9 International Business Schools Where You Can Study Geopolitics

In 2025, politics is inescapable for business leaders. Wars and power plays disrupt supply chains, tariffs appear and vanish overnight, and rules for emerging technologies shift before the ink is dry.

“Business leaders cannot ignore the interconnected nature of the global economy and the effect of these interconnections across the value chain of their companies,” says Lee Newman, dean of IE Business School in Spain.

MBAs, executives, and business students at every level want more than strategy and finance, they want the tools to navigate a volatile global order. Across Europe and Canada, a growing number of business schools are answering that call. From full-blown Schools of Governance to topical exec ed courses, these schools are making geopolitics central to business education. (See: A New Geopolitics Push? How International B-Schools Are Responding To Global Chaos)

1. Esade Business School (Spain)

Esade integrates geopolitics into business education through EsadeGeo, the school’s Center for Global Economy and Geopolitics.

As a business school, Esade was an early mover into geopolitics. It founded EsadeGeo in 2010 under the leadership of Javier Solana, former NATO Secretary General and EU High Representative for Common Security and Defense Policy. Today, EsadeGeo faculty teach across the school’s programs, emphasizing how global politics, markets, and nonmarket forces shape corporate strategy.

“Today, in most of the courses or specific programmes that we tailor, we always start by analysing geopolitical environments and scenarios. There is a growing demand for everything related to geopolitical scenarios,” says Professor Ángel Saz, director of EsadeGeo.

“While a few years ago we had to make the case to students that global politics and geopolitics were important for firms, today this hardly requires any justification. Daily news on geopolitical and policy elements affecting firms prove so: tariffs, regulatory barriers, export restrictions, industrial policy, sanctions and so forth.”

Key Offerings

• MBA: Core course Business, Government and Society examines nonmarket strategy in areas such as energy markets, geopolitics, and climate governance. The elective Geopolitical Scenarios and Business teaches scenario planning to prepare leaders for multiple possible futures.
• Master Degrees: Its Executive Master degrees include geopolitical scenario methodology and strategic reflections on how global developments might affect value chains and geographic markets. Its Master of Science Programs have a mandatory Geopolitics and Non-Market Strategy course that trains students to respond strategically to forces beyond the market.
• Geopolitics, Economics & Risk: Launching in November 2025, this program is a highly specialized program for senior executives and board members responsible for strategy, finance, risk, or international operations. Participants learn to identify, map, and prioritize political and economic risks across their markets and integrate this analysis into decision-making.
• EsadeGeo: Esade’s Center for Global Economy and Geopolitics produces applied research and provides advanced tools for integrating geopolitical and geoeconomic analysis into strategic, financial, and operational decisions. Nearly all tailored programs begin with a geopolitical environment and scenario analysis.

Q&A WITH ÁNGEL SAZ, DIRECTOR OF ESADEGEO

Why is this moment particularly urgent for business leaders? The most urgent topic today is the creation of a new consensus on international trade relations and state intervention of markets. We currently are in a space where different geopolitical actors do not agree on what constitutes fair trade and legitimate economic policies. Until this new consensus is reached, volatility and uncertainty derived from geopolitics will endure.”

Do you believe geopolitics is more relevant to business education now than in years past? Definitely. The weakening of international institutions (World trade organization, Free trade agreements…) and their ability to set rules and enforce them makes geopolitics much more timely and relevant today than before. If institutions are lacking, power becomes the main approach to settle decisions and disputes among international actors.

2. IMD (Switzerland)

IMD has integrated geopolitics and security risk across its degree portfolio, spurred by a recognition that space between commercial strategy and geopolitics is gone. Its own research found that geopolitical factors were cited in 75% of 2023 corporate filings to the US Securities and Exchange Commission, while harmful trade barriers have doubled since 2020.

“Protectionism is now the American default, not a Trump-era detour,” says Professor Richard Baldwin, an expert in globalization and trade economics.

The school has researched global competitiveness and economic security for more than 35 years, beginning with the World Competitiveness Yearbook launched in 1989. The center leads pioneering research on how nations and enterprises compete, creating several practical tools to help leaders assess geopolitical threats, including its “Geopolitical Radar and Sonar” framework and the Hinrich-IMD Sustainable Trade Index.

