2015/16
Rochester-Bern
Executive MBA
Program
RO CH ES TE R-BE RN EX EC UT IV E PR OG RA MS UN IV ER SI TY O F RO CH ES TE R UN IV ER SI TÄ T BE RNgood reasons to select the Rochester-Bern
Executive MBA program
MBA from an accredited (AACSB since 1966),
top-ranked U.S. Business School and
EMBA from an established Swiss
Universi-ty without career interruption.
Part-time general management curriculum
built on sound economic principles and
taught on three continents (Europe, United
States, and Asia).
Emphasis on immediate application in the
workplace and intense networking with
international faculty and participants from
all kinds of industries.
47 years of experience in the EMBA
market in the United States and 20 years
in Switzerland.
Outstanding customer support before,
during, and after the EMBA program.
1
2
3
4
5
5
“Executives in today’s world of global business do not always know in advance how change will affect their organizations. The pro-gram will help them better define the issues, develop more robust strategies for dealing with them, and implement thoughtful and effective solutions. Through real-world applications and first-rate teaching, our faculty members bring the latest research and man-agement insights to life in class.
The Simon School is proud of its long-standing rela-tionships with its European partners, a true corner-stone of its commitment to global management edu-cation. We look forward to welcoming students from anywhere in the world who appreciate the opportunity to advance their managerial expertise, add value to their organizations, and enrich their professional lives.” Prof. Dr. Mark Zupan
Dean Simon Business School University of Rochester (NY)
Superior knowledge
The program is built on a cross-functional curriculum grounded in sound economic principles. It provides the mindset for leaders who want to succeed in today’s and tomorrow’s business world. Courses are well inte-grated and follow a logical sequence proceeding from fundamental tools to strategy considerations. More-over, students develop their personality and leadership skills.
International approach
The program is offered by the University of Rochester (NY, USA) in cooperation with the Universität Bern. Participants come from all over the world and study in Switzerland, the United States (6 weeks in Rochester), and China. During their studies, they have the oppor-tunity to work with students of the parallel executive program in the United States. Graduates earn an in-ternational MBA degree (University of Rochester) as well as a national EMBA degree (Universität Bern).
The main characteristics
of the program
The Rochester-Bern Executive MBA program offers a
first-class general management education with an
interna-tional focus and intense networking with faculty and
peers. It allows participants to earn an MBA in Switzerland
from an accredited, top-ranked U.S. business school
without interrupting their careers.
Immediate application
The program is designed for executives and taught by outstanding professors from all over the world. Participants come from different industries and have several years of management experience; professors live, teach, and consult all over Europe and in the United States. Class discussions and projects focus on real-world examples, with an emphasis on immediate application in the work place.
Outstanding customer care
The program management and team provide first-class care and support to participants to enable them to focus on their learning and networking activities. Services range from organizational issues (e.g. hotel bookings, visa, materials) to individual coaching in case of study-related problems. Whatever difficulties arise, individual solutions are found in order to sup-port the successful completion of the program.
Simon Business School, University of Rochester
The University of Rochester, an independent, privately endowed and managed university founded in 1850, is among the leading private institutions of higher learn-ing in the United States. Rochester faculty and alumni have included eight Nobel Prize winners and twelve Pulitzer Prize winners.
The Simon School is one of the seven schools that make up the University of Rochester. It looks back on 47 years of experience in the Executive MBA market.
In 2013, Financial Times ranked the Simon School number 7 in the world for finance and number 8 for accounting.
The Rochester-Bern Executive MBA program, as part of the Simon School, carries with it the reputation of one of the world’s top graduate business schools. The Simon School has been fully accredited by the AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Busi-ness) International since 1966.
The institutions behind the
program
The Rochester-Bern Executive MBA is offered by the
Simon Business School at the University of Rochester in
collaboration with the Institut für Finanzmanagement
of the Universität Bern. It is run through a foundation and
is financially self-supporting.
Institut für Finanzmanagement (IFM), Universität Bern
The Universität Bern was founded in 1834 and is one of ten universities in Switzerland. It consists of eight faculties and has a distinguished reputation in eco-nomics. The cooperation with the University of Roch-ester goes back to the well-known monetarist Karl Brunner who worked at both universities in the early seventies. The actual founder of the Rochester-Bern Executive MBA is Claudio Loderer, Director of the Institut für Finanzmanagement and both a former student of Karl’s and a PhD from Rochester.
Foundation
The Rochester-Bern Executive MBA program was started in 1994. It is run through a foundation and is financially self-supporting. Foundation board mem-bers are business leaders or academics; they do not have any financial stake in the program. The founda-tion’s activities are monitored by an advisory board of alumni which provides guidance and support.
More detailed information about the universities and the people behind the program can be found on our website www.executive-mba.ch.
