MBA applicants can get carried away with rankings. In this series, we profile amazing programs at business schools that are typically ranked outside the top 15.
The Rotterdam School of Management (RSM) at Erasmus University offers one of the top-ranked international MBA programs in Europe, drawing its strength from a broad general management curriculum with an overarching emphasis on sustainability. Through case studies and class discussion, real-world problems and social and environmental questions are integrated into all aspects of the RSM program. In addition, as a hub of global business, the city of Rotterdam provides students with unique networking and recruiting resources.
RSM students must undergo rigorous leadership training, with each of the four terms of the 12-month, full-time program devoted to a different curricular component. A suite of core foundations of management courses first equips students with theoretical tools that they later put to use in more applied contexts in their second term. In the third term, students select an advanced course in their chosen area of career specialization. They also gain hands-on experience through the week-long “Living Management Consulting Project”—a course that pairs teams of students with a participating company to solve a current business problem. In their final term, students can further enhance their career specialization through elective courses, a leadership retreat, dual degree options, or exchange programs with other top-ranked institutions.