Its faculty also brings decades of experience in political economy, trade policy, and global competitiveness. They include David Bach, IMD President, an expert in political economy and business-government relations and an architect of Global Network for Advanced Management; Professor Arturo Bris, director of the World Competitiveness Center since 2014; Richard Baldwin, a trade economist and globalization scholar; Simon Evenett, former co-chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Trade and Investment

Key Offerings

• From Blind Spots to Insights: Enhancing Geopolitical Radar to Guide Global Business: A 2025 report produced with the World Economic Forum and Boston Consulting Group with frameworks for companies to track and assess geopolitical dynamics.
• Exec ed: In the first half of 2025 alone, it has developed 10 customized geopolitical programs for senior leadership teams. In open programs, the 2025 “Geopolitics Series: Navigating America’s New Direction” explores U.S. policy shifts, while “Boards and Risks” trains board members on geopolitical resilience. Its flagship Orchestrating Winning Performance program was offered in both Switzerland and Singapore with the theme: “Thrive globally in a fragmented world.”
• MBA, EMBA, Executive Master’s: Geopolitics and economic security embedded across IMD’s degree portfolio, including into core strategy, operations, and leadership coursework. The EMBA leads immersions in China, Japan, and Singapore. Coursework includes case studies on U.S.-China trade, European energy security, and supply chain vulnerabilities. Two newly released programs – Executive Masters in Sustainable Business Transformation and AI & Digital Business Transformation – also embed geopolitical analysis.

Q&A WITH MISIEK PISKORSKI, DEAN OF EXECUTIVE EDUCATION AND PROFESSOR OF DIGITAL STRATEGY, ANALYTICS AND INNOVATION

Do you believe geopolitics is more relevant to business education now than in years past? At IMD, we’ve been tracking geopolitics, national competitiveness, and economic security for over 35 years. While recent events like the Trump administration’s policies on DEI, international students, and higher education have made these dynamics highly visible, the underlying trends have been building for decades. Our research has documented the gradual shift from multilateralism to economic nationalism, the weaponization of trade policy, and the increasing fragmentation of global markets. This long-term perspective has been crucial—we’ve observed how geopolitical rivalries have steadily intensified since the 2008 financial crisis, with trade barriers doubling between 2020 and today. What appears sudden to many observers represents the culmination of structural changes over years.

Having said all of this, the current moment feels particularly urgent because multiple long-term trends are converging simultaneously with immediate policy actions. Trump’s tariff policies, restrictions on international talent mobility, and attacks on institutional cooperation aren’t isolated events—they’re accelerating existing patterns of deglobalization and economic fragmentation that our faculty have been analyzing. Similarly, while the U.S. may be slowing progress on energy transition and imposing severe restrictions on diversity initiatives, our clients outside the U.S. continue to demand leadership in these areas. This is why we remain committed to developing inclusive leaders and accelerating the energy transition.

3. ESCP Business School (France/EU)

To create its new strategic plan, “Bold & United,” ESCP Business School surveyed 4,000 students, alumni, industry and other stakeholders to form its future priorities.

“When we asked what should come next – beyond our existing focus on sustainability and biodiversity – they pointed to two key areas. First, emerging technologies like AI. The second was geopolitics,” says Léon Laulusa, executive president and dean of ESCP.

“That was consistent with our broader strategic studies, which indicate that geopolitics will remain a defining issue for the next 40 to 50 years.”

The new plan launched in June – a time when U.S. business schools and universities faced increasing political attacks against DEI, international students, and academic autonomy. Meanwhile, Trump’s tariffs continue to disrupt trade around the world, while wars in Ukraine, the Middle East, and elsewhere rage on.

The plan’s response is the creation of a new university altogether: The European University of Management will be developed by 2030 and will include a new ESCP School of Governance, launching in 2029.