Participants are well taken care of.
Courses in Switzerland are held right next to the Lake Thun.
Networking is a crucial part of the EMBA experience.
After 18 months of study participants are awarded their MBA and EMBA degrees.
Executive guest speakers challenge students’ views.
Benefits
Without having to interrupt their careers, students develop a solid foundation in core functional disci-plines and refine their analytical skills. Moreover, they acquire the strategic perspective that is required for high-level management decision making and gain ex-posure to international management perspectives and practices. Finally, they become part of a network of alumni in Switzerland and the United States.
Program participants immediately apply in the work-place the skills they acquire. They are motivated to seek out new challenges, share their knowledge with coworkers, and bring new, high-powered business tools to the workplace, instantly increasing the value of the sponsoring organizations. The program pre-pares high-potential managers for leadership.
Format
The program begins in January and meets biweekly on Fridays and Saturdays until the end of May in Swit-zerland. Participants then spend an intensive summer residency of six weeks at the University of Rochester. Thereafter, instruction continues in Switzerland from mid-August until graduation in June of the following year. In spring, a one week seminar in Shanghai com-pletes the educational experience. The total duration of the program is 18 months.
The program
The Rochester-Bern approach to management education
lets participants seek creative solutions to business
prob-lems while providing the necessary analytical foundation.
The biweekly format of the Swiss part of the program is designed for executives who do not want to interrupt a successful career and need a schedule which is com-patible with their business responsibilities. Moreover, the format enables program participants to critically review, assimilate, and apply what they have heard in class. Learning requires time and perspective, which is what the format is designed to provide. Some class sessions can be attended online to reduce the time out of the office.
The intense summer session in Rochester allows par-ticipants to replace the rigors of daily managerial life with full-time study. It promotes an international ex-perience by joint activities with the participants from the parallel U.S. program and interesting company visits in the area. Many participants consider the time in Rochester the most valuable part of the program. An educational trip to Shanghai completes the curri- culum. This seminar is intended to enhance students’ knowledge of Asian ways of doing business and to give them a better appreciation of cultural differen-ces. Students discuss the opportunities and challenges of doing business in China, address the competitive strategies of Chinese as well as Western firms, visit local companies, and listen to presentations by Asian managers, academics, and expatriates.
Strategic and cross-functional
knowledge
Contents
The general management program offers a sequence of 18 well-integrated credit courses (60 U.S. credit hours, equivalent to 90 ECTS points) which follow a logical sequence proceeding from fundamental tools to stra-tegy considerations. In addition to acquiring manage-ment knowledge, participants develop their leadership skills throughout the program. Current challenges for management (e.g. sustainability, ethics) are addressed in the framework of the courses and by guest speakers. All courses are taught in English.
The graph illustrates the logical sequence of the pro-gram. It starts with the necessary analytical tools. This lays the groundwork for the next step, the crucial functional knowledge. The final part is then dedicated to strategic and cross-functional knowledge. The three parts come together in a concluding capstone project (real-life business plan). They are accompanied by as-sessments and leadership development. At the end of the program, participants see the overall picture and manage accordingly.
Details about the contents of the various courses can be found on our website www.executive-mba.ch.
Analytical knowledge Functional knowledge Capstone project Capstone project
– Business plan workshop
Strategic and cross- functional knowledge
– Corporate strategy – Management in transition
economies
– Organization theory and control
– Corporate financial policy – Strategic marketing – Leadership and human
resource management – Economics of international business – Valuation II Functional knowledge – Valuation I – Marketing management – Operations management – Capital markets
– Information systems for management
Analytical knowledge
Finance and accounting
– Managerial accounting – Financial accounting
Data analysis
– Managerial data analysis and forecasting
Managerial economics
– Economic environment – Managerial economics
Faculty
The courses are taught by outstanding professors from all over the world. In Europe, we can choose from the best on the continent and in the United States, we build on the renowned faculty of the University of Rochester. Our professors have impressive track records in research. They are, however, also actively involved in consulting to the business community as well as to government and regulatory agencies and know the challenges of the business world.
The names of our professors and short CVs can be found on our website www.executive-mba.ch.
Facilities
In Switzerland, classes are held at the Congress Hotel Seepark in Thun. This fine hotel right next to the lake provides an ideal setting for innovative thinking and fruitful networking away from the hectic pace of day-to-day work. Located 20 minutes south of Bern, the Seepark is easily accessible by car or train. Accommodation at the Hotel Seepark can be orga-nized on request.
In Rochester, classes are taught at the Simon School in its executive program facilities. Accommodation is arranged in apartments close to the campus. There as well as at school, students find the necessary infra-structure for their studies. The university is also well equipped for a variety of individual and group sports. Breakfast and lunch are provided for students on all class days.
