The move – marked by the release of a new website - comes as the school bids to attract learners, not only from across northern Europe but also from emerging economies, with redesigned course schedules and learning material.
The launch of new, executive-level programs will help experienced professionals become life-long learners and prevent their skills from becoming obsolete, according to the school’s dean Wim Naudé.
“Our new executive education offerings include managing organizational change, innovation management, innovation procurement [...] and cover many more twenty-first century skills,” he says.
“Whereas our one and two-year degree programs aim to provide the skills for managers and entrepreneurs to implement their ideas, our short executive programs aim to provide them with the skills to update their competencies.”
Other executive education courses offered by MSM focus on online retail strategies, digital marketing, and research management.
Wynand Bodewes, associate professor of entrepreneurship and academic coordinator of the school's executive education programs, says the school is adapting to the needs of the modern-day executive.
“For the Dutch professional it's virtually impossible to take a week off and to go and study for a week,” Wynand says. “If we want to be able to be of help to them, we have to adjust how we deliver our programs.”
Adjust they have. MSM’s courses allow executives to collaborate with colleagues experiencing similar challenges in the same field, and to work with the school’s professors to counter them. The courses have been shortened, so participants can combine study with busy professional timetables. This also makes it attractive for executives from emerging economies to attend a course in cutting-edge business in the heart of Europe, reducing costs and time, and maximizing networking exposure to local European managers and entrepreneurs.
The 300-kilometer radius around Maastricht is one of the most dynamic of European areas, cutting across the Netherlands, Belgium, and parts of northern Germany and France.
Wynand adds that the school's expanded regional focus will bring together students from many different countries, forcing them to collaborate in a multicultural learning environment.
His colleague, big data specialist Davy Cielen, agrees. In his classes, Davy gets students to work in multicultural groups and uses an interactive method of teaching to help foster new generations of more responsible managers.
“Data-savvy managers know how to get the best out of their teams,” he says. “Students have to consider both the social and environmental impact [of their decisions], as well as the economic impact, when considering the goals that they want to achieve.”
Davy's coursework reflects what he calls the school's personal approach to teaching - a hands-on strategy has long been a part of MSM's appeal to students, whether they’re classroom-based MBAs, distance-learners, or seasoned professionals looking to kick-start their careers through the school’s executive education programs.
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