Key Offerings

• ESCP Geopolitics Institute: Launched in 2024, is supported by scholars and professionals specializing in geopolitics, geo-economics, and European integration.
• ESCP School of Governance (launching 2029): Focused on geopolitics, global affairs, and defense studies, this new school is part of the reorganization of ESCP Business School into a new European University of Management. The university will include three schools – Governance, ESCP School of Technology (launching 2027), and ESCP Business School acting as its “academic heart.”
• Executive Master in Strategy & Defense Studies (launching 2026): ESCP is working with the the French military, economic agencies, and industry to create the degree.
• MSc in International Business and Diplomacy: Launched three years ago, the objective is to train graduates on the “logic and rules of economic diplomacy, and to understand the interactions between governments, firms and other non-state actors.”

Q&A WITH LÉON LAULUSA, DEAN AND EXECUTIVE PRESIDENT 

Is the goal here primarily to help business leaders navigate global business, or are you also preparing students for roles in government and public service? Both. Even in our Master in Management program, we already offer a specialization in public affairs. Through that, our students can go on to work in NGOs, international organizations, or various ministries, and become high-level civil servants.

But we want to go further. It’s not only about helping business leaders decode the world and understand the impact of geopolitics on business. It’s also about preparing future leaders for roles in international organizations, government, and the public sector. So this goes beyond just a discipline, it’s about training for real-world positions in public leadership and governance.

4. Cambridge Judge Business School (UK)

At Cambridge Judge, geopolitics is taught as inseparable from business. The school’s approach is anchored in its network of research centers which informs curriculum at all academic levels in geopolitical issues.

These centers host global conferences and produce research on topics from accelerated innovation in China to economic risks from political upheaval. The Centre for Financial Reporting & Accountability also convenes the Cambridge Disinformation Summit, bringing together senior policymakers and scholars to address systemic information risks.

Meanwhile, the school’s accounting subject group is leading global dialogue and learning on systemic global business information risks, including direct engagement with the highest levels of government in the EU, the UK, Brazil and other regions.

“Many of our students come to Cambridge Judge because they want to do societally impactful projects like clean energy or developing economies in impoverished communities. However, when I interview degree candidates, almost none of them have considered the likely headwinds they will face engaging these business projects in the current global geopolitical climate,” says Alan Jagolinzer, professor of financial accounting and Vice-Dean for Programs.

“Also, few have a sense of the power of their own voice in potentially influencing change in global policy. So I think we have an obligation and an opportunity to support and elevate their impact—to bring the light, if you will—to this seemingly dark environment.”

Key Offerings

• MBA: A new module, Geopolitics and Financial Regulation, explores how political tensions, conflicts, and shifting alliances affect the financial sector. Students analyze trade wars, sanctions, digital currencies, blockchain, and divergent ESG policies through the lens of regulatory and market infrastructure. The module equips graduates with analytic frameworks for navigating these developments in an organizational setting.
• Cambridge Disinformation Summit (annual): Hosted by the Centre for Financial Reporting & Accountability, it brings together interdisciplinary scholars and policymakers to examine the efficacy of interventions to mitigate the harms from disinformation. The first was in July 2023 while the second was in April 2025.
• Electives & Executive Education: Faculty teach on emerging economies, frugal innovation, and systemic risk in both the MBA and MPhil in Technology Policy programs, as well as in executive education. Curriculum on business risks and responsibilities will be integrated into multiple graduate and executive programs by 2026–2027.
• Geopolitical research centers: Numerous research centers focus on geopolitical topics, including the Centre for Chinese Management, Circular Economy Centre, Centre for India and Global Business, and Centre for Risk Studies.

Q&A WITH ALAN JAGOLINZER, VICE-DEAN FOR PROGRAMS

Why do you believe geopolitics belongs in a business school setting? Money and influence move policy. Business has always shaped global policy and it has been particularly acute from business influencers in energy, banking, and tech industries. Geopolitics and business are not separable—they are extensions of each other.

Do you believe geopolitics is more relevant to business education now than in years past? Yes. In prior years, U.S. administrations had a more business-supportive approach to policy. Now, policy seems to be more administrative-supportive, despite the negative global systemic shocks that are destroying value in businesses.

5. Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto (Canada)

Rotman students can combine global affairs and business in one of the school’s most distinctive offerings: the Master of Global Affairs/Master of Business Administration (MGA/MBA). In three years, students earn two professional degrees — one from the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy and one from Rotman — building the ability to bring a business perspective to global policy challenges, and vice versa.

The school’s Institute for International Business anchors much of its global strategy work. The institute conducts research on global market trends, cross-cultural management, international finance, trade policy, and multinational strategy. It also provides experiential learning through study abroad programs, consulting projects, and industry partnerships, as well as outreach through conferences, executive education, and collaborations with business and government.

Key Offerings

• MGA/MBA: Integrates business and policy perspectives, preparing graduates to navigate complex global systems from boardrooms to diplomatic forums.
  Institute for International Business: Through IIB’s research and outreach programs, students learn to navigate a rapidly changing global environment, connecting classroom learning to real-world application in both public and private sectors.
• MBA: Rotman offers several electives with various geopolitical focuses. Examples: Business Government Relations, taught by former Canadian Finance Minister Bill Morneau, explores U.S.-Canada relations, trade tensions, and business responses.Economic Environment of International Business, led by trade expert Daniel Trefler, covers Trump tariffs, trade agreements, the WTO, and negotiating with China. And International Business in the World Economy builds understanding of comparative advantage and the challenges of international trade for Canadian companies.
• Global Manager Initiative: After students complete International Business in the World Economy, they can then partner with a Canadian company to develop a global strategy. The collaboration culminates in a government-led trade mission, where students and companies implement their plans in global markets. Recent missions have taken students to CES in Las Vegas and Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Next month, 16 Rotman MBAs and eight Canadian companies are going to Munich for the IAA Mobility Conference.

6. ESSEC Business School (France)

Recognizing that business decisions are increasingly shaped by geopolitics forces – trade tensions, regulatory shifts, conflict and war – ESSEC created the Institute for Geopolitics & Business to help navigate the complexity.

“Business cannot be separated from its (geo)political environment. Leaders need to understand power dynamics, geopolitical risks, and regional strategies to make informed decisions and sustain their competitive advantage,” says Vincenzo Vinzi, Dean and President of ESSEC.

“Foresight and resilience become key assets.”

Launched in 2024 as part of its 2024-2028 Transcend Strategy, the institute builds on ESSEC’s long-standing expertise by bringing together the work of three other centers: IRENE Centre for Negotiation and Mediation was founded in 1996 and has worked in 82 countries. The Center for European Law and Economics was established in 2008 while the Center for Geopolitics, Defense & Leadership in 2021.

Through these centers, ESSEC delivers research-based insights, practitioner engagement, and elective tracks for students.

Key Offerings

• Master in Management (MIM): Over 300 students enroll in elective tracks with a strong geopolitical component, including International Negotiation, Defense, and European Affairs. Popular electives cover geopolitics, defense, and China’s political economy.
• Institute for Geopolitics & Business: The institute hosts high-profile events such as a round table with French and German ministers for European Affairs and webinars like Securing Critical Minerals: Geopolitics, Economics, and Sustainability in a New Age of Resource Competition.
• Executive Education: Custom and open-enrollment programs prepare leaders to navigate geopolitical shocks. The Institute emphasizes analytical rigor, global awareness, and practical tools for corporate strategy under uncertainty.

Q&A WITH VINCENZO VINZI, DEAN

Do you believe geopolitics is more relevant to business education now than in years past?  Yes, absolutely. We’ve entered a “post-globalization” era, characterized by increased uncertainty, predation of resources, bloc competition, supply chain vulnerabilities, and technological rivalries. Business leaders, whatever their industries or expertises, must anticipate shifts that traditional market analysis alone cannot capture.

What challenges do you think the next generation of business leaders will face that make this kind of education essential? They will face systemic uncertainties: climate crises, cyber threats, resource conflicts, and shifting global alliances. Understanding these forces is critical to developing resilient, responsible strategies, and making informed and relevant decisions to generate value in the long run.

