MSc International Business Director
Dr. Peter Spier is a British national with wide international experience, a doctorate from Oxford University and an MBA from ESCP-EAP in Paris. His professional experience includes setting up a company in Paris and acting as International Sales & Marketing director for Magnum Photos. He teaches courses in international strategy, marketing, and sales negotiation for both graduate and executive programs.
MSc International Business Outline
For students with a range of profiles: business, or non-business, graduates as well as professionals. This is a general business program that provides the international perspective that is essential in today’s professional world. Students on this Master of Science will understand the challenges and issues associated with doing business internationally: sharing knowledge and innovation across borders and continents.
The MSc in International Business provides students with a broad and general understanding of international management while giving an in-depth education in the specialization option students choose to concentrate on.
The program strikes the balance between practical business applications and cutting-edge research and ideas.
Core courses provide the knowledge to survive in the global knowledge economy: how industries change and firms compete; how markets should be managed and financial decisions made; how to cope with diversity and legal issues. Courses on globalization, international business and corporate strategy provide an overview.
Students choose from a number of specialization options to focus more on one area: Finance, Marketing, Project Management or European Business. Electives allow students to further develop their profile, knowledge and skills.
With specialized courses, guest speakers, action-learning projects and an internship, students get to know a range of sectors and functions.
The internship period provides the opportunity to apply this acquired knowledge- at work, and to gain valuable professional experience in the field. The dissertation deepens students’ understanding in an area relevant to both the course of study and the work experience of the internship.
Why Choose This Program?
Nowadays firms are often forced to go abroad to sell their products and services. Also key inputs like raw materials, components, human resources have to be obtained internationally. Business is in a phase of unprecedented internationalization. This MSc will prepare you for it.
The program is well suited to students with a broad range of backgrounds, nationalities, qualifications and experience. The international student make up on the program precisely suits the area of study, and team-work in these multi-cultural groups is an application of international business in itself. Students build on, and learn from, their intrinsic differences thus learning the softer skills needed for today’s multi-cultural corporations.
The international teaching staff have both B academic and professional experience and their teaching concentrates on the application of theory to practical business situations. Students learn by doing. The action-learning business development project with a local firm gives students experience assessing and analyzing a real-life business situation.
The four specializations and the large number of electives on offer give students choice. This general business program can be tailored to interests and specific careers in international business.
The program committee brings together academics and business partners to make sure that content and approach are relevant to business today. The committee members include representatives of Microsoft and Apple.
Your Future Career
The scope of this MSc program is Graduates of SKEMA’s MSc in International Business are easily employable in a broad range of firms and sectors. You can expect to be employed in management positions in: production, marketing, sales, logistics, import-export trading; service firms involved in shipping, banking insurance, finance, consulting, market research, leisure and tourism; government agencies such as the foreign commercial service, consular staff, state and regional commerce departments; international not-for-profit and NGO organizations such as the World Bank, IMF or UNESCO.
Recent graduates have found jobs in marketing, retail, finance, government…as, for example, marketing manager with Metro retail in Vietnam, head of R&D for the largest brewery in Laos, financial trader in London, head of internet start-up in South East Asia. Local recruiters: Louis Vuitton, Amadeus, Salomon…, and further away: the United Nations Industrial Development Organization in Vienna.