It’s a choice many professionals are faced with. While both degrees provide key business knowledge and a global outlook, the MBA is designed for the more mature professional with years of experience and knowledge to share.
But what if you could choose both? Enter London School of Economics and the Global Master's in Management (GMiM).
The two-year program begins with an introductory course, with subjects such as quantitative analysis and academic writing, which aims to develop the bedrock of knowledge needed for the masters. The foundation year includes core modules like Organizational Behavior and Managerial Economics, all studied at the London campus.
The GMiM’s second year is fully-customizable. Students pick modules which interest them most, choosing from the CEM’s Masters in International Management double degree and exchange, a specialism attached to their degree, or the MBA Exchange term.
The latter is the only one that provides the opportunity to join a leading MBA classroom in the US, Europe, or Asia. And students can broaden their knowledge by opting for any electives that the MBA exchange school provides.
Celina Bade and Radoslaw Machowiec are two LSE students capitalizing on this opportunity to experience life as an MBA.
Celina chose Yale School of Management for its strong focus on healthcare, beginning her studies there in September. She had access, not only to Yale SOM’s 8,000-strong alumni network, but nearly 17,000 students and faculty members from the wider university as well.
“Broadening my perspective and gaining insight into international business culture was a big motivation for me to complete the exchange,” she says. “The exchange is an immersive way of learning how different cultures do business and how people think.”
Creating an international network of MBA peers with years of experience will set Celina up well for the future, she believes. Nearly 30% of Yale University’s students and scholars are international.
Celina says studying at London School of Economics, a social sciences university, is different from studying at a traditional business school. “Studying at LSE allows you to critically evaluate the tools that you are taught during the MBA exchange,” she explains.
Radoslaw, also studying at Yale for his MBA Exchange, chose LSE’s GMiM to kick-start a career in consulting. He’s joined Yale’s consulting club and says the practical focus of MBA classes at Yale complement his more academic studies at LSE.
In fact, the whole MBA exchange experience has encouraged Radoslaw to consider the USA as a career destination in the future, as he now understands the American business market and has established a network in the country.
Radoslaw never felt out of his depth during his term at Yale, despite being surrounded by senior professionals with many more years of business experience.
“LSE equipped us to excel in the MBA classroom,” Radoslaw confirms. “LSE provides the theoretical framework upon which we can build a managerial toolbox through practical experience.”
Over half of business school applicants globally intend to study outside their native countries—according to the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC)—to get that global experience that employers demand. Through the Global Master's in Management at LSE, and their MBA exchange term in the US, Celina and Radoslaw have got exactly that.
Radoslaw says that while MBA students tend to be older, there’s no barrier between the younger LSE exchange students and the more experienced students at Yale.
“In only a few months, I’ve made lots of great connections with people who work for companies that I want to work for in the future,” he beams.
