MBA in Sustainable Business
- Start your leadership journey in Sustainability
- Develop a unique mix of competencies to accelerate your career
- Pace your learning
Your Executive Education comes in 3D!
We have constructed BSL’s Executive Education with one central aim: empowering you as responsible actors of change. We have therefore designed the program three-dimensionally.
Dimension 1 – Specialization: defining a smooth learning curve toward sustainability
The specialization in Sustainable Business is for professionals who want to pursue sustainable business opportunities early in their careers. The program thus offers you numerous occasions to reflect on what your journey in sustainability will ultimately look like.
Dimension 2 – Focus: fine-tuning a unique mix of competences
Students of the MBA in Sustainable Business can choose a focus to enhance their capacity as change-makers: Data Science or Business Transformation and Entrepreneurship. They all acquire and develop core competencies in Marketing, Leadership, Strategy, and Finance. The program results in a holistic learning experience that will transform you into a self-aware, knowledgeable and sustainability-conscious business practitioner.
Dimension 3 – Organization: a learning pace that will suit you
The program is modular, meaning that you progress one step at a time. You can choose between full-time or part-time, thus deciding on the intensity of your learning. The module calendar is available early enough to allow you to make sure the modules will fit into your schedule. All modules are available in Dual-Mode if a last-minute event prevents you from coming to BSL.
Sustainable Business
With digitalization, sustainability is the business mega-trend with the most considerable influence on today’s world. BSL committed to the ten principles of the United Nations Global Compact as early as 2006. BSL became a member of PRME (Principles of Responsible Management Education) in November 2010.
Philippe Du Pasquier, President of BSL, explains the reasons for BSL’s early commitment to Sustainability in these words:
We chose these two affiliations, amongst others, because BSL has always been aware of the important role education can and should play in developing future responsible leaders, helping businesses become more sustainable, and engaging in the public social debate.
We often hear that sustainability will create numerous business opportunities. BSL pays special attention to how entrepreneurs can capitalize on these opportunities here and now and imagine new business models. The entrepreneurs’ paths pave the way for innovative initiatives in the corporate world and civil society.
We know we have limited time for concrete results when moving towards sustainable business models. BSL builds on its partnerships to leverage the conversation between sustainability experts, business actors, and citizens. MBA Students are invited to actively participate in this conversation, where they can either receive support for their projects or participate in initiatives at local, national, or global levels.
Learning Ecosystem
At BSL, a genuine Learning Ecosystem empowers Classroom learning. The MBA students benefit from various features that will enable them to transfer the knowledge and skills they acquire into their personal and professional development.
BSL Career Center provides a structured and holistic pathway toward career advancement, transition, or switch. The program is made of counselling sessions, self-development, and self-branding. It is plugged into the MBA program through classroom modules, individual meetings, online webinars, and social events. Learn more about Career Support & Employability.
BSL is the partner of the Incub&Co incubator to provide a space entirely dedicated to entrepreneurial initiatives. Distinguished and inspirational Guest Speakers regularly visit MBA classroom modules and open direct access to a wealth of real-world experiences and innovations.
Flexible Format
Duration: 1 or 2 years
- 1 year for the full-time model
- 2 years for the part-time model
Course work: 16 courses
- 15 core modules
- 1 mandatory elective
- Courses are scheduled in three-day modules (Thursday to Saturday)
Workload:
- Each module includes 3 days (27 hrs) of class time and 35-50 hrs of independent study
- The E/MBA Executive Project includes 300hrs of study time spread over your program, in parallel with your seminars (1 year full-time or 2 years part-time)
- Weekly time:
– Full-time model: approximately 40 hours/week
– Part-time model:
approximately 15-20 hours/week
Program Credits: 60 ECTS
(3 ECTS credits per course, 12 ECTS credits for final Project)
Curious about the impact our E/MBA will have on your career?
Connect with our Head of Student Enrollment and Admissions and learn how an E/MBA at BSL can bring you to the next steps in your career!
Contact Us
Please fill in the following form to make a general inquiry.
Learning Style
Personalization of learning starts with the creation of your Study Plan. We want to ensure that you have access to the courses you need at times that suit you optimally.
We do everything we can to benefit our MBA students from what some of them call “the best consulting machine.” They mean that every module is taught by seasoned and currently active business practitioners and experts with proven success in the field.
Expertise does not only lie with the Faculty. Our admission criteria make for a student body with practical experience and a varied professional and international background (60+ nationalities). Even if courses are taught in small groups (up to 25 students), we estimate that every MBA student can work in close cooperation with up to 80 fellow learners during a regular course of studies.
You will thus be part of a vibrant learning community, where the semi-formality of the classroom discussions enhances your capacity to inspire and communicate your goals and ambitions. This routine that only personalized education can offer nurtures initiatives with limitless impact.
Your learning journey culminates with the project you are to present at the end of your studies. It enables you to integrate your learning throughout the program and apply it to a meaningful experience. You will work on a project of strategic importance and receive support from a teaching faculty member. The experience is challenging – you will need to be agile and “build the plane as you fly.” However, you will gain confidence in your capacity to work in the sustainability field and establish meaningful connections with various stakeholders.
Learning Output
The MBA journey is an invitation to explore new dimensions of your current business activities:
- You will undertake a personal transformation journey that will enable you to know yourself better, explore your purpose, and nurture your capacity to lead yourself and others towards a better world. The MBA journey will immerse you in a multi-faceted learning space that fosters your personal growth through soft skills courses, mentoring, and reflective practices.
- You will be exposed to unconventional thinking beyond business-as-usual and explore an outside-in perspective that redefines business strategies as being driven by sustainability challenges. You will discover innovative concepts and tools for tackling global issues related to business’s economic, environmental, and social impact.
- You will accelerate your professional growth and will have the chance to make a positive contribution to an actual organization within the program.
The MBA learning experience serves your personal and professional development. It helps your progress to help your career. Hence, the learning output of the program provides you with varied possibilities, such as:
- Accelerating your current career
- Assisting your transition to a new corporate career
- Supporting your entrepreneurial project
- Developing your consulting skills
Backgrounds & Testimonials
Read about our Current Executive Education Students and Alumni Experiences at BSL.
Current Students
Alumni
Orientation in Executive Education
Three questions will define your route for your Executive Education.
Question 1: MBA or EMBA?
The MBA route is designed for those who are starting a managerial career. The EMBA route is designed for those with significant managerial experience. The MBA and EMBA modules differ when the learning curve differs between starters and experienced students. The MBA and EMBA modules are shared when the conversation between starters and experienced students can be fruitful.
Question 2: Specialization and Focus
All three Specializations share a Core curriculum designed to ensure that all students acquire all necessary business knowledge and skills. Each specialization is combined with a focus that can be chosen to obtain the most useful mix of competencies. The program is designed so that Specialization, Focus and Core modules can be followed separately.
MBA OR EMBA COMPLETE PROGRAM (60 ECTS)
5
Specialization modules
(15 ECTS)
3
Focus modules
(9 ECTS)
7
Core modules
(21 ECTS)
1
Project
(15 ECTS)
Question 3: Full-time (one year) or part-time (two years)?
We recommend the full-time option to professionals who seek a career transition or want to take a break from work and entirely focus on a year of dynamic learning immersion. We recommend the part-time option to working professionals in or outside of Switzerland who desire to keep their employment and study part-time, which means attending classes every few weeks.