Graduate Program in Montreux
MBA - Design Management
Companies now have more channels than ever through which to promote their products and brands. Through the MBA in Design Management program in Montreux, students will gain practical knowledge of design, current trends and how they affect corporate practices which is quickly becoming a key component of running a successful organization.
Students will gain a general understanding of design history and aesthetics while learning how to best apply them to business and productive management practices.
During this program, students will:
- Learn how to apply design to the modern business world.
- Develop an overall understanding of design history.
- Analyze how to combine design and good business management.
A state-recognized, university MBA degree accredited by Universidad Católica de Murcia (UCAM), Spain.
An EU Business School Switzerland private and internationally accredited MBA degree.
- Management Skills3 CH / 4 ECTS
This course introduces the concepts, techniques, procedures and ethics of effective management in organizational settings. Students explore the competencies, skills and organizational processes associated with the four functions of management: planning, organizing, leading and controlling. The course focuses on the human relationships involved in these processes: between an individual and an organization and between an organization and the society in which it operates. During the course students discover how to make these relationships mutually beneficial.
- Organizational Behavior3 CH / 4 ECTS
Understanding, managing and influencing individual and group behavior enables an organization to achieve its goals more effectively. This course examines individual and group behavior within organizations, analyzing the past and present and looking towards the future. It provides theoretical and practical knowledge for understanding topics such as organizational structure, motivation, job design, leadership, managerial decision making, group processes, teamwork and conflict resolution.
- Managerial Accounting3 CH / 4 ECTS
This intensive course examines accounting and finance from the perspective of a decision maker to help students develop a framework for understanding financial, managerial and tax reports. Students prepare and interpret financial information for investors (external users) and managers (internal users), as well as examine how financial instruments are used to support both system and project creation. They look at how the cost-volume-profit relationships and incremental analysis provide information to support decision making. The course discusses topics including general accounting procedures, ethics and transfer pricing.
- Marketing3 CH / 4 ECTS
This course promotes the understanding of concepts, philosophies, processes and techniques used in managing marketing operations. It also helps develop an appreciation of different aspects of the marketplace. Students examine the product life cycle, explore the marketing mix and learn how to create marketing strategies. Based on the theoretical background, complete marketing campaigns are prepared for different local and global sectors, environments and situations. Students also explore the marketing plan as a component of the business plan.
- Quantitative Business Methods3 CH / 4 ECTS
This course acquaints students with various statistical tools and techniques, such as analytical model building which is used in administrative and business decision making. Topics include: statistical hypothesis testing, frequency distributions and other applications of statistics, regression analysis, linear programming and financial mathematics.
- Negotiation (seminar)1 CH / 1 ECTS
The need for negotiation skills arises whenever joint decision making is necessary. This seminar develops students’ confidence in their negotiation skills and enables them to become better decision makers. A unique element of the seminar is that students experience the interaction of need, compromise and fear-based negotiations, focusing on the possibility of losing the deal. This seminar also offers an opportunity to discover and experiment with different techniques that help lead to the desired outcomes and clearer decisions.
- Business Law (seminar)1 CH / 1 ECTS
This seminar focuses on key international legal topics: commercial agreements, contracts, intellectual property, ethics, fraud, bribery and corruption. Students reflect on current cases in conjunction with judiciary precedent, gaining practical and applicable insight into business law.
- Personal & Professional Development1 CH / 1 ECTS
Visits to small businesses and international companies, as well as interaction with invited guests, familiarize students with business life. They are then required to present oral and written reports based on their experiences during the visits and events.
- Finance3 CH / 4 ECTS
This course covers key principles of finance necessary to understand and implement the finance function in an organization and carry out the financial analysis that justifies the decision-making process. Students learn to analyze and create alternative investment projects and to prepare corresponding budgets. Topics include the managerial approach to financial analysis, budgeting, planning, control, the management of working capital, long-term assets and long-term financing.
- Human Resources Management3 CH / 4 ECTS
The 21st century brings new challenges to the field, such as outplacement, outsourcing HR functions and employee leasing. This course analyzes the microfunctions of human resources management and explores its strategic importance for an organization to attract, develop, motivate and retain employees. The course covers topics such as recruitment and talent acquisition; training; mentoring and promotion; appraisal; fair compensation; conflict resolution and legal issues.
- Global Economics3 CH / 4 ECTS
Global economics examines basic economic principles used in managerial situations. Topics include: global interdependence and the benefits of trade; market forces of supply and demand; supply, demand and government policies; measuring a nation’s income and cost of living; production and growth; savings, investment and the financial systems; unemployment; the monetary system; and money and inflation. Students learn to apply this knowledge when making economic decisions in a global business context. Students should have basic knowledge of economic terminology.
