The Rotman - SDA Bocconi Global Executive MBA - GEMBA
- Milan, Italy
- Mumbai, India
EMBA
DURATION
13 months
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
07 Oct 2026
EARLIEST START DATE
Nov 2026
TUITION FEES
USD 110,000 *
STUDY FORMAT
Blended
* to be paid in five installments. Thanks to the support of the Bocconi Alumni Community, 300,000 USD in merit-based tuition waivers are available for outstanding candidates.
Key Summary
About: The Rotman - SDA Bocconi Global Executive MBA awards dual credentials from SDA Bocconi (est. 1971) and the Rotman School of Management. You'll rotate through residencies in Toronto, Milan, Rome, Mumbai, San Francisco, Copenhagen, Shanghai and São Paulo, combined with distance learning in a flexible executive format. Faculty-led seminars, corporate visits and personalized leadership development, assessments, workshops, coaching and a retreat, build practice-oriented management skills, a global mindset and lifelong international networks.
Career Outcomes: Graduates progress to senior roles; likely paths include global general manager, strategy director, management consultant, chief executive officer, corporate development lead, entrepreneur, international business leader.
Truly global, distinctly personal.
The Rotman-SDA Bocconi Global Executive MBA (Master in Business Administration) is a modular program that combines the expertise and perspectives of a leading European and a leading North American business school in a transformative journey hosted in international business hubs. A launching pad for future career phases and an integrated preparation for senior management roles, GEMBA provides a highly personalized focus on leadership development and introduces participants to a global network of exceptional managers, faculty, executives, and thought leaders.
This unique 13-month program, spanning eight cities in four continents, will change the way you think, network, and do business in some of the world’s biggest markets and will give you a wider range of opportunities, contacts, and experiences. The Rotman-SDA Bocconi GEMBA is offered in partnership with the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto in Canada.
Why choose us?
Global Advantage: Europe, Americas, Asia
Toronto, Milano, Roma, Mumbai, San Francisco, Copenhagen, Shanghai, São Paulo: immerse yourself in the local cultures of seven international business centers, cross borders, bridge continents, and transcend insular thinking.
Two Credentials and Two Networks
A Global Executive MBA from SDA Bocconi School of Management in Milan and an MBA from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. The combined strength of these brands will position you for lifelong success.
Insight Sharing with Thought Leaders
Learn from globally-focused faculty, who can offer guidance, act as mentors, and open doors to new opportunities. And share firsthand insights into global business challenges with corporate leaders on campus and on-site tours.
Flexible Format, Timing, and Location
Combine professional, personal, and learning opportunities no matter where you are located, through the flexible executive format that blends residency modules around the world with distance learning.
Personalized Leadership Development Program
Grow your potential as a leader through regular personal assessments, skills workshops, coaching conversations, and a leadership retreat.
Grow your leadership on the global stage
Expand your global understanding, and personal horizons as a future leader, in this unique 18-month program spanning seven cities on four continents.
The new Rotman-SDA Bocconi GEMBA will change the way you think, network, and do business in some of the world’s biggest markets.
Traveling towards success
The curriculum, which includes twenty-four courses plus electives, will deepen your grasp of business fundamentals such as finance and accounting while building your knowledge and skills for the new global economy. You will benefit from our school’s leadership in areas such as design thinking and analytics. You will gain insights into industries and sectors where our schools have special expertise: for example, luxury brands at SDA Bocconi and fintech at Rotman. And you will build a network of international contacts while learning invaluable tools to advance your career.
Ten residential modules
The program is built around ten residential modules. These take place at the Rotman School, at both SDA Bocconi Campuses in Milan and Rome, and on the campuses of our international affiliate academic partners, providing in-depth local perspectives on global management. Each module consists of several courses and includes lectures, team discussions, and other dynamic, real-time learning opportunities.
Real-world experiences and learning safaris
Classroom sessions are interspersed with real-world experiences - company visits, exchanges with local executives, and dynamic networking events - that we call 'learning safaris': an impactful formula blending standout site visits with direct interaction with top executives. It's the essence of experiential learning, where participants witness and engage firsthand.
Evenings are filled with group projects, individual assignments, and time to explore the local culture and cities.
Online Learning
Online learning predominates in the periods between modules: preparation begins for the next set of courses, with study materials delivered a month or two before class begins. This is also the time to complete assignments and team deliverables, participate in review sessions, and write exams.
