and sustainability. According to Guillermo, the program emphasizes, “The idea that profitability and growth of a company, of a business, of a firm, cannot be decoupled from the environment and from society at large.” (01:50) It is this belief that inspired the Master in Global Management course designers to introduce a Social Impact Project.
With so much information available at our fingertips, companies are struggling to hide unethical practices behind catchy slogans. Consumers are voting for change through their wallets, with 66% ready to switch brands to support ethical companies. This trend is set to continue into the future, with 91% of millennial and gen Z customers saying the same.
Whether you see it as a moral imperative or simply good business, good ethics pays.
The Social Impact Project at ESMT gives students valuable experience in how business and ESG goals meet. “This is the capstone project for students just before they graduate,” Anna explains. “Where they get to put their knowledge and skills into practice delivering a consulting project for an organization with a social impact.” (02:24)
In keeping with the Master in Global Management’s international perspective, most students travel abroad to carry out their Social Impact Projects. “We’ve had students, for example, going to India and identifying opportunities to foster collaboration between DHL and SOS Children’s Villages,” Anna tells us. “And we also have students working on decentralized smart grid solutions for the food and agricultural sector in Cambodia.” (02:51)
Aside from the Social Impact Project, ESMT offers students other international opportunities to contextualize and enhance their learning.
First, there’s the chance to study a term abroad at other leading institutions. “We have a range of great partners in Europe and beyond,” Anna told MASTERGRADSCHOOLS. “Some of them include Copenhagen Business School, Rotterdam School of Management, Stockholm School of Management, and further afield we also have some exchange partners in the US and in India.” (03:28)
Second, is the prestigious ESMT double degree in partnership with Yale School of Management. “The students who do the double degree with Yale are able to add a new dimension to their global business education,” Anna explains. “It enables them to do the Master in Global Management at ESMT, and the Master of Management Studies in Global Business and Society from Yale in two years.” (04:55)
As is clear to see, ESMT Berlin is perfectly suited to international, ethically minded changemakers. However, it also provides a clear leap forward in terms of career progression.
Alongside the internship and the Social Impact Project, ESMT prepares students for the professional world through a range of initiatives. Career management is a constant topic, with specific seminars and workshops throughout the course. On a more personal level, students get CV and interview training, attend expert presentations, and visit companies. Plus, there’s the annual ESMT Career Fair.
However, Guillermo reminds us of another factor that is a major contributor to graduates’ future prospects. “Students take advantage, at ESMT, of the very large network that the school offers. A network of partner organizations, a network of large companies that are the founders of ESMT, but also a network of alumni — a huge network of alumni.” (05:16)
A massive 94% of graduates receive job offers within three months of graduation. Additionally, 80% of the international cohort remain in Germany for work. In terms of Master in Global Management salary expectations, the average comes in at €51,663 per year.
If you’re interested in the Master in Global Management or any other ESMT master program, you can speak directly to graduates on the MASTERGRADSCHOOLS Ambassadors Page.