7. EDHEC Business School (France)

This June, EDHEC launched its new Chair of Geopolitics and Business Strategy to prepare future leaders for a volatile global environment. It is co-directed by retired French Air and Space Force General Luc de Rancourt and director of Management Education Maïlys Vicaire. The chair aims to give all EDHEC students, from BBA to executives, core skills in geopolitical awareness, scenario planning, and strategic foresight.

The chair will develop programs, events, and more to teach students analytical reasoning and decision-making based on complex geopolitical scenarios. It will emphasize critical thinking skills to identify risks and opportunities in a volatile world as a competitive advantage as well as transforming challenges into opportunities through ethical leadership and informed decision-making.

De Rancourt draws on nearly 40 years in the military, from the Gulf War to Afghanistan, NATO missions, and senior defense leadership roles. He sees geopolitics not just as a risk lens, but as a source of opportunity for businesses prepared to act with foresight. “Power politics and economic dynamics will shape the world and the future,” he says.

“You cannot separate these issues. Leaders must understand the global environment in which they will develop their activity.”

Key Offerings

• Chair of Geopolitics and Business Strategy: Launched in June 2025, students will learn to identify both risks and opportunities, aligning with EDHEC’s strategic plan, Generations 2050. The chair is developing modules to integrate geopolitical thinking into all EDHEC programs. It will also offer CEO and academic lectures to build critical thinking and prospective strategy exercises simulating crises such as supply chain disruptions from a Taiwan conflict.
• Pre-Master Geopolitics Module: Beginning next year, all 700 pre-master students will take a dedicated geopolitics module, introducing them to the strategic dynamics shaping today’s world.
• GETT Programs: Special interventions for students in EDHEC’s two Global Economic and Technological Transformations programs, tailored to the geopolitical dimensions of innovation, trade, and global governance.
• Program development: Targeted sessions for the E-MBA, Global MBA, and custom corporate programs, blending geopolitical analysis with decision-making under pressure. Participants learn to assess risk, identify opportunity, and develop resilient strategies in volatile environments.

Q&A WITH LUC DE RANCOURT

What is the Chair’s core mission? The idea behind the chair is to provide the students with the skills which will help them to navigate within a very troubled world. I don’t want the chair to be something which see geopolitics as risks. It is… a matter of opportunity, and our motto for the chair is, anticipate, act, do not suffer.

What makes 2025 such a pivotal year in geopolitics? We are facing a fragmentation of the world: The end of the unipolar world and the rise of the competition between China and the US, the threat that the Russians are posing to Europe and the conflict in Ukraine, and ongoing conflict in the Middle East … Power politics and economic dynamics will shape the world and will shape the future. You cannot separate those issues, and therefore you need to make sure that the future business leaders at least understand the global environment in which they will develop their activity.

8. HEC Paris (France)

HEC Paris has been teaching the intersection of geopolitics, globalization, and business strategy for more than a decade, well before recent crises pushed the topic into the spotlight. But Jeremy Ghez, Professor of Economics and International Affairs, has noticed an uptick in geopolitical offerings by European business schools.

Ghez sees several reasons for the trend. One, he says, is that Europeans tend to see warning signs earlier than their American counterparts — a reflex shaped by history and a more cautious outlook. With geopolitical crises and political upheavals often unfolding closer to home, European schools may be quicker to anticipate disruptions and adapt their programs in response.

Second, he points to an organizational difference between US and European business schools. US schools are usually embedded within larger universities, with built-in access to political science, history, and other social science departments. In Europe, standalone business schools like HEC must make a deliberate choice to integrate these perspectives into business education, creating dedicated initiatives and partnerships rather than relying on cross-campus collaborations.

HEC Paris does this somewhat differently. Rather than relying solely on inviting diplomats to address students, the school focuses on what Ghez calls an “obsession” with the so what question, connecting global politics to concrete business strategy. The school’s programming bridges business and geopolitics through electives, core MBA and Executive MBA courses, and public events.