- 18 Months
- 75 Learning Days
- 63 Out-of-Office Days
- 3 9-Day Modules (Friday-Saturday noon), 8.5 learning days/6 working days each = 25.5 total learning days (classroom+company visit)/18 workdays (participants' out of office)
- 8 1-Week Modules (Monday-Saturday noon, including Elective Module Weeks), 5.5 learning days/5 working days each = 44 total learning days (classroom+company visit)/ 40 workdays (participants' out of office)
- 1 Elective Module (either in Milano and/or, Toronto or to exchange partner schools), 1 Week (Monday-Saturday noon) = 5.5 learning days/5 working days
Structure Edition 2025 - 2027
Module 1 - Toronto 26/09/2025 - 04/10/2025
- Managerial Economics
- Quantitative reasoning for management
- Leading people in organizations
- Working in teams
- Leadership development practicum
Module 2 - Milan / Rome 21/11/2025 - 29/11/2025
- Corporate finance
- Financial accounting and reporting
- Marketing
Module 3 - Mumbai 02/02/2026 - 07/02/2026
- Financial Markets and institutions
- Entrepreneurship in India
Module 4 - San Francisco 13/04/2026 - 18/04/2026
- Mergers and Acquisitions
- Business Design
Module 5 - Copenhagen 08/06/2026 - 13/06/2026
- Strategic management
- Performance Management And Control
Module 6 - Milan and/or Toronto 06-10/07/2026 (Milan) or 03-08/08/2026 (Toronto)
- 2 electives (students may choose electives offered in Milan and/or Toronto)
Module 7 - Toronto 14/09/2026 - 19/09/2026
- Change Management
- Corporate Strategy
Module 8 - Shanghai 06/11/2026 - 14/11/2026
- Operations management
- Economics of global markets
- Negotiation
Module 9 - São Paulo 25/01/2027 - 30/01/2027
- Sustainability Strategy
- Business Ethics
Module 10 - Milan 15/03/2027 - 20/03/2027
- Corporate governance
- Business Analytics
- Innovation management
Learning Model
The Global EMBA is delivered through a variety of learning formats. The learning platform of the Global EMBA aims to make full use of your time by combining lectures, case studies, group projects, and business simulations with distance learning sessions.
The learning model reflects SDA Bocconi’s spirit, which, through practical analyses and criticisms, stimulates and encourages the exchange of ideas, fostering a sense of belonging.
The curriculum is both rigorous and flexible, rich in theory but practical enough to be a test for the workplace. Throughout the program, you will also be in close contact with professionals from various economic sectors.
We strongly believe that balancing theory with practice is the pillar of a good Executive MBA. To achieve this balance, we continuously invite influential academics, corporate executives, and community leaders.
Regular attendance in on-campus modules and distance-learning sessions for the two-year program is mandatory, and an absence of any significant length will make it impossible to complete the program.
Evaluation process
In each module, you will be first assessed on a pass/fail basis. The primary objective of the initial evaluation is to confirm that you have acquired the necessary competencies in each subject. If you are granted a passing grade, you will then receive a final mark (A, B, C, or D), distributed on a grading curve. If you receive three failing grades, you will be required to withdraw from the program.
This rigorous evaluation process is in place because we believe it preserves the value of the program and the quality of each individual’s experience.
- 1st European B-schools Bloomberg Businessweek
- 6th European B-schools Financial Times
Financial Times
- #6 EU European B-School Rankings 2025
- #2 EU - #4 WW Global MBA Rankings 2025
- #1 WW Environmental impact Global MBA Rankings 2024
- #3 EU - #3 WW Custom Education Rankings 2025
- #11 EU - #12 WW Executive Education Open Rankings 2025
- #14 EU - #23 WW Executive MBA Ranking 2024
The Economist
- #2 EU Full-Time MBA Ranking 2022
- #13 WW Full-Time MBA Ranking 2022
- #3 EU for Faculty Quality Full-Time MBA Ranking 2022
QS - Top MBA
- #9 EU QS Global MBA Rankings 2025 - Europe
- #20 WW QS Global MBA Rankings 2025
- #1 WW Return on Investment QS Global MBA Rankings 2024
- #7 WW QS Executive MBA Rankings 2025: Joint Programmes
Each year, SDA Bocconi offers multiple merit-based scholarships and tuition waivers. Thanks to the contribution of the Bocconi Alumni Community, SDA Bocconi School of Management makes available 300,000 USD in merit-based Tuition Waiversfor 2026-2027 Rotman-SDA Bocconi GEMBA candidates.
Who is it for?
The Rotman-SDA Bocconi GEMBA will expand your global understanding, and personal horizons as a future leader: GEMBA is the right program for you if:
- You want to benefit from an inclusive outlook that bridges continents as you earn two credentials from top-ranked Schools with connections worldwide.
- You want to experience a transformative program hosted in seven key business hubs, immerse yourself in local cultures, while building knowledge and skills for an ever-changing, interconnected world.
- You want to gain insights into sectors where our schools have special expertise, and compare perspectives in our home cities: Milano - Italy’s entrepreneurial, industrial, and financial center - and Toronto - Canada’s multicultural financial capital and innovation hub.
- You want to develop a highly personalized focus on leadership challenges and enter a global network of exceptional managers, executives, and thought-leaders.
Demonstrate your commitment and readiness to succeed in business school by taking the GMAT exam – the most widely used exam for admissions that measures your critical thinking and reasoning skills. Download the GMAT mini quiz to get a flavour of the questions you’ll find in the exam.
Take the quiz