Antwerp Management School

Executive MBA (EMBA)

The core curriculum of our EMBA mirrors the values of Antwerp Management School and its partners. Together, we deliver a deep insight into all managerial domains. We combine this with three modules on Personal Development, focusing on purposeful leadership and sustainable organisational change and individual support through the NeuroTrainingLab and personal coaching. Our deeply engaging International Components and the Positive Impact Project will prepare you for a leading role in building a sustainable future. It is our conviction that these are the building blocks required to make our students into Global Citizens, who master the art of decision-making and people leadership in a challenging world.

The strengths of our program in detailed.

An international education unlike any other in the market

Developing an international mindset is one of the core aims of our EMBA, and is integrated in the DNA of AMS and its partners. Our level of internationalization in the design and delivery of the Executive MBA far surpasses that available in any other similarly-ranked EMBA program. Perhaps this is why the Financial Times rates the “international course experience” of our EMBA to be n°15 (!) in the world, which makes us also the best in the Benelux region.

If your ambition includes the dream of building an international career, either as an expatriate or “home-based” with international responsibilities, you will discover that we offer the best preparation available.

Global Strategic Challenges

The focus of our International Immersion modules is on global strategic challenges. The goal is to transfer knowledge and expertise with a worldwide mindset, leading to an understanding of the economic drivers of global economies and the challenges of a cross-cultural business.

During your 2-year journey, you will not only study at Antwerp Management School, but also in Asia, the U.S.A. and in Zurich. During each of these 5-day trips, we will facilitate networking opportunities with like-minded professionals, and you will take up courses with local Executive MBA participants.

The subjects of these modules are as follows:

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston

• Cross-cultural Supply Chain Excellence
• Logistics for the 21st century
• Business surprises in the U.S.A.

ETH Zürich

• Corporate innovation and entrepreneurship bootcamp

Singapore Management University, Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore

• International Business Management
• Doing business in Asia

Our Personal Development Program

During the EMBA, our Personal Development Program (within the Leadership Track) is designed to develop resilient, adaptive, and focused leaders capable of contributing to the creation of high-performance teams and organisations concerned with the performance and well-being of their employees and the sustainability of their business.

This forms a deeper understanding of the increasing complexity of organisational behaviour, and prepares participants to effectively manage the challenges that come with a leadership position in today’s volatile business world.

The program is designed to address several fundamental aspects of leading people in organisations. These include understanding human behaviour and motivation in the workplace, creating a sense of mission and purpose, self-leadership, activating multiple paradoxical leadership behaviours, steering high-performance teams, coaching talent, and developing high-performance organisations.

This program aims to provide tools for disciplined and conscientious thinking about what happens in our organisations and within ourselves. The course is based in large part on neuroscience research, principles and insights and seeks interaction with participants through exercises and case studies, all based on real-life situations.

The Positive Impact Project

Societal consciousness is integrated in the DNA of AMS and its partners. With the Positive Impact Project, we aim to ensure that future leaders have the broadest view of the consequences of their actions and decisions: For the communities we live in, for the environment and for the wider society we are all part of. In the EMBA, we develop this through the Positive Impact Project. This is a 10-month project that requires you to interact directly with groups in your community, which may not be in the realm of your business future at first sight, but that will give you a revealing insight into society from a different angle: These include but are not limited to organizations and associations that do charity work, educational initiatives for underprivileged children, and associations that support people who do not always have a voice.

Working on this project will make you more aware of the impact of business decisions on society as a whole, and give you a broader awareness of the world around you, stimulating you to opt for sustainable decisions and rational management. Learning to deliberately reflect and develop empathy is a key part of the project. In turn, this will make you a better business leader, as you gain perspective on the impact of your actions.

The Positive Impact Project incorporates the following objectives for an applicable learning experience that leads to societal improvement:

• Understanding how organisations can have a highly positive impact on society.
• Learning about specific societal challenges in sustainability (ESG: environment, social, governance).
• Understanding of the hybridisation of organisations (such as profit-oriented vs purpose-, impact- or mission-oriented organisations).

Fundamental Management Training

Core Modules:

Our EMBA is designed for candidates seeking a solid general management education, and our core modules offer exactly that. The core modules are expertly delivered by experienced faculty from leading business schools in Europe, North America and Asia. You will show your mastery of the theories, practical applications and emerging issues in each subject through a combination of formal exams, individual and small group assignments.

Our core modules are scheduled in blocks of 2 days, on Fridays and Saturdays, approximately every three weeks. We believe that this structure allows you to combine your EMBA with work and family life, while at the same time providing you with the necessary building blocks for your career.

Our core modules are also internationally oriented to ensure your global mindset develops throughout every aspect of your education.

The Master Project, putting learning into action

The Master Consulting Project is a 16-month project. It is not a “traditional thesis”, but rather a consulting exercise project, addressing a real business problem or opportunity. It may be an individual or group assignment, depending on the scale of the project. It is an exciting opportunity to put your academic knowledge into practice, always under the close supervision of qualified faculty and a business representative. If your company supports you in the EMBA experience, the master consulting project offers you an excellent opportunity to give knowledge back to the company.

The Project starts in the first academic year and continues until graduation. At the conclusion of the project, you will present your work, research, analysis and conclusions.

Here are some topic examples of past Master Consulting Projects:

• Industry Comparative Multiple Case Study
• Changing in a Competitive Environment
• Critical Success Factors Influencing Workplace Flexibility
• Development of a Balanced Scorecard as a Performance Measurement Tool
• Recommendations to Improve Cost Effectiveness
• Secular Growth Through Business Repositioning: From Theory to Practice

Our Disruptive Sessions

AMS executive masters are rooted in the business reality. Faculty who combine business and academic careers, the use of real-business cases in class, and simulation exercises which teach crucial business insights are based on real-life examples… More than anyone else, we know and see that our business reality is in constant evolution. While we adapt our curricula on a continuous basis, making them as up-to-date as possible, we feel the need to constantly challenge our curriculum and participants with topics that are not yet integrated in the curriculum but emerge as future important aspects of business.

That’s why the Executive Master's programs at AMS organise, together with our alumni, the disruptive sessions. Inspiring short sessions for current students and alumni, opening your mind to new possibilities, showing you the latest evolutions in the market and making bold statements on the future. Sessions where you’ll see the latest insights from our own alumni and their connections. We call these webinars disruptive, because they have to sacrifice sacred cows and they have to leave the beaten tracks.

The disruptive sessions offer not only inspiration but also a great way of connecting with your alumni network. Typically, the real-life sessions on campus will be organised outside of business hours and after a normal session in the executive program, webinars will be organised during lunch times. Alumni will join the current students for extra inspiration.

The Executive MBA organises 4 disruptive sessions throughout the year, mostly on Friday nights, following a teaching day for one of the cohorts.

Financial Times puts AMS Executive MBA as number 1 in Benelux

Taking 56th place, Antwerp Management School (AMS) successfully maintains its leading position for the Benelux in the Financial Times Executive MBA ranking of 2022. With excellent scores on quality criteria on the Work Experience, ESG, International Experience and Salary Increase, AMS is further establishing itself in the Benelux as the number 1 business school in the field of EMBA programs.