97 students join INSEAD’s first Master in Management cohort in France

A total of 97 promising, young candidates from 32 nationalities and five continents have arrived at INSEAD graduate business school in Fontainebleau, France for its first Master in Management (MIM) programme. Launched in 2019, the MIM is a 14 to 16-month accelerated programme designed to equip young graduates with a holistic set of skills to launch a successful global career.

Dean of Degree Programmes Urs Peyer says the faculty is “impressed and inspired” by the inaugural MIM cohort. He elaborates, “Our students will get the big picture from this broad management degree as well as practical tools and techniques so they immediately create value for their employers and accelerate in their career paths. Students graduating from this accredited master’s degree will be prepared to tackle the complex challenges the world is facing with a sustainable and responsible approach.”

Unlocking a truly global experience

The MIM’21 class returned to the reopened Europe campus on Sept. 1, 2020, practising rigorous health and safety measures. Wearing masks and greeting each other by bumping elbows, they poured into large lecture halls, where they sat at a safe distance from one another. “We are delivering a different experience due to the exceptional circumstances, but it is most definitely a unique INSEAD experience bringing remarkable young people together from all over the world to learn and shape their futures,” says Katy Montgomery, Associate Dean of Degree Programmes.

This diverse group of students will study across INSEAD campuses in France and Singapore, with the opportunity to take field trips to the Middle East, US, and China. An arrangement unique to this programme, it espouses a “truly global experience,” as Montgomery said back in 2019. “INSEAD offers me a chance to study in global campuses, to learn with students from global backgrounds and to seek career opportunities globally — making it hard to say no to this amazing programme!” shares Tiffany Tang from Taiwan.

American-French student Claire Camoin concurs, commenting, “As I was getting to know my peers, I was impressed to see that not a single participant has the same background as another. The class size allows us to quickly build a strong cohort bond and learn from each one of us. At the end of the day, I thought that I had already known my fellows for quite a long time.”

The new “handshake” doesn’t take any warmth and excitement away from meeting classmates. Source: INSEAD

Inside INSEAD’s Master in Management

Combining innovative learning with problem-solving skills, this programme will prepare graduates to lead any business, anywhere in the world. In the words of Programme Director Thibault Seguret, businesses have the ability and duty to answer global challenges; the MIM is an extension of INSEAD’s mission to bring together people, cultures and ideas to develop responsible leaders who transform business and society.

“The engagement, open-mindedness, and entrepreneurial spirit of the MIM’21 class is humbling. Faculty report how meaningful and participative the initial class discussions have been, and how every single student contributes to discussions. This is quite an achievement when you consider the reference point for our faculty is MBA students who have on average five more years of work experience,” Seguret says.

Besides assignments and projects, students will also participate in a two-week practical learning experience. Here, they will put their experiential learning components to the test by attempting to solve actual challenges that companies put forth.

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INSEAD launches new Master in Management course