International Organisations MBA, University of Geneva (HEC)

The IOMBA is a unique programme that prepares professionals for careers in the increasingly interconnected fields of international governmental and nongovernmental organizations and companies that work with these institutions.

Multilateral institutions are playing new and growing roles in addressing international economic, security, environmental, and social issues. Simultaneously, non-governmental organizations and trans-national corporations are emerging as important non-state actors. The IOMBA applies business management skills to the distinctive setting of these institutions.

The IOMBA is a multidisciplinary programme taught in English that equips students with (1) an understanding of the global socio-economic context within which international and nongovernmental organizations operate; (2) advanced management training; and (3) ongoing engagement with international and nongovernmental organizations. It brings participants together with internationally renowned scholars, top officials from international and nongovernmental organizations, and business executives, to explore the core issues facing practitioners in these various communities.

Taught fully in English, the IOMBA is an intensive 13-month programme consisting of a ten-month academic curriculum and a three-month internship or consultancy project within an IO, NGO or a Social Entreprise.

Learning at the IOMBA is highly participatory, flexible, and collaborative. The curriculum is delivered by an international faculty from leading universities around the world, as well as practitioners and officials from leading global institutions.

Delivery is through a mix of lectures, case-studies, and field research, and students are encouraged to define and pursue individual interests. Student assessment emphasizes inter-disciplinary group work, and the IOMBA keeps group size extremely small, bringing widely varying industry and sectoral backgrounds together for assignments. This approach embodies the collaborative institutional environment in which students will operate.