Masters in International Management and Strategy confirms its global top 25 position

Results of the Financial Times Global Masters in Management Ranking 2024

Kerstin Fehre

By Kerstin Fehre

Professor of Strategy

09 September 2024

Vlerick Business School’s Masters in International Management and Strategy programme has once again improved its position in the prestigious Masters in Management ranking of the Financial Times. The ranking lists the top 100 best Masters in Management programmes across the world. Rising 17 places last year, we’ve gone up another place this year – and we’re now holding the 22nd position in the world. Within Europe, we are ranked 20th. And we remain by far the best-ranked Belgian school in the table.

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  • Ranked 1 in Belgium
  • Ranked 20 in Europe
  • Ranked 22 in the world

A more detailed analysis of the individual criteria in the ranking shows that our programme scores particularly well on the effectiveness of its career services (8th worldwide) and the strength of its alumni network (11th worldwide) in providing career opportunities and support throughout our students’ professional lives.

Secondly, a relatively recent criterion on which the programme ranks highly (13th worldwide) is the proportion of the curriculum dedicated to environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues and climate solutions for how organisations can reach net zero.

Professor Kerstin Fehre, Programme Director of the Masters in International Management and Strategy, explains: “Over the past years, we observed an increasing demand from our students and companies for sustainability-related topics. That’s why we decided to not only offer a separate course on the topic but also integrate discussions on sustainability throughout the curriculum. Examples are courses such as ‘Intrapreneurship and Responsible Innovation’, ‘Sustainable Macro Policies and Corporate Valuation’ or ‘Strategic Management of Sustainability’, which integrates the various views on the topic and highlights the necessity for a sustainable strategy. Students wanting to dig even deeper can choose from various electives like ‘How to Decarbonise an Economy’ or ‘Social Entrepreneurship’.”

The school’s efforts to also walk the talk on sustainability are rewarded by a jump of no less than 67 places for our carbon footprint rank, going from 78 to 11 in the world. This criterion takes into account the net zero year for carbon emissions that Vlerick has set for itself as a target and reflects our commitment to embed sustainability systematically throughout the school.

Another unique aspect of the programme is reflected in its 4th position worldwide for international course experience. Students on the Masters in International Management and Strategy programme spend a significant part of their time abroad.

The Global Immersion trip takes them outside of Europe for one month and immerses them in a different culture and business world by visiting companies and attending lectures in several cities. On top of that, students spend two months abroad on a Global Consultancy Project for a company or social-profit organisation. In this highly actionable component, students apply what they have learned to a real business challenge, providing recommendations to the company. Finally, students can opt for an exchange with one of our partner schools, including Imperial College London in the UK, Stockholm School of Economics in Sweden, EDHEC in France, Frankfurt School of Finance and Management in Germany, Polimi in Italy, and NOVA in Portugal. This year, we have also launched a double degree collaboration with the Darla Moore School of Business in South Carolina, US, allowing our students to gain a degree in International Business on top of their Vlerick studies.

Professor Fehre points out that these international experiences are also important for students’ future careers: “We invest a lot in creating international career opportunities for our students. One example is the European Strategy Tour which exposes our students to employment opportunities in various European countries by visiting companies in Germany, The Netherlands and Luxemburg. This tour allows them to explore the variety of possibilities to work in strategic management positions, different industries and cultures, as well as to experience the vibe of the different cities. Ultimately, it’s a question of getting inspired to take the leap.”

The Masters in International Management and Strategy is specifically aimed at students who aspire to a position in strategy departments or a management position in global corporations such as Audi, Amazon and Johnson&Johnson, or strategy consulting firms (such as McKinsey, Bain, and Roland Berger). It is based on the school’s Brussels campus. The current cohort counts 43 students from 17 countries and diverse study backgrounds such as Business, Engineering, Law, Pharmacy, etc.

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Valerie Versprille

Valerie Versprille

Head of Masters programmes