Master in International Management

You can schedule your study plan individually.

Lecture days:

• Friday (Core Modules)
  Every friday for the first two semesters
  
  
• Thursday and Saturday (Elective Modules)
  6 full-days or intensive weeks
  Electives can be completed until the final semester

This advanced qualitative and quantitative research design module prepares students to undertake business or management research at master’s level. Emphasis is placed on applying the skills that lead to a successful closure of a research journey focused on a contemporary business or management phenomenon identified by students in the role as either academic or practitioner researchers. Students will gain confidence in a range of cognitive and practical skills (including software tools) suitable to conducting research projects in a range of international business contexts.

This module strives to develop the management, leadership and strategic thinking skills of students through understanding the critical role of culture in this process and the skills needed to manage, position a firm to compete internationally, explore opportunities for internationalization, as well as managerial relationships with others. Other topics include the applicability of leadership theories across cultures, cross-cultural differences, international negotiation, corporate governance, creating value for stakeholders and strategy. Students will work with a team of international collaborators and participate in a highly recognized award winning global cross-cultural organisation of corporate projects and real international challenges.

The module provides future (non-financial) executives with tools and concepts to make important financial decisions and the era of FinTech that can critically enhance their institution’s ability to respond to competitive challenges, undertake new projects, overcome financial setbacks, and most importantly, create shareholder value. Students will work with a multinational company on the concept of risk mitigation and how to quantify the impact on the balance sheet.

Students learn to think strategically about how a firm should position itself to compete at home and abroad and create value for their shareholders and stakeholders by understanding the concepts to create competitive advantage, as well as developing sustainable strategies for international corporate competitiveness.

Every student will be assigned to a corporate coach to develop their thinking skills and scientific skills, as well as to advance a student’s ability to be a competent researcher and reader for practical relevance. Students explore a focal topic related to cross-country or international comparison, cross-cultural or inter-cultural intelligence, international opportunities or internationalisation process.

The research proposal and master thesis is a one-year research process which applies scientific and empirical research methods of a research direction. A student works independently under the supervision of an academic and/or corporate sponsors. Student combines knowledge from learned modules to develop an empirical research project with an international or cross-culture context that has implications for knowledge development, corporate strategy, economy, and society. The research proposal aims to guide a student through their research journey in a constructive and efficient manner before embarking into an empirical investigation of an international or cross-culture management, marketing or business-related problem or opportunity. The master’s thesis with a final defence presentation is the last module which the student embarks before graduation.

Select 7 Electives from a list of offers (6 ECTS each, Total 42 ECTS).

Most of our electives are in collaboration with international and local companies or organisations. Students work on recent scenarios with contributing companies throughout their learning. The programme also offers international electives* which are intensive and on-site learning at partner universities and organisations. These intensive learning electives take place during the semester’s and mid-semester's break. Students can connect and engage with students and companies in a foreign country and experiencing their organisational and social cultures. Students work on projects featuring different commercial and development contexts, including enrichment activities for a prospective or developing region.

Students also can choose a module from the MSc Business Information Systems programme or select an approved module from our partner universities abroad during the winter and summer break.

* Subject to conditions, no travel restriction (alternative plan may be offered if travel is restricted) and additional cost may apply. 

In collaboration with twelve companies, students gain new insights of the extraordinarily challenging times that many businesses face in the situation of uncertainty, where new adaption and crisis management are an ongoing basis during an unforeseen circumstance. Related topics include the new customer experience management, business value, multichannel management, open banking, sustainability, corporate responsibility, global trade tensions, change in strategic projects and business consultancy, digital branding and marketing, global social media strategy, investment and risk management, digitalisation and strategy, global b2b OEM collaboration, or new world topics.

Tailoring to cross-cultural and multiculturalism knowledge, students will learn and work with a leading Swiss company to plan and design the latest portfolio of consumer journey, consumer touchpoints and activation methods. The learning process also adopts a psychological, technological, economical approach to consumer research and consumer behaviour analysis, and explores the implications for individual consumers, organisational consumers and international marketers.

