EDHEC’s Global MBA: Where Sustainability Meets Entrepreneurship

Earning an MBA was not on Carly Stanway’s bucket list.

Then a global pandemic hit.

In 2020, Stanway was a senior HR professional in Canada, working in talent acquisition, leadership development, and DEI within the financial and professional services sectors. The worldwide pause gave her the time to reflect on how far her career had advanced so far – and where she wanted it to go.

Two pivotal moments made her consider an MBA. The first was recognizing the impact financial literacy and higher education had on empowering women. The second came while listening to a podcast featuring James Clear, author of Atomic Habits. “‘A goal without a plan is just a wish,’” Stanway recalls Clear saying.

“Nothing had ever resonated more. It was at that moment that I started to map out a plan. I reflected on the people I admired and the roles I aspired to, and a lot of the common themes between them were that they all had MBAs and had international work experience.”

The Global MBA at EDHEC Business School checked all her boxes in her program search. At just 10 intensive months, it’s one of the shortest full-accredited MBAs in the world. That meant less time out of the workforce than the two-year MBAs more typical in the U.S. and Canada.

‘AN INCREDIBLY KIND, CURIOUS & SUPPORTIVE GROUP’

It is highly ranked: In 2024, the Financial Times ranked EDHEC the seventh best business school in Europe and its Global MBA ranked 15th in Poets&Quants’ latest composite ranking of international MBA programs. EDHEC is triple accredited, meaning it has met rigorous standards of the world’s three main accrediting bodies – a feat achieved by less than 1% of business schools worldwide.

EDHEC’s MBA is also among the most diverse. Stanway’s 2024 cohort of 78 students were from 30 different nationalities.

“We had a very wide range of profiles from professional athletes to CEOs, and from marketing professionals to engineers,” Stanway says.

“We were an incredibly kind, curious and supportive group amongst ourselves. The diversity of cultures meant we got to experience different cuisines, traditions, and religions, and having a wide age range in our cohort (25-45) also meant there was some great breadth and depth to our in-classroom discussions.”

HIGHLY FLEXIBLE AND PERSONALIZED

And then there was the climate.

Located in Nice, EDHEC’s Global MBA is literally at the epicenter of the French Riviera. Students can see the Promenade des Anglais from the classroom windows and hop a bus to wander through Old Town’s architecture.

In between classes and projects, Stanway explored the Côte d’Azur by train and bopped around Europe by plane. (The airport is just a 10-minute walk from campus.) As a wine lover, she dedicated time to visiting every natural wine bar on her carefully curated list – and succeeded!

More importantly, EDHEC’s Global MBA is designed to provide a comprehensive 360° business vision in a global context, fostering well-rounded, reflective leaders who can make a positive impact, says Ghassan Paul Yacoub, Global MBA academic director and associate professor of innovation and strategy.

The program is highly personalized. After the six-month core in business fundamentals, students choose from one of four specialization tracks: International Finance, Global Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and AI & Innovation. Each track includes a week-long learning expedition to global business hubs such as London, Singapore, or Berlin.

Electives like Sales & Business Development, Data Visualization, and Strategic Foresight allow students to further customize their degree to their career goals. MBAs also choose between two international immersions, multiple options for their two-month tailored MBA project, and ongoing LEAD360 leadership development courses. If they choose, they can tack on an internship or international exchange to extend the program.

“This customization enables students to focus on areas that align with their professional aspirations supported by a dedicated team of professors, advisors, career and leadership coaches, as well as the MBA directors,” Yacoub says.