In China, classes are organized with a local partner and take place in the classroom as well as in various production sites around the city. Accommodation is arranged in a five-star hotel in the center of Shanghai, close to Nanjing Road. Transportation to the various sites is provided.
A typical class weekend in Thun, Switzerland
Friday
08.45–09.00 Coffee
09.00–10.30 Lecture I (for example corporate strategy) 10.30–10.45 Break
10.45–12.15 Lecture II 12.15–13.45 Lunch
13.45–15.15 Lecture III (for example strategic marketing) 15.15–15.30 Break
15.30–17.00 Lecture IV
17.00–19.00 Break or guest lecture
Saturday
08.00–09.30 Lecture I (for example strategic marketing) 09.30–09.45 Break
09.45–11.15 Lecture II 11.15–12.00 Lunch
12.00–13.30 Lecture III (for example corporate strategy) 13.30–13.45 Break
13.45–15.15 Lecture IV
Classes
The program connects theory and practice. Lectures
are interactive and offer opportunities for close in-terchange among faculty and students from a variety of professional backgrounds. Class discussions and project work focus on real-world examples, with an emphasis on immediate application in the workplace. The program develops students’ abilities to distinguish what is important from what is unimportant and to solve problems.
Study teams are an integral part of the program.
They give students an opportunity to work with par-ticipants from different industries, educational back-grounds and countries, to learn from each other, and to develop their teamwork abilities and leadership skills. Study teams meet regularly outside of class to review lectures, prepare class assignments, and work on projects. Throughout the program, students will be part of three teams.
Student progress is monitored through homework,
case studies, exams, and team projects. All the as-signments connect the knowledge acquired in class to practical application. Students are graded in each class according to the U.S. grading system. No dissertation or thesis is required for the degree, but students must complete the capstone project successfully.
Outstanding support enables students to focus on
their learning and networking activities. Program management is always available to discuss problems and offer help. The program team gives every kind of assistance needed on class days and takes care of all logistics such as ordering books, preparing materials, or making hotel and restaurant reservations.
Capstone project
The capstone project gives students the opportunity to write a business plan for either their employer, or an own business idea, or an outside company. In this project, they use all the knowledge they have acquired in the program as well as techniques gained from a business plan workshop.
Throughout the project, students work intensely with their study team and experts in the field they write the business plan for. They explore the cross-functional applications of the various classes they have taken and expand their problem-solving abilities. After having completed the business plan, they present their solu-tion to faculty, classmates, and a panel of experts (e.g. venture capitalists, entrepreneurs).
Dual degree
Men and women who complete the 18-month pro-gram successfully are awarded two degrees. First, they earn the degree of Master of Business Administration from the University of Rochester. It is the same de-gree they would receive if they studied full-time in the United States. The degree has a high reputation in Switzerland as well as in the rest of the world. Second, they receive the Executive Master of Business Admin-istration from the Universität Bern, a university with a long and distinguished reputation in economics.
Course dates
Actual course dates can be found on our website www.executive-mba.ch.
Experienced participants from all kinds of industries come together in our classes.
Due to the international nature of the program participants from all over the world can join.
Class materials are provided online.
“Meliora” means “Better” and is the motto of the University of Rochester.
Professors come from all over Europe and the United States.
Classes are interactive and focus on real-life examples.
Each class brings together men and women with different
backgrounds. They differ in age, citizenship, education,
professional function, and industry. In what follows, we
describe the profile of an average class, based on data of
our last five classes. The profiles of the individual classes
can be found on our website www.executive-mba.ch.
Gender 87 % Men 13 % Woman 11 % 25 to 29 59 % 30 to 39 27 % 40 to 49 3 % 50 and more Average age: 37 16 % 5 to 9 33 % 10 to 14 24 % 15 to 19 27 % 20 and more Average working experience: 16 years 3 % Africa 3 % Asia 2 % America 3 % Australia 21 % Europe 68 % Switzerland Number of Nationalities: 18 Age
Nationality Working experience
Functional background 7 % Consulting 12 % Controlling / Finance 6 % Engineering / R&D 29 % General Management 2 % HR 8 % IT 1 % Legal / Compliance 4 % Logistics / Operations 2 % Manufacturing / Production 22 % Marketing / Sales 2 % Medical / Healthcare 5 % Other Industry background
5 % Administration / Public Service 1 % Arts and Music
5 % Consulting 1 % Construction 2 % Education
4 % Energy, Utilities and Mining 28 % Financial Services
5 % Health and Welfare 8 % Insurance
8 % IT and Telecommunications 21 % Manufacturing
7% Pharma and Chemical Industry 1 % Real Estate 1 % Retail 3 % Transportation 4 % Arts 50 % Economics / Management 28 % Engineering / IT 1 % Law 2 % Medicine 7 % Natural Sciences 3 % Social Sciences 1 % Exact Sciences 4 % Other Educational background
Candidates are welcome to sit in on regular classes to get
an insider’s view of the quality of coursework, faculty,
and facilities of the Rochester-Bern Executive MBA
pro-gram. During our open days they get to learn more about
the program and share experiences with students and
alumni.