Key Offerings

• EMBA: Business Environment core blends country risk with a systems-level view, examining how climate change, technology, polarization, and global policy shifts impact strategy.
• MBA: Electives range from traditional country risk analysis to systemic analysis, where students assess how forces beyond the market—geopolitical or otherwise—shape corporate outcomes.
• Geopolitics, Globalization & Business Strategy: This summer school program for young students has run for 10 years, introducing younger participants to geopolitical risk and its business implications.
• Business Strategy in a Fragmenting World: Firms, States, and Civil Society: On June 2, 2025, HEC Paris and IRSEM (the French Ministry of Armed Forces’ strategic research institute) co-hosted this international conference. It brought together economists, executives, geopolitical analysts, and policymakers to examine how global firms can operate in a world fracturing along political, technological, and moral lines.

Q&A WITH JEREMY GHEZ

What challenges do you think the next generation of business leaders will face that make this kind of education essential? “We are in the most acute information and governance crisis in my lifetime. People do not know what is real and what is fake… I have never seen a more acute need for this type of education, and we need to deploy it urgently.”

Why is HEC Paris integrating geopolitics into its business curriculum now? “We are in the business of helping executives and executives in the making better understand risk, and unless we fully understand that very multifaceted aspect of risk, then we’re not doing our job.”

9. IE Business School (Spain)

At IE, Strategic Foresight is a central pillar of leadership. Lee Newman, dean of IE Business School, defines it this way: “The ability to analyze, understand, and predict forces of disruption in the environment in which business happens, and to navigate these forces through sound decision-making.” Disruptors include armed conflicts, changes in international trade, climate change, and others. Business leaders must both react to these forces and anticipate their effects.

“That’s why we treat geopolitics as a core dimension of business strategy,” Newman says.

The business school works closely with the IE School of Politics, Economics & Global Affairs to design and deliver Strategic Foresight content across all its programs. It also collaborates with key research centers including the IE Center for the Governance of Change (CGC) and the IE Transatlantic Relations Initiative (TRI).

Key Offerings

• IE Brown Executive MBA: Strategic Foresight is one of three core pillars. Leaders apply contextual intelligence to strategize for global forces reshaping business, from AI and geopolitics to economics, social movements, climate, and emerging technologies.
• Global Executive MBA (GXMBA): A distinctive Board Leadership Module prepares current and future board members for global complexities, including a full course on “Strategic Foresight and Scenario Planning.” It also integrates geopolitics and Strategic Foresight throughout core and elective courses such as “Economic Environment and Country Analysis” and “Global Operations & Supply Management.” Students also take a week-long immersion, “Oxford – Foresight in Times of Uncertainty,” developed by IE’s Center for the Governance of Change (CGC)and the University of Oxford.
• International MBA, Master in Management (MIM): Offers a full concentration in Strategic Foresight and International Business. Electives include courses like “Corporate Strategies in a Globalized World,” “Strategic Foresight: Navigating Uncertainty,” and “International Strategy Simulation.”
• BBA: Electives in Strategic Foresight and geopolitics introduce tools like scenario planning, systems thinking, and real options analysis. It is developing a new dual-degree, BBA and Political Science.

Q&A WITH  LEE NEWMAN, DEAN

What challenges do you think the next generation of business leaders will face that make this kind of education essential? The geopolitical battle for dominance of game-changing technologies like AI and quantum computing, access to key natural resources used to power and build these new technologies, the threat of bio-warfare, the continuing rise of conflict in the cybersphere, and the drive for pre-eminence in space travel.

At IE Business School, our approach is both reactive and proactive. Reactive: On one hand, today’s business leaders must contend with crises that transcend borders—conflict, trade disruption, rising nationalism, and contested globalization—which have undermined traditional planning cycles. And Proactive: we believe leadership today demands anticipatory thinking. That’s why we treat geopolitics as a core dimension of business strategy.

Leaders need to interpret the signals of global change and make decisions that are not just responsive, but forward-looking. We are increasingly incorporating courses or larger curricular elements on Strategic Foresight into our programs.

DON’T MISS: A NEW GEOPOLITICS PUSH? HOW INTERNATIONAL B-SCHOOLS ARE RESPONDING TO GLOBAL CHAOS

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