5 business schools balancing excellence with real-world opportunity

04 Apr 2017

Why do many students choose to pursue a business degree? The answer is simple: it’s a qualification that opens doors to many possibilities in this diverse sector and beyond.

Business is booming everywhere you look, and a specialised international business education gives you the potential to work virtually anywhere on the globe. And if you ever want to switch careers to pursue your own endeavours, a postgraduate degree in business will certainly serve you well.

Forbes recently reported that business administration and management hold some of the top graduate employment rates for getting hired in 2017, highlighting the prospects and real-world applicability of a qualification in this field. With 86 percent of companies actively seeking recent business graduates, it’s clear that students who pursue a specialised business education have plenty to look forward to in terms of their future career.

If you’re thinking of investing in an elite business programme, it’s important to choose a school that caters for your needs. Look for a strong academic curriculum that combines classroom lectures, practical work and unique industry placements to give you an invaluable insight to how business and finance functions. This will make you incredibly desirable among the contemporary employer, most of whom look to innovate their workforce with competent, qualified and creative minds. On top of this, integrated work placements are a great for exploring potential career opportunities and building your professional network.

Keen to kick-start your career in the dynamic business world? Here are 5 schools that perfectly balance excellence with real-world opportunities.

STOCKHOLM SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS (SSE) – SWEDEN

SSE is ranked the number one Business School in the Nordic and Baltic countries by the Financial Times, and offers a first-class education in one of the world’s most innovative and entrepreneurial cities. The School provides five specialized Master degrees in: International Business, Business and Management, Finance, Economics and Accounting and Financial Management. As of 2018, international students will also be able to pursue the SSE’s BA Retail Management Program. The School’s research is internationally-recognized, with many of its researchers standing among leading global figures in their respective fields.

Known to boast close ties with the diverse business community, the SSE gives students regular opportunities to interact with business leaders. Partnerships with global organisations like Goldman Sachs, Deloitte, H&M, Electrolux, and more means students can ask questions, seek advice and request career options from powerful industry leaders.

The School is accredited by EQUIS, confirming that its teaching and research activities are of the highest global standards. SSE is also the only Swedish member institution of CEMS and PIM, collaborating with top business schools worldwide. All of this contributes to the elite standards SSE is known for round the globe.

Come and refine your business expertise in one of the world’s most stunning cities!

FACULTY OF ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS, KU LEUVEN – BELGIUM

Founded in 1425, KU Leuven is one of the oldest and most renowned universities in Europe. Today, KU Leuven is Belgium’s largest and highest-ranked university, with the Faculty of Economics and Business ranking among the top schools of economics and business in Europe. The Faculty offers Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes at four campuses: Antwerp, Brussels, Kortrijk and Leuven.

Known for its high-quality education, collaboration with business and strong international focus, students at KU Leuven University know they’re in good hands. Largescale expansion allows the School to better cater to diversified demand from the corporate world and policy bodies, with a broad portfolio that emphasises analytical rigor (e.g. Business Engineering, Business and Information Systems Engineering, Information Management, Financial and Actuarial Engineering) to more inductive, evidence-based and practice-driven programmes (e.g. Business Administration, Economics and Business Economics, International Business Economics and Management).

Besides offering rigorous and engaging courses, the School works with corporate organisations to offer students free study internships, business projects and career perspectives, giving them the chance to put their knowledge to use in a real-world working setting. For those who one day dream of starting their own successful business, the Faculty supports student entrepreneurs through its notable Entrepreneurship Academy. To support students in the pursuit of their future self, KU Leuven places great importance on professional and employment skills by complementing programmes with a wide range of curricular and extra-curricular activities. A focus on immersion in real business, entrepreneurial or policy contexts is at the heart of the School’s educational vision.

WARWICK BUSINESS SCHOOL, THE UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK – UK

With an aim to produce world-class, socially responsible and creative leaders who think on a global scale, Warwick is the perfect place to start your business journey. Here, students are offered a professional qualification that equips them with the skills needed to further their career. The School offers five single honour undergraduate degrees, a foundation year and several joint degrees delivered in collaboration with Warwick’s other departments. If you’re interested in specialising further, the School also hosts several MSc programmes, a flagship one-year MBA degree, and a Doctoral Programme.

Students are taught by world-class researchers who are highly-skilled and experienced when it comes to keeping class engaging. Specialists combine academic expertise with substantial business experience to captivate students through practical classroom learning. With excellent teaching and practical skill development, students are highly sought-after by companies worldwide. International organisations who have previously worked with the Warwick Business School include PepsiCo, IBM, Deloitte and Amazon.

STRATHCLYDE BUSINESS SCHOOL, UNIVERSITY OF STRATHCLYDE – UK

Founded in 1948, the University of Strathclyde Business School is an internationally-renowned institution that produces tomorrow’s best business minds. Awarded ‘Business School of the Year’ by Times Higher Education in 2016, the School is known for its outstanding performance overall, and its innovative, entrepreneurial outlook. It offers a broad range of business subjects across three types of undergraduate programmes that are flexible, specialist and cross-disciplinary.

The School offers a postgraduate degree in the following disciplines: Accounting and Finance, Economics, Human Resource Management, Human Centre for Entrepreneurship, Management Science, Marketing, Strategy and Organisation. And if you’re keen to switch your career or develop new skills, the Strathclyde MBA will undoubtedly give you a boost. This highly-experiential degree makes you question, re-think and re-evaluate your personal business ventures, turning ambitious managers into entrepreneurial and strategic leaders. The School, which is one of the few to receive a triple accreditation from AACSB, AMA and EQUIS, is also highly-rated for research work that has global reach and impact.

NOVA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS, UNIVERSIDADE NOVA DE LISBOA (UNL) – PORTUGAL

This triple crown-accredited School is among the most prestigious in the country, offering a sterling education, international faculty and recognised research excellence. It also stands as the only Portuguese member of the CEMS alliance, granting students a respected Masters in Management that’s known all over the world.

Consistently ranked among the best by the prestigious Financial Times, the CEMS Masters in Management boasts a comprehensive curriculum that instils the strategic and practical knowledge needed for students to enhance their career. On top of this, the School provides a Bachelor in Economics or Management, plus Masters programmes in Economics, Finance and Management. It’s a School that hosts high-quality and innovative courses that are regularly reviewed, ensuring students receive an education that reflects the needs of the current business world. For those seeking an outstanding MBA, the School also offers The Lisbon MBA, an elite programme that blends the expertise of two leading business schools – Nova SBE and Católica-Lisbon.

*Some of the institutions featured in this article are commercial partners of Study International