This module brings design and business students together in a lab setting and coaching-based sessions. Participants are invited to study, debate and rethink their relationship to inter-, cross-, trans- and multi-disciplinarity while focusing on empirical and practice-based design and traction strategy for a real-life case from the industry.

This intensive learning module provides students with the opportunity to connect and engage with students and companies in a foreign country’s businesses, education, and organisational and social cultures. Student will gain on-site knowledge of a country’s business and economic history, and experience how a country’s social innovation impacts its economy.

This intensive learning provides students with a realistic experience of how public sector implements e-governance and applies service orientation. It also provides students the opportunity to experience, connect and engage with companies in the Baltic region. Besides cultural learning, students will develop an e-service idea and present their idea to an industry panel. There will be real-life topics from lecturers’ own experience such as e-voting, e-taxes, e-health, e-school, down to e-Christmas tree. 

Global megatrends change societies and economies and challenge businesses. This module takes these trends as starting points and looks at the economic, technological, ecological, and socio-cultural sources and drivers of change. The module aims to raise students' abilities to deal with change and manage effectively and efficiently in a changing world. It will help students to understand where innovations come from, how they become established, and how they affect an organisation's performance.

This intensive learning provides students an opportunity to work on a natural resource-based project together with international corporate and academic partners. Some regional markets and public management remain misunderstood or not fully studied. There are opportunities to enrich the impending resources of a country in the Eurasia-Pacific region and the living of the local community based on their local natural resources if any. Students will gain a better intercultural understanding of lesser-known contexts while learning different styles of management, leadership, education, and its implication to economy, society and community.

The collaborative learning module between two groups of students in Switzerland and Singapore examines concepts, tools, and frameworks essential for business success in the global environment of Singapore/Switzerland. Through comprehensive lectures with a global framework, in-depth and thought-provoking project work, and industry site visits to companies, students will learn how companies manoeuvre the volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous environment to achieve organisational efficiency and effectiveness for various stakeholders in the business ecosystem.

Students have an opportunity to learn from changemakers of global macro economy and corporate lecturers from the world of finance and technology expertise throughout the intensive learning experiences in New York City. Examine how the city on earth shapes the global economy and reinvents itself. Students will gain an understanding of the methods that undermined the market leading to the global economies’ profits, collapsed or challenging bankruptcy. Other learning experiences may include public-private economic partnerships, the workforce and business development initiatives, and topics related to planning, adaptive reuse, leveraging resources. Students also will dive into on-site research exploring the different cultures, diversity, community engagement and societal insights.

The FHNW MSc International Management programme is part of the EIA Global University Alliance. Students will take part in the world's leading entrepreneurship programme, meet and learn from entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. Students work on ‘real-life process of building a start-up from concept to launch,’ giving them the ‘know-how to make it happen’. In the past years, our students were in the winning teams and won several awards, including trademark award, provisional patent award, an expedited interview with venture capitalist, design mentoring award, business mentoring award and post-mentorship award.

This multiple universities’ collaborative teaching provides students with insights in current research fields and topics of Gender & Diversity Studies in the different perspectives, based on academic literature and public debates. The module reflects on the manifold constructions of difference, aspects of transculturality from a critical and self-reflexive perspective, and the notion of equality in the context of gender and diversity studies. The module also explores methodologies and terminologies, and experiments a comparative discussion. Students gain insights into the various social, economic, and geopolitical contexts, get to know key issues of gender and diversity studies in the involved countries and participate in an experiment.

Leadership is commonly held to be a key to organisational survival in strategic business environments distinguished by rapid and complex change. Students will learn to develop a ‘critical discourse’ about the nature and relevance of leadership in different business sectors and across diverse strategic business contexts, and demonstrable appreciation of the relevance and potential impact of leadership in environments characterised by change. The emphasis is on how systematic reference to leadership influences the choices people make - individually and collectively - as they respond to changing environments.

Students can choose a module from the MSc Business Information Systems programme or an approved module from our partner universities abroad during the winter and summer break.

Module-linked international projects and experience trips to countries in Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe during the mid-semester 2 weeks’ break or during the break between semesters.

