Swiss School of Management

Master of Business Administration

“My experience with the Swiss School of Management came after carefully evaluating several international business schools in Rome, Italy which could integrate my studies with my already busy professional life. With this MBA I stepped out of my comfort zone and I had the incredible opportunity to work with colleagues from all over the world, which was a dream come true. It was definitely an incredible experience that changed many perspectives and made my whole life expand. Additionally, the support of a life coach which was offered to me through the Swiss School of Management, allowed me to embrace the personal and professional evolution I was heading towards. I'm so grateful.”
Rosanna Perrone
MBA Graduate Rome

The Master of Business Administration (MBA): 1 year 

Introduction

The Swiss School of Management’s one-year, fully accredited Master of Business Administration Degree Program is designed to equip students with the tools and analytical framework required for a successful career. The interactive community of faculty and students in an international setting provides students with globally relevant materials on today’s ever-changing economy.

The Swiss School of Management’s Master of Business Administration Degree is fully accredited by the IACBE, which CHEA Council for Higher Education recognizes. The Department of Veteran Affairs also recognizes the Master of Business Administration degree in the USA. The Swiss School of Management is a quality-certified school by EduQua, the Swiss Quality Certification label recognized by the Swiss Federal Government for Institutions of higher and continuous education. The Ministry of Education & Research in Lazio, Italy, also recognizes the Swiss School of Management.

Throughout the MBA program, students will be immersed in the modules of Leadership, Business, Entrepreneurship, and Management Philosophies modules that can be applied to any management role across varied industries. This business school gives students hands-on, applicable experience leading groups and classroom discussions which is essential in providing an interactive, dynamic, and effective program to students.

The program features international lectures, optional corporate visits, visiting speakers, seminars, webinars, and workshops to help boost and enhance student learning. One of the Swiss School of Management’s goals is to start growing students’ networks immediately when their program starts. 

MBA Course Structure

The Master of Business Administration Degree program comprises 15 courses subdivided into 12 core courses and a specialization module comprising 3 courses. Submitting a final project/thesis or business plan to graduate is mandatory, accounting for one additional core course of 4 credits. Most courses are equivalent to 4 credit points and are assessed by an examination, assignment, or combination. The Master of Business Administration (MBA) Degree is granted to participants with 60 ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) or 30 US Credits.

Course Delivery

Each course must have a minimum of 34 front-class hours, another 30 hours of assignments, coursework, individual or group projects, and a minimum of two-hour final exams, as explained above. 

Blended Method

The course is available in person or online through our blended study method. Every class session is live-streamed and recorded on our online platform, giving students the tools they need to succeed in their program.

Intended Student Learning Outcomes  (ISLOs):

 

ISLO 1: Students will have to demonstrate their ability to integrate theoretical knowledge of the functions and system of business administration. 

 
ISLO 2: Students must show ability to analyze complex data with multiple implications, make decisions in a comprehensive case study, and to synthesize and present their findings and implementation process using highly developed communication skills. 
 
ISLO 3: Students will demonstrate they have knowledge of business concepts and functions 
 
ISLO 4: Students will demonstrate their ability to contribute effectively in attaining organizational goals in a team environment 
 
ISLO 5: Students will have the capacity to conduct a SWOT/PESTEL analysis in their dissertation 
 
ISLO 6: Students will analyze leadership and strategic management skills in a global business environment  

GRADUATE LEVEL REQUIREMENTS:

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent (180 ECTS)

Applicants for the Master’s program MBA, are exempted from an English Exam provided they completed their schooling years and/or bachelor’s program at a recognized school where the medium of teaching is English. 

In case this condition is unmet, then, the applicant needs to sit for one of the listed English Exams

–  Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL PBT) – minimum score: 60

–  Internet Based Test (iBT) – minimum score: 71

–  International English Language Test (IELTS) – minimum score: 6.5

–  Pearson Test of English Academic Score Report – minimum score: 50

–  Duolingo English Test – minimum score: 100

–  4-skill Michigan English Test (MET) – minimum score: 55

–  Michigan Examination for the Certificate of Competency in English (ECCE) – minimum score: 650/LP

–  Michigan Examination for the Certificate of Proficiency in English (ECPE) – minimum score: 650/LP

Upon applying to join the Swiss School of Management for any program level students, need to submit the following documents:

– Copy of personal identification (ID or passport)

– Scanned Educational Transcripts

– 1 recent photo: passport size

– Prior to any exam or oral presentation, students show the passport page including their personal information and photo close to the cameras for verification.

