Copenhagen Business School

Executive MBA in Shipping & Logistics

The Blue MBA provides you with unrivalled insight into shipping economics as well as modern management theories and their application in the maritime sector.

Top International Level

Through the CBS Executive MBA in Shipping and Logistics, you will learn to adopt a holistic view of shipping, integrating commercial, technological, and financial aspects as well as maritime law, supply chain management, and leadership challenges. You will be taken to the top international level in business administration, reflecting the needs of the industry in a world, where globalization, enhanced competition, and the speed of technological change place ever-increasing demands on executive management skills.

Content And Structure

Understanding The Industry

Module 1 will give you a basic understanding of the shipping industry. The focus will be on the role of shipping in the global economy and an introduction to shipping economics.

Understanding The Global Environment

Modules 2 and 3 will give you a background for understanding, how the world economy works. This will include the drivers for globalisation, trade patterns, supply chain management, and the logistical implications of this development.

Focus On Maritime Issues

Modules 4 and 5 are devoted to industry-specific issues, reflecting the holistic view of the business; they cover maritime law, ship design, and technical operational management, including the important aspect of information and communication technology development.

Core Management Issues

Modules 6, 7, and 8 will focus on central topics of business management, dealing with investment analysis, finance and risk management, organizational theory, and company strategy.

The Integrated Strategy Project (ISP)

The last part of the programme is the writing of the thesis, following a three-step process, where each step is concluded by an oral presentation, and the final presentation serves as the oral defence of the ISP/thesis. The aim is to demonstrate an ability to analyse a practical problem in detail, drawing upon all the knowledge from the program. An introduction to each of the three steps will be given during the last module.

Format

The CBS Executive MBA in Shipping and Logistics is a modular program with eight-week-long modules scheduled over the course of 22 months. Learning is supported by a virtual platform, where individual/group assignments and group discussions enhance the learning process. Teaching takes place in Denmark, Germany, and the UK. (Venues subject to change.)

Where And When

The demand for advanced education within professional fields of study has grown in recent years. This demand has urged a shift towards industry-driven programs where senior and mid-career managers seek higher competencies.

Eight Modules

The program consists of eight modules, each of which is followed by an individual assignment, plus a final integrated strategy project (ISP); which constitutes the final master thesis.

When you graduate from the program, you will have acquired the following:

Knowledge

• You will be competitive for the international job market as you will have received relevant and rigorous (= research-based) insight and knowledge provided by academic faculty in cooperation with high-level executives. In the program, interdisciplinary know-how is transferred through workshops, seminars, and the interdisciplinary project – combining shipping, law, economics, operations/supply chain management, marketing, organization, and finance. You will acquire content knowledge as well as social knowledge through the diversity in faculty and class composition.

Skills

• You will possess the theories, methods, tools needed to understand the whole complexity of the industry. You will also further your social skills by coaching techniques, negotiation skills, conflict resolution, and interpersonal communication training.

Competence

• You will be able to apply the set of theories, methods, and tools and you will be able to solve strategic, tactical, and operative problems covering the whole range of shipping-related issues. You will also be able to apply social skills to demonstrate leadership.

Credits: 60 ECT points

Learning Environment

The CBS Executive MBA in Shipping and Logistics aims at giving you unrivalled insight into shipping economics and modern management theories and their application in the maritime sector.

A Unique Holistic Approach To Shipping And Logistics

The program adopts a holistic view of shipping - integrating commercial, technological and financial aspects as well as maritime law and supply-chain management, and leadership challenges - which is unique. Upon graduation, you will have developed a complete understanding of the challenges in this sector. The program will take you to the top international level in business administration, reflecting the needs of the industry in a world, where globalization, enhanced competition, and the speed of technological change place ever-increasing demands on executive management skills.

Program Content Overview

Four governing themes are evident throughout the program:

• Leadership challenges
• The globalisation of the world economy
• Implications of information and communication technology development
• Changes in logistics requirements.

The final Integrated Strategy Project serves two purposes:

• For the candidate, the aim is to integrate all topics covered in the program by using real-world data on a problem related to the candidate’s own company.
• For the candidate’s company, the aim is to have a strategic issue thoroughly analyzed, with proposed solutions and implementation plans.

The CBS Executive MBA in Shipping and Logistics is a modular program with eight-week-long modules over the course of 22 months, supported by a virtual platform. Individual/group assignments and group discussions enhance the learning process.

Faculty

Lectures are delivered by a group of leading world-renowned experts from different areas of the maritime industry all over the world.

World-Renowned Faculty

Both the CBS resident faculty and the external faculty are among the group of experts who are highly in demand as advisors and consultants to maritime institutions, companies, and governments. In addition to their excellent teaching skills and methods, they help our students build an international network of contacts. 

Accreditations

CBS Executive MBA in Shipping and Logistics belongs to the exclusive group of global business schools to hold the triple accreditation (AMBA, EQUIS, AACSB), setting the program apart from others and ensuring that an MBA degree from CBS is recognised, respected, and rewarded globally.

