Masters in International Management and Strategy in global top 25 of Masters programmes

Results of the Financial Times Global Masters in Management Ranking 2023

Kerstin Fehre

By Kerstin Fehre

Professor of Strategy

10 September 2023

The Vlerick Masters in International Management and Strategy programme has significantly improved its position in the prestigious Masters in Management ranking of the Financial Times. On a global level, the programme has climbed no less than 17 places and now holds the 23rd position worldwide. Within Europe, it goes up 14 places, entering the European top 20.  In Belgium, the programme firmly maintains its No. 1 position amongst 4 Belgian schools in total. The ranking lists the top 100 best Masters in Management programmes across the world.

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  • Ranked 23rd in the world
  • Ranked 20th in Europe

A more detailed analysis of the individual criteria in the ranking shows that the programme scores particularly well on the effectiveness of its career services and the strength of its alumni network in providing career opportunities and support. For both criteria, the programme is ranked within the top 10 business schools worldwide.

Professor Kerstin Fehre, Programme Director of the Masters in International Management and Strategy, proudly points out that the programme has also significantly improved its position for ‘international mobility’, going up 14 places. This means that more and more graduates have changed their country of employment between graduation and today: “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. The purpose of this tour is for 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 is a question of getting inspired to take the leap.”

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, at the end of the programme, students spend two months in a different country abroad on a Global Consultancy Project for a company or social-profit organisation. Their challenge is to apply what they have learned during the year to a real business challenge and provide recommendations to the company hosting the project.

Finally, students can opt for an exchange with one of our partner schools, including Stockholm School of Economics in Sweden, Frankfurt School of Finance and Management in Germany, Polimi in Italy, and NOVA in Portugal.

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 AB InBev, Amazon and Unilever, or strategy consulting firms (such as BCG, Bain, and Roland Berger). The curriculum focuses not only on Strategy and International Management but also on sustainability. This year’s ranking also looks at the proportion of the curriculum spent on ethics, social, environmental (ESG) issues and climate solutions for organisations to reach net zero. The programme immediately earned a No. 15 rank worldwide for this new criterion.

The location for the Masters in International Management and Strategy is our Brussels campus. The current cohort counts 44 students from 18 countries and diverse study backgrounds such as Business, Engineering, Law, Pharmacy, etc. Male and female students are equally represented.

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Valerie Versprille

Valerie Versprille

Head of Masters programmes