IE Business School

The first change module, LAUNCH, consists of a series of workshops, sessions and seminars aimed at developing interpersonal and management skills. The LAUNCH module reflects change at a personal level and is carried out before the first period. The main aim is to equip students with the skills needed to successfully carry out a managerial role. The workshops are given by specialists, such as, actors from the Shakespeare Globe Theatre in London (workshops on voice, body language, language, etc) and architects from the London Architectural Association (workspace, design, etc). This development will continue throughout the year with the ACCELERATE Program, a series of management specific skills workshops.

To learn more about the Launch and Accelerate Program, download PDF.

The first period converges the skills of students from different academic backgrounds and equips you with the tools you will use throughout the remainder of the International MBA. This period includes a thorough introduction to entrepreneurial studies - a cornerstone of IE Business School's approach to business education. The entrepreneurship program continues in the subsequent term, during which all students develop a business plan.

Core Period 1 Courses:

• Entrepreneurial Management
• Marketing Fundamentals
• Managerial Economics: Markets and Concepts
• Organizational Behavior
• Financial Accounting
• Quantitative Analysis for Business
• Information Systems

To learn more about the Core Courses, download PDF.

In the second module, Change in Action, which takes place between the first and second periods, students explore – through a series of presentations by external experts, online simulations and discussion panels (facilitated by IE professors)– the challenges and opportunities of continuous change. The specific topic changes each year, but is always focused on its relationship with change at a global level, for example, climate change, energy, nanotechnology, or demographic change. Furthermore, students will have the opportunity to visit different companies to see, in situ, how they are dealing with the changing environment.

The second period analyzes the foundations on which business activity rests. Anything but 'basic' however; you will learn the most advanced management techniques in modern business focusing on the implementation of actions and strategies in organizations from a global perspective.

Core Period 2 Courses:

• Entrepreneurial Management
• Marketing Fundamentals
• Managerial Economics: Policy making and the Global Context
• Strategic Management
• Operations Management
• Cost Accounting
• Financial Management

To learn more about the Core Courses, download PDF.

The third change module, which is carried out between the second and third period, is called Making Change Happen and consists of a series of classes given by specialists from different areas, in which one single case is analyzed from perspectives such as finance, accounting, marketing, strategy, etc, and in which the focus is on change at an organizational level.

In the third period, which concludes the MBA core, you will develop a global vision of management, looking at the world through the eyes of a general manager - internally with a focus on effective organization and change management and externally by considering the role of business in society. You also refine your negotiation skills, particularly in challenging cross-cultural settings, through a dedicated module as part of the ACCELERATE program.

Core Period 3 Courses:

• Human Resources
• Business, Government & Society
• Advanced Financial Management
• Marketing Strategy & Plan
• Negotiation
• Supply Chain Management
• Core Plus Elective (choose among Investments, Management Control Systems, Country Economic Analysis or Strategy Implementation)

To learn more about the Core Courses, download PDF.

At IE Business School, all courses, including change modules and electives are subject to evaluation. Professors determine the evaluation methodology/criteria and communicate these policies to the students via the syllabus at the beginning of every course. Upon completion of each course, students are given a letter grade. The weighting attached to the grade varies depending on the number of sessions assigned to the course. The distribution of grades follows a curve system. This means that students are graded relative to peer performance. The students´ percentile ranking within class is a determining factor of their grade. IE applies a four-point scale to calculate the GPA (grade point average). GPA´s are computed after each of the academic periods and for the entire year. The numerical equivalents of letter grades are used to calculate the GPA.

Students are expected to maintain a high academic standard. Students that drop below the expected standards are subject to be placed under academic observation or probation. IE enforces an ethics code and expects students to behave responsibly at all times.