– Students are supposed to enable and open their cameras during class live lectures, project presentations and exams until the activity ends.

Official Academic Transcripts
After the student has been enrolled, it is required that the student have their official academic transcripts sent from their previous school directly to the Swiss School
of Management In Residence Program center of their convenience:

Applicants aiming to join the MBA program and who have already started a master’s level program in an authorized institution other than SSM are subject to the below transfer policy:

        An official transcript of record showing courses and grades earned must be scanned.

        The admissions department validates the authenticity/legality of the transcript and its issuing institution. Documents presented in any language except English, Italian, German, Spanish, and French require translation from a legal sworn translator. 

        Once authenticity is proven, a copy the transcript is sent to the transfer committee comprised of the Academic Dean and Head of Admissions.

        The Academic Dean matches and maps the transcript courses with a passing grade against SSM’s list of courses for transfer equivalence decisions. Certain courses, even though passed, might not be transferred in case they substantially differ from SSM’s master’s courses.  

        The committee then approves transfer of credits of courses that are only passed and strictly denies transferring credits of failed courses based on the Academic Dean’s transfer equivalence decision.

      The number of credits to be transferred are modified so that they fit a common practice or   norm used for conversion into the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS).

        SSM grants up to 50% credits to transferring students of the MBA program requirements at SSM; thus, students need to accomplish at least 50% of their course requirements at SSM so that they earn SSM’s Master’s degree.

GRADUATE OFFERINGS

 

 

COURSE NUMBER

 

COURSE TITLE

 

COURSE TYPE

 

TOTAL COURSE CREDIT/

CLOCK HOURS

GLB 555

GLOBALIZATION

Core/Required

4

LSP 555

LEADERSHIP 360 DEGREES

Core/Required

4

AFM 555

ACCOUNTING & FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

Core/Required

4

LAW 555

INTERNATIONAL LAW & ETHICS

Core/Required

4

GMF 555

GLOBAL MICROECONOMICS &

INTERNATIONAL FINANCE

Core/Required

4

MDG 555

MANAGEMENT IN THE DIGITAL ECONOMY

Core/Required

4

THIS 555

FINAL THESIS & RESEARCH

METHODOLOGIES

Capstone

4

NGS 555

NEGOTIATING GLOBALLY

Core/Required

4

OBM 555

HRM & ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR

Core/Required

4

CPS 555

COMPETITIVE STRATEGY

Core/Required

4

INM 555

INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT

Core/Required

4

MKT 555

STRATEGIC MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA

PLANNING

Core/Required

4

1. All modules offered by the Swiss School of Management are delivered in 30 contact hours plus 60 hours of self-directed learning, research, and homework. The Independent Research project/Thesis will be given more preparation time.

 

The Swiss School of Management reserves the right to adjust the programs and subjects at any time to keep up with the current changes in technology and market needs.

Graduate Level Course Descriptions

This course focuses on and facilitates further discussion of the implications of globalization for businesses and investigations of the primary economic dimension connected with the proliferation of globalization. The main objective of this class is to familiarize students with ideas, concepts, and ways of analyzing globalization and encourage thinking about the future agenda for global leaders in such a changing environment.

The objective of this course is to help students acquire and develop skills in

relation to effective leadership within organizations. Students will understand

and compare different approaches, theories and methodologies about leadership and will practice leadership behaviors through class exercises and assignments. Furthermore, students will go through the process of the “PersonalSuccess Profile” process, which is a personal goal-setting process featuring Leadership Day at the Adventure Camp in Ostia.

Students are taught the fundamental topics in accounting and financial management. 

 

Accounting: 

 

Topics include accrual accounting, financial statement analysis, tax accounting, backup schedules, ratio analysis, public filing (10-K) review, and other select accounting topics. The principal focus is on those aspects of accounting most used by decision-makers and most useful to students. 

 

Financial management: 

 

Topics include the function of financial markets, analysis of risk and return, time value of money, valuation of financial assets (stocks, bonds, derivatives), capital structure capital budgeting, and other select corporate finance topics. The principal focus is on those aspects of analysis most used by decision-makers and most useful to students.

 

Additionally, the following is also covered: investigative techniques, such as reading 10K’s, and other public filings to ascertain opportunity, risk, and return; valuation methodologies, such as comparable company analysis and discounted cash flow; qualitative investigative techniques, such as talking to company managements and financial research. The means to effectively communicate written and verbal analytic results are demonstrated.

