The Lisbon MBA

The Lisbon MBA: What You Need To Know

The Lisbon MBA in Portugal is a truly global joint venture between Católica-Lisbon and Nova SBA, in partnership with MIT Sloan. The program is delivered on three different campuses, all with an entrepreneurial spirit; students spend part of the MBA on each campus. The Catolica-Lisbon campus sits in the vibrant and diverse city center, the Nova SBE campus is a modern oceanfront campus, and the third is MIT Sloan, in the heart of Cambridge. The program offers all students the option to attend a month-long immersion at MIT’s Boston campus — the only of its kind in Europe.

The value of this program is based on five malleable pillars: a Truly Global Experience, Outstanding Action Learning Holistic Development, Meaningful Career Advancement, and finally Lisbon, Diverse and Entrepreneurial.

Graduating their first class in 2009, the program is relatively new. Lisbon welcomed a group of 34 students to the program this year to their 12-month program. Although students are required to have 3+ years of working experience, most have 8 on average. The program offers students an academic experience with a strong focus on entrepreneurship and innovation and Action Learning. They train students not only to develop technical management skills, but also prepare them to deal with market uncertainties.

Aside from the option to study at MIT Sloan, Lisbon requires 2 months of Action Learning where students can choose between an In-Company Assignment, a 2-month project where students work on a business challenge, the International Consulting Lab, which allows students to develop an international consulting project, the Entrepreneurship Hub, where students partner with a Start-up Accelerator to develop a concrete business plan and market strategy, or the Social Impact Project, in which students develop a solution to an ESG business challenge within an organization.

​​“At Lisbon, we will provide you with a unique life changing experience in an entrepreneurial and international environment, to develop your full potential to become a global leader, capable of having a meaningful impact on business and society, contributing to a better world,” says Maria José Amich, The Lisbon MBA Católica/Nova Executive Director.