Quality Assurance

To ensure the life-long quality and global recognition of your MBA, it is important to consider accreditations. CBS is among the one per cent of business schools in the world holding the sought-after triple-accreditation: AACSB, AMBA, and EQUIS. Through this international and broad recognition of the quality of the school and the CBS Executive MBA in Shipping and Logistics program, you can be certain that they are getting the best business education. In addition, the program is also accredited by ACE and PIMS in Denmark.

The Association of MBA, AMBA

In 2007, CBS became the first university in Denmark to receive accreditation from the AMBA, underlining its international credibility and status. The number of MBA qualifications available worldwide is now in the thousands, but only a small percentage of these would achieve accreditation if they were submitted to AMBA’s rigorous international criteria. Accreditation by the Association of MBAs identifies programs as the best there is. In a crowded and complex market, the AMBA accreditation provides a reliable list of meticulously tested programs and ensures that students' investments are rewarded with the finest business education available. 

European Quality Improvement System, EQUIS

EQUIS was created in 1998 and in the past twelve years of existence, the organization has accredited 147 institutions in 40 countries. CBS has been accredited by EQUIS since 2000. The EQUIS accreditation is awarded to business schools based on general quality, taking into account the business school's level of internationalization.

EQUIS assesses institutions as a whole. It assesses not just degree programs but all the activities and sub-units of the institution, including research, e-learning units, executive education provision, and community outreach. Institutions must be primarily devoted to management education.

EQUIS looks for a balance between high academic quality and the professional relevance provided by close interaction with the corporate world. A strong interface with the world of business is, therefore, as much a requirement as a strong research potential. EQUIS attaches particular importance to the creation of an effective learning environment that favours the development of students’ managerial and entrepreneurial skills and fosters their sense of global responsibility. It also looks for innovation in all respects, including program design and pedagogy.

Institutions that are accredited by EQUIS must demonstrate not only high general quality in all dimensions of their activities but also a high degree of internationalization. With companies recruiting worldwide, with students choosing to get their education outside their home countries, and with schools building alliances across borders and continents, there is a rapidly growing need for them to be able to identify those institutions in other countries that deliver high-quality education in international management.

The Association to Advance Collegiate School of Business, AACSB

In August 2011, CBS was the first school in Scandinavia to receive the AACSB accreditation. The AACSB accreditation standards are used as the basis to evaluate a business school’s mission, operations, faculty qualifications and contributions, programs, and other critical areas. AACSB accreditation ensures students and parents that the business school is providing a top-quality education. It also ensures employers that AACSB-accredited business school graduates are ready to perform on day one. Additionally, AACSB accreditation provides many benefits to the faculty and staff at its accredited schools by attracting higher quality students, providing greater research opportunities, and allowing for global recognition.

The school’s application is carefully reviewed to ensure it is eligible to pursue AACSB Accreditation. Once it is determined that a school has the potential to be accredited, it works with mentors, committees, and AACSB staff to develop a Standards Alignment Plan. Once a school follows through with its alignment plan and meets the AACSB standards, review committees and the AACSB Board of Directors decide whether or not a school should be accredited. In its entirety, the AACSB accreditation process is rigorous and requires a significant amount of work to achieve. 

The Global Alliance of in Management Education, CEMS

CEMS is a strategic alliance of leading business schools and multinational companies. Its first mission is to set a global standard of excellence for a pre-experience Master in management. Founded in 1988 in Europe, the network has grown steadily, largely due to the success and popularity of the CEMS Master’s in International Management: the MIM program. Today, CEMS is the global league of leaders on the pre-experience Master’s market and it cannot be equalled in terms of the reputation of its members: 28 world-class academic institutions collaborate together with over 70 corporate partners and 4 NGOs to offer international, postgraduate students a unique blend of high-quality education and professional experience.

Partnership in International Management, PIM

PIM, Partnership in International Management, is a consortium of leading international business schools, founded in 1973. Each member institution represents the highest degree of excellence in the fields of business administration and management, demonstrates leadership in their geographic region, and delivers an MBA or a graduate-equivalent degree in management. PIM facilitates the development of international cooperation among members, fostering the development of joint programs, student and faculty exchange, joint research, and cooperation among faculty members and researchers. On this website, you will find information about the partnership and its advantages and opportunities, its Member Schools, its main activities, and news.

The Executive MBA Programme in Shipping and Logistics aims at fulfilling the needs of the entire maritime sector in terms of relevant top management education based on maritime-related cases. The program is ideal for managers within the shipping community but equally relevant for those who deal with shipping either as customers or suppliers. Participants come from different countries and represent shipowners, ship operators, logistics providers, financial institutions, insurance companies, shipbuilding, and ship repair enterprises, brokers, maritime lawyers, transport consultants, classification societies, maritime administrations, ports, ship equipment producers.