This course is designed to equip students with International Business Law concepts. It covers the main topics in this field, such as the settlement of disputes, Multinational Organizations, Foreign investments Laws and Codes, and legal issues arising among businesses in the cross-border context. Therefore, the class will examine international contract law, conflict of laws, ie in case of insolvency, international private dispute resolution, choice of foreign law (the Governing Law), and the essential elements of IP rights. The course will help international affairs and other non-law students have a general understanding of international business law better to understand the underlying legal environment in global economic affairs. In addition, this course will briefly review and discuss several chapter questions and cases, as well as certain Court decisions, treaties, resolutions, and other international legal instruments of importance.

In this course students assess theories of 1) international monetary relations (often termed by economists as global macroeconomics) and 2) international finance concepts.

 

International Economics: 

 

Topics covered include international trade, monetary theory, international finance, foreign exchange markets, balance of payments (and trade deficits), capital mobility, government fiscal and monetary policies, international macroeconomic cooperation, economic crises, and the role of international institutions.

 

International Finance: 

 

Students learn international finance concepts and develop skills to analyze business potential in emerging markets. We study various global finance tools, including hedging, forward and futures markets, and exchange rates. Political, economic, social, and legal frameworks, among others, are studied and discussed. Emphasis is on the impact of the financial sector on economic development, performance, and crises. Additional topics include financial intermediation, privatization, portfolio management, and globalization of labor markets. Lectures, reading, and case study probe geopolitical, macroeconomic, and market trends, so that students learn to forecast the effect and understand the global impact of large-scale forces.

Permanent innovation, disruptive technological, social, and economic changes. We are in the Technological Cambrian, a unique period of digital diffusion, comparable in terms of typology and importance to the Geological Cambrian, where life has exploded in today’s variety and diversity. Recognizing the uniqueness of this period is the first step in not succumbing to it. Riding it is the next one. Opportunities are immense for people, organizations, and businesses. The course will help to understand the digital economy dynamics and acquire the tools to excel in such an environment.

Students will learn how to navigate notional culture when negotiating deals, resolving disputes, and making decisions in teams. Rather than offering country-specific protocol and customs, Negotiating Globally provides a general framework to help negotiators anticipate and manage cultural differences, incorporating the lessons of the latest research with a new emphasis on executing a negotiation-planning document. It also shows how to execute the plan, and how the cultural environment affects negotiators’ interests, priorities, and strategies. The course also explains how to distinguish good deals from poor ones and good negotiators from poor ones, as well as how resolving disputes is different from making deals, and how negotiation strategy can be used in multicultural teams. After every chapter presentation, the course does also emphasize on role-plays. The role-plays include individual ones as well as group work.

This course covers the various aspects and approaches to attract, motivate and retain human resources in organizations. The course will comprise of readings and class assignments and the focus will be on participation in class, in scenario simulations where you would act as a Human Resources Partner for a company looking to recruit the best talents or help managers improve team performance but also as a candidate going through an interview process. This will help you better understand both sides of the human resources dynamic. The course is organized into four modules:

  • •Retain the Best Talent
  • •Improve Employee Performance
  • •How to Build Successful Work Teams
  • •How to Make a Potential Employer Fall in Love with You

This course introduces students to the subject of strategy and helps them to better understand the overall impact of internal and external influences on the firm. The basic purpose of the course is to provide the student broad insights into the practice of strategic management, and its real significance in contemporary multi-national corporations.

The Course is designed to teach investing techniques, principally for publicly traded securities (although similar principles apply to private markets). Topics include; the function of financial markets, analysis of risk and return, analytic tools, valuation of financial assets: stocks, bonds, options; investigative and research techniques, such as reading 10K’s, and other public filings for opportunity; valuation methodologies; qualitative investigative techniques such as talking to company managements. Long-term financial planning, wealth management, and personal finance are also taught.

Marketing and social media are an inseparable pair. The digital world today is simply the world: but with new rules, codes, languages, and dynamics. The countries that populate this world are called social channels.

 

Being on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube means opening your micro-universe to the infinite one of opportunities and exchanges, effective approaches to obtain data of defendable quality, and being able to contribute to knowledge.

 

The module aims to deliver knowledge and ability to students allowing them to build their own network of professional contacts to optimize relationships, exchanges and sales. 

