We recently announced a new set of exclusive corporate internships with companies such as adidas, Coca-Cola, McKinsey & Company, Zurich Insurance and more, but our corporate partnerships extend well beyond that. 

Partnerships are an integral part of our MBA program, allowing us to provide an unrivaled educational and life experience. We have two types of partnerships: learning partnerships and corporate partnerships. 

Learning Partnerships

Learning partnerships are collaborations with universities and expert organizations which are world-leading in selected domains. Learning partners of the MBA program are among others ETH Zürich and Google. ETH Zurich is regularly ranked one of the Top 10 universities in the world and is widely considered Europe’s leading technology institution. ETH Zurich offers two technology-focused elective courses. Google delivers two workshops focused on innovation. In addition, one of our innovation-oriented courses – the Startup Week – is hosted at the Zurich Google campus and student-developed innovative ideas are partly evaluated by Google executives. Also, McKinsey & Company and BCG consultants support us in delivering problem solving and case cracking workshops.

Corporate Partnerships

We work closely with several globally leading corporations headquartered in Switzerland, Germany, or Austria. Our corporate partners are committed to helping us deliver a unique application-oriented learning experience. Corporate partners are involved throughout the student’s MBA journey in many ways: as executive faculty, participating in fireside chat and panel discussions, familiarizing our students with their industries through company site visits, mentoring students, and providing internship opportunities.

Executive Faculty

Throughout the Core Phase, industry experts regularly feature in the classroom. Teaching cases and specific applications of knowledge regularly pairs academics with practitioners. 

After the core phase, students have the opportunity to choose among a number of electives, several of which are co-developed and delivered with companies. This ensures they are highly practical in nature and give our MBAs the most up-to-date insights. For example, a Mergers & Acquisitions elective is held at the Zurich office of EY and our MBAs are taught how a due diligence process is undertaken at the firm. Other examples are an elective on investing taught in conjunction with executives from LGT Capital Partners, an elective on AI application delivered in conjunction with executives from Partners Group, or our Managing Digital Product Creation elective in which our MBAs design and prototype an app with Ginetta, an award-winning digital agency headquartered in Zurich. 

The final part of the MBA program is the Final Project – the development of a Business Plan, a Research Project, a Corporate Project, or an Internship. During the Final Project Phase our students are mentored by a mentor – a seasoned executive. We have over 30 seasoned executive faculty members serving as mentors for our students. 

Fireside chats and panel discussions

We offer a Fireside Chat series called Executive Voices which every month brings together students and alumni with senior executives from firms like Mercedes or adidas to discuss relevant developments in their industries. 

St. Gallen Campus and Company Site Visits

We invite our corporate partners to campus on a regular basis each Fall. These interactions enable our MBAs to gain familiarity with new industries and companies, learn about corporate culture, and ask questions related to global career prospects at these companies. This allows our students to network with executives, alumni, and HR contacts. The spirit revolves around curiosity. MBAs are encouraged to learn about new areas they are unfamiliar with.

Similarly, our MBAs have the chance to visit some companies at their premises. Past examples include the headquarters of Hilti, Georg Fischer, Omega, On, Swissquote, Novartis, among others. Executives from a range of seniorities, including MBA alumni, make themselves available for our MBAs.

Corporate Internships

During the final three months of the Full-time program, our MBAs can undertake a paid corporate internship. These are applied for prior to the start of the program, so students have peace of mind during the action-packed MBA knowing their final practical experience is already secured. The scope of each internship is defined in collaboration with the company, ensuring mutual alignment for the company’s strategic needs and the MBAs professional development goals. There are a range of internships suitable for different backgrounds. For instance, Axpo is well-suited to those who seek sustainability careers while Lonza is broadly open to backgrounds ranging from HR to IT. These internships are ideally designed to act as on-ramps to permanent employment these companies.