But applying for a MiM is a big decision: you’ll likely have to study for another one or two-years and have to part with a significant sum of money in the process.
It’s important, then, that you can be reassured a Master in Management is a good investment for your career. What’s it really like to study at business school? And what opportunities will you gain that will make you stand out to employers?
1. You’ll develop core business knowledge
As a generalist degree teaching the fundamentals of business, a Master in Management will provide you with a holistic business acumen.
Modules cover a diverse range of topics. At INSEAD—one of the world’s leading business schools—the core MiM curriculum covers subjects ranging from financial accounting, macroeconomics and data science, to marketing, operations management, and business strategy.
The broad curriculum means that, come graduation day, you’ll have a strong knowledge base complete with highly transferable expertise you can apply to a variety of industries.
Business schools also teach a plethora of practical business skills. During workshops, business simulators, and in-class projects, you’ll develop skills that can prepare you to succeed in the workplace. That includes leadership, communication, and teamwork.
Whether you study a one or two-year program, MiMs typically offer the opportunity to tailor your experience through elective and specialist modules. These ensure you can deep dive into topics of your choosing and can propel you further towards your chosen career path.
2. You’ll grow and develop your network
The opportunity to network is key to any business degree. This is especially true with a MiM as the generalist curriculum means you’ll be surrounded by people with a variety of different career goals and interests.
Cohorts are also typically highly diverse: at the UK’s Imperial College Business School, for example, the MiM program is comprised of 93% international students.
Your MiM cohort will provide the foundation of your professional contact base as you interact with your fellow classmates. The typical MiM curriculum incorporates a mixture of group projects and team building exercises to further develop these relationships, while you’ll also gain ample opportunity to socialize via clubs and associations.
“I was surrounded by classmates with big goals, which was such an enriching experience. It was a community of everyone pushing one another and this helped me to see my own potential,” says Alejo Artagaveytia, a former MiM student at IESE Business School currently working for the Boston Consulting Group.
Beyond your cohort, business school offers the chance to expand your network during guest speaker sessions, networking events, and careers fairs. All of which mean that by the time you leave you have an array of contacts who can provide opportunities later in your career.
3. You’ll gain international opportunities
Outside of the classroom you’ll find many exciting opportunities during your MiM degree. You can join associations, undertake internships, and attend company visits. Many schools even offer the opportunity to travel abroad during your studies, giving you the chance to see different business cultures in action.
For Andrea Mannori, studying the MiM at Vlerick Business School in Belgium allowed him to undertake international visits to both Germany and the US as part of the school’s global immersion periods.
The trips allowed him to work with companies headquartered in local areas. That meant spending time with the accounting and professional services firm, PwC, and global logistics firm, DHL.
“We worked on a project with PwC, and it was so interesting to be exposed to an American mentality and logic in business that you have to experience in-person to truly understand,” Andrea says.
Not only can this international exposure broaden your cultural awareness, it can also provide you with the inspiration to launch a global career after you graduate. Take the prestigious MiM degree at HEC Paris in France: just 30% of students remain in the country after graduation while 35% move to other European countries and 11% even go as far as Asia.
Studying a MiM is a chance to grow not only professionally, but personally too. The wide range of exciting experiences will give you the confidence and foundations to launch an exciting career in business.To find out more about what enrolling in a MiM could do for you, download our Master in Management Guide 2024.
