Study international business and management in Groningen to learn about how companies operate in multiple countries and how a manager copes with different business cultures.
The MSc International Business and Management (IB&M) is a broad programme with a rich set of electives to choose from. You can also opt for a double degree with Fudan University in Shanghai.
You will learn to approach issues in global management with an open mind and how to deal with them systematically and creatively. Your analytical and professional set of skills will be expanded to include the latest theories and tools in developing strategies for managing multinational enterprises and for firms to operate across borders.
Specific attention is paid to comparative analyses of countries, institutions, cultures and, of course, companies and their strategies. You will be trained to apply this knowledge to the development of company strategies, instruments and processes. You will also learn to analyse the purchasing and sales markets in different countries, understand various institutional environments and develop policy proposals. The programme further offers the opportunity to focus on either the Energy Focus area or the Sustainable Society Focus Area area.
The content of the programme was very interesting, I could learn about the latest business concepts and discuss them in class. I was amazed by the way teachers encourage critical thinking and discussion. Also, the study programme provided me with soft skills such as communication skills, interpersonal skills and time management.
In addition to that, I was able to develop hard skills such as the ability to apply critical thinking to business-related problems and develop solutions to real study cases, which are all very important in the nowadays demanding job market. I found particularly useful the X-Culture “virtual” business project in which I worked with students from other universities scattered around the world on a company case study, in which I could practice theory studied during the courses on managerial skills in multicultural settings and cultural differences.
For my Master thesis, I collaborated with a company in Groningen as I wanted my work to be of managerial utility and more practical. The project allowed me to apply state-of-art knowledge to a real case study and gain useful insights for my thesis work from it. This helped me to fill theoretical gaps and improve my critical thinking overall.
As for the city: never a dull moment in Groningen, the city has to be discovered and lived to its fullest! (Francesca Bortolotti | MSc International Business and Management)
I still recall the moment that I stepped into the lecture hall on my first day and that I heard a lot of different spoken languages and I met people from all over the globe.
Reflecting back on the programme, especially the combination of theory-rich lectures and international group assignments prepared me to function in a high-stress international environment that demands a wide range of skills. Moreover, being part of the IBM community helped prepare me for the job market by expanding my network.
One other thing that surprised me was that the contact with the professors was more personal when I compared it with my bachelor, despite the fact that IB&M has many students. Both the students and the programme are international, and this was great for me since I was interested in ‘international orientation'.
Groningen as a city is the perfect mixture between a major city and a small town. This together with the high student density and good reputation of the University were the main motivators for me to move from the Randstad all the way to the North. Looking back at that decision, I can truly say that I do not regret it one bit and that Groningen started to feel as a home from the moment I set foot in the inner-city. (Remon Jasperse | MSc International Business and Management)