- Strategic Management3 CH / 4 ECTS
The strategic positioning of an organization is instrumental to its success. Having a clear vision and mission that runs throughout the organization is key to both internal and external branding. To optimize the overall performance of a firm or a business unit within a firm, students learn to identify and analyze the drivers of the firm’s performance and identify external changes that may affect optimal results. This course reviews the main concepts, methods and tools used in formulating strategies and implementing processes. It also explores ways to better leverage a firm’s internal resources in order to improve sustainable performance and investigates the limitations of applied theory.
- Management Information Systems3 CH / 4 ECTS
This course examines the role of management information systems in organizations and provides an overview of the functions and cost of technology. Students explore how companies make the most of their investment for managing data and for communicating both internally and externally at a time when companies’ IT budgets are continually increasing.
- Business Strategy Simulation3 CH / 4 ECTS
The effective manager must understand a wide range of technical and social relationships and be able to integrate them within the cost, performance, and time constraints of her/his area of responsibility. To learn and practice strategic planning skills a compute-based management simulation (CAPSTONE Business Simulation) will be used which creates a Business Simulation allows the student to test alternative actions of an operating business in a competitive environmentwithout incurring costs or the risk of implementing them in a real setting. The simulation is played over several time periods.
- Job Career Planning (seminar)1 CH / 1 ECTS
This seminar helps students better understand, analyze and identify future career paths. The knowledge and experience acquired during the MBA course inevitably change the individual’s profile in the market. Reassessing that profile is an essential part of planning for the future, preparing a new CV and perfecting a networking presentation. The changing business environment requires a more innovative approach to job searches, this seminar offers practical support for finding employment after graduating.
- Communication Skills (seminar)1 CH / 1 ECTS
This seminar focuses on understanding the processes needed for effective oral and written communication in a business setting. Emphasis is placed on the application of key principles that will enhance communication and effectiveness, as well as the development of skills and attitudes appropriate for business communication; especially in public speaking.
- Personal & Professional Development1 CH / 1 ECTS
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- Introduction to the World of Design3 CH / 4 ECTS
In this course, students are given an overview of the design field. They develop an understanding of the various forms of contemporary design, an appreciation for the increasingly-important role it plays in our lives and a critical approach to its impact on our environment. It emphasizes various design themes throughout history and its implications on management. Designers and international business leaders share their experience, discussing the added value of design in a company’s communications, product promotion and strategic vision.
- Luxury & Design3 CH / 4 ECTS
The steady growth of the luxury industry in a difficult economic environment encourages many investors and entrepreneurs to enter this profitable niche market. With this in mind, an extensive knowledge and understanding of the mechanisms of design across a broad range of products, services and environments is a premium asset. This course places particular emphasis on traditional design materials, in addition to today’s more technology-based design methods. Students take part in industrial visits and explore how the luxury industry has adapted to meet new market expectations.
- Architecture & Hotel Design3 CH / 4 ECTS
In the hotel and tourism industry, design is constantly developing and evolving. Design is responsible for both the comfort within hospitality, as well as for the branding of a company’s public image. Students learn of the achievements of great designers who have specialized in this field, observing specific techniques and design elements. They gain the skills necessary to integrate design and management into hotel marketing.
- Graphic Design & Corporate Identity3 CH / 4 ECTS
The purpose of this course is to familiarize students with the role of design within corporate communications and product marketing. It covers, among other things, design in corporate identity, advertising campaigns, typography, composition, graphic design and signage. Presentations by leading designers, industrial visits and case studies enrich the course while stimulating a deeper understanding of design’s impact on a company’s public image. They are taught to treat design as a fundamental component of both company strategy and operations.
- Photography & Management3 CH / 4 ECTS
The final course familiarizes students with specific media in design and the role of a manager in corporate communications and product marketing. The module covers everything from corporate identity to advertising campaigns, with a special focus on the role of photography and other media. The course explores photography’s suggestive power, limitations and use as a means of motivation. It analyzes realistic photography, art photography and diverted photography. Students also explore the use of video and film, which play an increasingly important role in business communication.
- EU Research & Dissertation Seminars*
- EU Dissertation14 CH / 20 ECTS
Design management graduates enter the market with a diverse skill set that will enable them to discern a good design idea from one that will not work in the current market. Graduates of the MBA in Design Management degree in Montreux can go on to pursue careers in:
Brand strategy
Advertising
Packing design development
Marketing management
Some of our courses are available across all five of our campuses. We encourage students to diversify their education by participating in our campus exchanges. Choose the perfect location for you and gain international experience while expanding your global network.
Our experienced academic department is comprised of entrepreneurs, consultants and business leaders to provide students with the perfect educational balance between classroom theory and real life experiential learning.
