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Esade graduate Samy Ahmed spoke to us about his experience of the MSc in Global Strategic Management. This program gives you real-life experience in three of the world’s leading business markets, so students graduate with a unique international mindset. Samy detailed the lessons learned on the course, the global aspect, and how Esade prepared him to successfully move into the working world.
Esade Business School’s MSc in Global Strategic Management (MGSM) is an international business degree. It offers some of the most important soft and hard skills for modern international business. Classes in the program include:
As Samy reflects, “We have been studying cross-cultural communication, as well as analysis in an international setting. That skill set is important when you have to deal with managers and clients coming from different cultures.” (00:32)
Upon completion, graduates earn two official degrees – one from Esade and the other from the McIntire School of Management at the University of Virginia (UVA). They also get a certificate from one of China’s leading business learning centers, Lingnan (University) College.
Esade is based in Barcelona, Spain. It uses strategic links with universities in Charlottesville, USA, and Guangzhou, China, to create a global mindset over three continents. The real-world experience of traveling to these countries, observing different working techniques, and absorbing the culture, gives students on the MSc in Global Strategic Management the best conditions to move into international business after just one year of study.
Samy pointed to his time in China as one of the stand-out moments of his degree.
“I loved the Shenzhen trip. We had a business trip in the Silicon Valley of China and we had the opportunity to see how Chinese corporate deals with international clients and technology,” he says. (00:58)
The course begins at UVA McIntire, a public Ivy League, before moving to Lingnan University, which focuses on internationalization. The degree ends at Esade in Barcelona, which Samy describes as “all about inspiring global future leaders.” (01:23) In this segment, students take classes like Corporate Social Responsibility and Innovation.
The Master in Global Strategic Management sets itself apart by focusing on how diversity can boost businesses.
Samy puts it succinctly, saying, “The Master’s degree in Global Strategy taught me that diversity is like a bouquet of flowers in which every single flower is more beautiful if coupled and compared with others. Then, innovation stems out of diversity.” (00:08)
In addition to the diversity of the campus cities, Esade is a global community representing 126 countries. The teaching staff is just as impressive, with 40 nationalities and an around 3:2 female to male ratio. Add in the 120 exchange programs at business institutions all over the world and you’ve got a melting pot of different perspectives and an endless source of lessons to learn from your peers and faculty.
Backed by a prestigious degree, and with first-hand experience of three of the world’s biggest markets, students from the MSc in Global Strategic Management have a vast array of options open to them.
At the end of his degree, Samy Ahmed “will be joining the Lenovo Global Future Leader cohort, an up-to five-year rotational management program.” (01:35)
He can directly apply the knowledge and experience he has gained during his master’s to the working world. “As an HR specialist, I’ll be working between Raleigh, North Carolina, one of the headquarters of Lenovo, and Beijing, China,” he explains. (01:43)
Students such as Samy can count on the support of both their faculty and career advisors to make the transition into their first job as a graduate. He felt Esade staff “really supported me trying to find the perfect job” (01:54) and added that he never felt alone during the process.
Specifically, career advisors helped him “from tailoring the perfect CV and cover letter up to practicing, three times per week, business cases and behavioral interviews.” (01:59)
Esade boasts 100% employment for its students within three months of graduation. With career fairs in all three campus countries, there are a lot of career paths open to students.
The top five sectors MGSM graduates move into are:
As Samy attests, Esade’s reputation as one of Europe’s top business schools is well deserved. Like him, you can study the Master’s in Global Strategic Management and reap the rewards of studying in a diverse, international business environment.