Applicants may apply directly to the program or be
nomi-nated by their current employer. Selection is based on
business experience, academic achievement, potential for
professional growth, and the motivation and drive to
succeed in a challenging Executive MBA program.
Open days in Thun
The admission
An open day in Thun gives candidates the opportuni-ty to get a first-hand impression of the program and to talk with current students and alumni about their experiences.
The day starts with an info session where candidates learn more about the program and meet with alumni who talk about the impact the program had on their careers.
Afterwards, candidates join the class for one or two lectures in order to observe two different professor. They are also invited for lunch where they can interact with the current students.
Since the number of available seats is limited, please sign up if you want to visit us (email to [email protected]).
Open day dates 2014 (Friday or Saturday)
February 22 28 March 08 14 15 April 05 25 May 03 17 August 08 23 September 05 20 October 04 17 November 01 15 December 12 13
Open day schedule Friday 09.30 Info session 10.30 Coffee break 10.45 Lecture I 12.15 Lunch 13.45 Lecture II (optional)
15.15 Personal coaching (optional)
Saturday 08.30 Info session 09.30 Coffee break 09.45 Lecture I 11.15 Lunch 12.00 Lecture II (optional) Candidate requirements
Candidates for the program are middle- or senior-level managers with the potential for taking on increased responsibilities within their organizations. They have an academic or equivalent educational background and several years of management experience. They hold positions of high responsibility, have demon-strated potential for advancement, and are fluent in English. Moreover, they are able to set priorities and balance family, job, and studies.
Application packet
The applicant should submit the complete application form, a CV, an essay describing the motivation for pursuing an EMBA, an organization chart showing the applicant’s position in his or her organization, two letters of recommendation, the letter of sponsorship, transcripts of academic records from all undergradu-ate, graduate and professional schools, and a passport photograph. All necessary forms are provided on our website www.executive-mba.ch (downloads).
Selection process
Complete applications can be submitted until October 31. Early applications by June 15 are encouraged and benefit from a discount. After all the required materi-als are received, applicants will be invited for two per-sonal interviews. The interviews are based on the CV and focus heavily on business experience. Admission decisions are made within one week after the second interview. An application received after the deadline will be given consideration if space is available.
Tuition fees
The overall cost for the program is CHF 85,000. It includes tuition fees, all required books / materials, a tablet computer and accessories, lunches, refreshments and one class dinner per month at the Hotel Seepark in Thun, accommodation and some meals in Roch-ester and Shanghai, matriculation at the University of Rochester and the Universität Bern, exam fees and graduation. Scholarships are available for self-finan-cing students with outstanding skills. Tuition is paid in three installments: 1st payment November 30, 2014: CHF 35,000 2nd payment June 30, 2015: CHF 25,000 3rd payment
“Classes in
English, an
inter-national student
and faculty body,
and the award
of an
internation-ally recognized
U.S. MBA degree
make the
Rochester-Bern
EMBA the perfect
choice for
expats.”
Paola Valinotti Aostri, Head of Strategic Planning EMEA at F. Hoffmann La Roche Ltd.
“Knowing both
the business and
the legal side
is an enormous
advantage which
leads to better
solutions and
decisions.”
René Oppliger, Head of Legal and Compliance at BEKB | BCBE
“Faculty
mem-bers combine
excellence
in research and
consulting –
the learnings
go far beyond
pure academic
knowledge.”
Andrea Kaufmann, Head of Business Analysis, Swisscom IT Services Finance AG“The
Rochester-Bern Executive
MBA has
enhanced my
ability to rapidly
analyze and
make effective
decisions on the
complex and
multifaceted
problems
confronting me
daily. I found
the structure
of the program,
particularly the
balance between
theory and
real-life case studies,
highly valuable.”
Roger Matthes, CEO Baloise Life (Liechtenstein) AG“Being away
from work for
just two Fridays
a month was
well manageable
and allowed me
to study and
continue full-time
work.”
Nadine Müller, Leiterin Projektmanagement at Kanton Aargau (Real Estate)
“Working in
different teams
with members
coming from a
wide variety of
backgrounds
provided insights
and ideas I had
never expected.”
Jean-Marc Leutenegger, Leiter IT Stream Markt Management at Die MobiliarRochester-Bern Executive Programs Engehaldenstrasse 4 CH-3012 Bern phone +41 31 631 34 77 fax +41 31 631 84 21 [email protected] www.executive-mba.ch