By the end of the MBA program, you will be able to apply what you have learnt to your company, and elaborate your own business project. You will raise your own questions, decide on methods that can be used and, by a comprehensive analysis, conclude your own recommendations. The summary of the business project, called thesis, should present an original argument, business case or business plan that is carefully documented from primary and/or secondary sources.

 

The thesis must have a substantial research component and a focus that falls within the scope of topics studied during your specialization. It must be written under the guidance of an advisor who is knowledgeable in this area of study. As the final element in the master’s degree, the thesis gives you an opportunity to demonstrate expertise in the chosen research area. The thesis should present and investigate a hypothesis or a research question.

 

Alternatively, you can construct a business plan. A business plan is a formal statement of a set of business goals, the reasons they are believed attainable, and the plan for reaching those goals. It includes a description of a company or small business, its services and/or products and how the business will achieve its goals.

 

The plan includes the overall budget, current and projected financing, a market analysis and its marketing strategy approach. In a business plan, a business owner projects revenues and expenses for a certain period of time and describes operational activity and costs related to the business.

Specialization

 

GLOBAL MANAGEMENT & LEADERSHIP

GML 590

MANAGING AND LEADING IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES

Emphasis

4

GML 591

INDIVIDUAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP SKILLS

Emphasis

4

GML 592

MANAGING BUSINESS ETHICS

Emphasis

4

FINANCE

FIN 590

INVESTING & PRIVATE EQUITY

Emphasis

4

FIN 591

MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS

Emphasis

4

FIN 592

ENTREPRENEURIAL FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

Emphasis

4

FIT 588

REGULATIONS & FINTECH

Emphasis

4

LMG 590

FUNDAMENTALS OF LUXURY BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

Emphasis

4

LMG 592

INTERNATIONAL LUXURY BRANDING

Emphasis

4

LMG 593

RETAIL AND DISTRIBUTION MANAGEMENT

Emphasis

4

MARKETING

MKT 590

MARKETING RESEARCH

Emphasis

4

MKT 591

NEW MEDIA MARKETING

Emphasis

4

MKT 592

INTERNATIONAL LUXURY BRANDING

Emphasis

4

SPECIALIZATIONS

MBA in Global Management & Leadership

Capturing the rising influence of culture and the seismic changes throughout many regions of the world, this course, over the years, is now covering more than 60 countries and every major region in the world. It continues to break new ground. The 21st century will be crunch time for Western managers in terms of meeting fierce and unrelenting competition (especially from Asia) and in attempting to gain a share of the mammoth markets that rapidly changing demographics will create in India, China, Pakistan, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Nigeria and Brazil (in 2050 their total population will be four and a half billion). One of the goals of this course is to keep pace with these emerging and changing markets.

In today’s globalized business world, successful leaders need a global mindset. This course takes the complexity out of leadership and is based on one of the most respected leadership books written which illustrates, through inspiring stories, what research continues to reveal and how leaders understand that leadership is a relationship. Discussions range from the toughest organizational challenges leaders face today to changes in how people work and what people want from their work. Our goal is to create distinctive managers with a unique leadership-oriented career opportunity.

This course is designed to equip students with a pragmatic approach. They need to identify and solve ethical dilemmas, understand their own and others’ ethical behavior, and promote ethical behavior in their organization. We prepare students for a range of roles in the business world across business functions. We assess how a business is doing, and how it should affect our individual and social lives, and ask what role business and its values (could) play in our society as a whole. This course presents the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility, and explores its relevance to ethical business activity, as well as considering the moral obligations of businesses to the environment and to people in other countries.

MBA in Luxury Management

This course is designed to provide students with a deep understanding of luxury culture in a global and dynamic perspective and to give them all the necessary skills and know-hows to successfully manage luxury companies. A solid strategic approach coupled with a creative out-of-the-box attitude are key for business leaders and luxury experts. Main topics will include not only the study of the customer and of the key players of the industry, but also the fundamentals in operating in this very special sector

This course will specifically analyze brand power as the main challenge for the luxury industry. Through case histories, best practices and business models, we will focus on the marketing issues related to branding in an industry where this has a very strong impact on the strategic and business decisions. Consumer attitudes, product knowledge, brand image and many other relevant topics will be faced in order to develop a superior knowledge of the world of international luxury.