Pre-Master's Modules

• Accounting
• Applied Statistics
• Business and Marketing
• Economics

The pre-master's module is mandatory for applicants who have been given a provisional enrolment, subject to the completion of the required pre-master's modules. Usually applicants who have completed the equivalent pre-master's module/s with a satisfactory grade in their previous bachelor programme do not require to enrol in these modules. However, in some circumstances, the recruitment commission based on the outcome of the application’s interview may require the applicant to revisit these modules.

The pre-master modules can be done online. Upon successful completion of the modules and passing the required tests, applicants will then be officially enrolled in the MSc in International Management.

Applicants who fail to prove a pass or completion of the pre-master’s module will not be accepted into the programme.

Students spend a semester or a year at the partner university during the study semesters to qualify for a dual degree. Places are limited and are subject to acceptance by home and host universities.

Master Degrees in Singapore
Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS)

• Master of Digital Marketing
• Master of Finance
• Master of Management

Located in the hub of Asia, SUSS is a government-funded autonomous university in Singapore. SUSS advocates the Spirit of Learning by creating enriching learning experiences that benefit not only the individual, but those around them as well. In addition to gaining valuable knowledge and skills in their chosen field at SUSS, students will also have the opportunity to build a global network in an increasingly globalised and digitally driven job market. Moreover, these degrees will give students the chance to focus in a rapidly growing and in-demand area of study.

Global Master of Business Administration in Tainan, Taiwan (STUST- AACSB Accredited)
Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology
The GMBA programme focuses on the development of the service industry in the 21st century, the research and practice of business automation, management of information system, the management and marketing of mass-sale supermarkets and shopping centres, and the marketing of service industries. Graduates can also pursue a further study for doctoral degree in administrating fields in Taiwan. The GMBA Program at STUST was ranked as “highly recommended” by the reviewers of the Higher Education Evaluation and Accreditation Council of Taiwan on behalf of the Ministry of Education of Taiwan in 2011.

Master Degrees in Daejeon, South Korea (SolBridge- AACSB Accredited)
SolBridge International School of Business

• Master of Business Administration, MBA
• Master in Management and Technology
• Master of Science in Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship
• Master of Science in Marketing Analytics

Located in Korea’s Silicon Valley Daejeon, SolBridge is dedicated to producing the Next Generation of Asian Thought Leaders in the fast growing and rapidly changing Asian economy. These leaders will have Global Perspective, Asian Expertise, Cross-Cultural Competence, Creative Management Foundation and Social Responsibility. Other programmes are grounded on SolBridge’s Masters ACT Principles and Concept: Action learning, Creativity & Thought leadership, offering to students an action-oriented and hands-on education.

Master Degrees in Puebla, Mexico (UPAEP)
Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla, Asociación Civil

• Master’s Degree in Strategic Planning and Technology Management
• Master’s Degree in Management of Organizations
• Master’s Degree in Management & Marketing 

Study at UPAEP’s urban campus in the heart of downtown Puebla, “the city of the student’. The historical and industrial development in Puebla allows you to acquaint yourself to Mexican management, business, traditions and culture. UPAEP is rated 4 out of 5 in the recent QS Stars Rating System- an international system that classifies universities for its international excellence, educational leadership, global vision and constant search for the common good.

MSc in International Business in Cambridge, United Kingdom (ARU) 
Lord Ashcroft International Business School, Anglia Ruskin University
Focused learning on issues of vital importance to the global economy, strategic philosophies and techniques that focus on improving the efficiency and effectiveness of supply chain flow, supply chain strategy, international marketing and brand management. Upon graduation, you have an option to continue a Business PhD, a research programme at ARU.

Double degree MSc in Business Information Systems, FHNW
The interdisciplinary double degree with the Master of Science in Business Information Systems FHNW is an opportunity for students who have already learned about managing in the sharing economy and digital future but want to actively shape the digital transformation of their enterprises. Two additional semesters to complete the double degree.

Option to pursue a doctoral degree or Doctor of Philosophy in Business and Management (PhD). Please contact the Programme Head for further information.