Why This Small Swiss B-School Is Making Its First Grad Program A Master’s In AI & Business

In summer 2026, HIM Business School in Montreux, Switzerland will launch its first-ever master’s degree—a program that blends AI literacy, international immersion, and real-world business training for early-career professionals.

The new degree will be split between Switzerland and China, providing a cross-cultural, practice-based curriculum rooted in HIM’s hands-on educational philosophy. The program is specifically designed not for technical engineers, but for business professionals who need to understand and lead in an increasingly AI-powered world.

“AI is already reshaping how companies operate — and business leaders need to know how to work with it,” says Claire Jollain, dean of HIM. “Our goal is to help students develop the mindset, skills, and judgment to use AI responsibly and effectively, without losing their human advantage.”

AI LITERACY FOR FUTURE LEADERS

The program builds on HIM’s existing undergraduate course Innovating with AI, which emphasizes user experience and decision-making over coding. HIM has also developed its own generative chatbot, KazaGPT, which prompts students to reflect critically on their assumptions by asking, “Why do you need to know that?”

For Jollain, AI education must go beyond tool usage. “The real risk isn’t academic dishonesty — it’s that students lose confidence in their own thinking,” she tells Poets&Quants. “We want them to collaborate with AI, not outsource their intelligence to it.”

The master’s will maintain HIM’s hallmark of experiential learning, including optional internships in Switzerland and project-based work with real companies. “We don’t teach with cases — we teach with businesses,” says Jollain. “It’s more agile, more relevant, and more personal.”

BUILT ON A PROVEN UNDERGRADUATE MODEL

Though this is HIM’s first graduate-level offering, the school has long distinguished itself for its applied approach. Its BBA program combines full-time academic study with three six-month internships across the degree — an immersive model rarely seen in global business education.

The master’s program will follow a similar philosophy, with small cohorts, individual coaching, and close ties to industry. Students are expected to enter the program with some prior work experience — ideally one to three years — and will receive personalized support to build both technical fluency and human-centered leadership capabilities.

“Many students today enter master’s programs immediately after undergrad and expect a career transformation,” Jollain says. “But they’re often not ready. We’re targeting early-career professionals who already understand the workplace and want to grow deeper — not just add another line to their résumé.”

SWISS DISCIPLINE, GLOBAL REACH

While HIM remains a boutique institution — just 400 students across 52 nationalities — it draws from Switzerland’s legacy of vocational excellence and hospitality professionalism. Students are expected to dress in business attire, arrive on time, and uphold rigorous professional standards throughout their training.

“Discipline and care go hand in hand,” Jollain says. “We expect a lot from our students because we support them closely. That’s how you grow both competence and confidence.”

With the addition of its master’s degree, HIM is entering the graduate business landscape with a model built for the post-AI world — one that combines technical fluency, interpersonal rigor, and global adaptability.

“Our tagline is ‘Be World Ready,’” says Jollain. “This master’s is our next step toward making that vision real — for a new generation of business leaders.”

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