This program will focus on issues related to International Distribution defining all the tools that are necessary to enter, expand, understand, and succeed in the glamorous world of luxury retail. Retail experience and management will be examined in all the different aspects of quality and service support, including Customer Relationship Management, key to a successful customer experience and sales optimization. A special attention will be dedicated to digital business as in the last years, also the internet has become an important channel of distribution in the luxury arena.

MBA in Finance

This course offers an introduction to understanding and managing investment portfolios. It examines investment valuation, invest or objectives, risk and return, sources of information, security analysis, and portfolio theory with a focus on Equity investments. This course will also expose the student to the difference between public investing and Private Equity.

Specifically, students should understand the essentials of portfolio theory, differentiate between the major types of equity investments, understand how the stock market works and know how to purchase securities, understand the determinants of risk and return, and understand the difference between different sectors of Private Equity and raising equity by the end of the course.

This course focuses on the primary valuation methodologies currently used on Wall Street: comparable companies analysis, precedent transactions analysis, discounted cash flow analysis, and leveraged buy out analysis. The goal of the course is to cover key aspects of the M&A business process including corporate strategy, target selection/screening, deal negotiation/valuation, and due diligence. We will focus our study on current M&A best practices including the key tools, techniques and trends embraced by the modern dealmaker. The course will seek to apply basic finance principles and analytical techniques to actual problems likely to be encountered by senior management of major corporations or those who are the advisors to such management in the context of an M&A transaction. At the end of the course, the student will have gained an appreciation for the role M&A plays on today’s corporate landscape, as well as forming an opinion as to whether or not an M&A transaction “makes sense” for the firm.

In this course, students are taught the financial aspects of entrepreneurship. These include drafting of the business plan and its essential sections – financial, operational, markets. Additionally, students learn methods to build and manage entrepreneurial ventures. Specific topics include new venture creation, business development, finance for startups, and Marketing, Management and HR specific to new ventures. Other financial-related areas are also studied, including the operating agreement, forms of organization, venture capital, other financing sources and valuation. Students form and develop a new business idea, a business plan and operating agreement.

MBA in Marketing

In this course, students explore the role of marketing research in the overall marketing effort, the research process and the most common approaches & techniques used. Marketing research is critical to helping marketers make decisions. Students explore the information needs of marketers, develop the research process, and discuss sampling techniques and data collection methods of primary data. Particular emphasis is placed on explorative research: the first key step into marketing research. Students will analyze company cases to evaluate if, when and how to use marketing research tools and they will work to complete a marketing research project. The course is aimed at allowing students to grasp the relevance and contribution of marketing research within the overall marketing and management decision making processes.

This course discusses and analyzes how digital media technology has changed the way people and organizations communicate, and offers perspectives on how these new technologies can be used to communicate an idea or to “sell” a product. During the course, we will analyze some of the most important and common new media, describing their nature, the reason why they exist and the kinds of messages they communicate. We will critically evaluate various forms of new media and determine their uses, benefits and drawbacks to understand the importance of clear and “perfect” knowledge about the idea or product, including its identity. We will also analyze different types of public and learn how to communicate with them depending on the message or product, distinguishing between new media rules, conventions, ethics and “best practices”, as well as planning a new media strategy to communicate with the target public.

This course will specifically analyze brand power as the main challenge for the luxury industry. Through case histories, best practices and business models, we will focus on the marketing issues related to branding in an industry where this has a very strong impact on the strategic and business decisions. Consumer attitudes, product knowledge, brand image and many other relevant topics will be faced in order to develop a superior knowledge of the world of international luxury.

Cost of the programs

 
Application fee€ 200 – due immediately, non refundable
Enrollment fee€ 4,600 – due after Provisional Acceptance
First Installment€ 3,500 – due after three months
Second Installment€ 3,500 – due after six months
Third Installment€ 3,500 – due after nine months
Total Tuition Fees:€ 15,300

The above tuition and fees are for the SSM in Residence Programs in Rome, Barcelona and Brescia. At Swiss School of Management we firmly believe in equity by giving people around the globe the same opportunities to earn an SSM degree. For students applying from areas of the planet with unequal social or economic conditions, we offer different rates. Please contact our in Residence Programs directors in UAEGCC, & Cairo as tuition fees vary.

Learn more about our Refund Policy.

The Swiss School of Management nurture students not only academically but also pushes them to become future leaders, to make meaningful contributions to their professional lives and our communities.
Wynona Reyes
MBA Graduate UAE