Programme content
The Open Borders MBA is the executive MBA of HEC Liège, developed in partnership with UHasselt and FH Aachen. This high-level program is designed for experienced managers. It is compatible with a full-time job, given in a residential setting and comes in an all-inclusive formula.
The program is divided into 4 modules and spread over 2 academic years (120 ECTS credits), as follows:
The Foundation Module: includes 4 pre-requisite courses taking place at HEC Liège or online - self-study | Year 1: from Sept. to Dec.
Module 1*: "Think globally": includes 6 MBA seminars | Year 1: Jan. to June.
Module 2*: "Act Locally": includes 5 MBA seminars | Year 2: from Sept. to Dec.
Module 3*: "Decide": includes 3 MBA seminars and the final paper | Year 2: Jan. to June.
Foundation Module: Management Tools-Establish basic managerial skills
The MBA Foundation Module is common to the options of the Master in Management. The Open Borders MBA offers the possibility to skip the first module depending on previous academic background. In this prerequisite module Open Borders MBA, candidates are introduced into the main functional field of management with courses in accounting/finance, basics of law, principles of marketing, and management of organizations. The goal of this preparatory module is to give the candidate a basic understanding of topics in management including the fundamental terminology to build upon in the three following modules.
Module 1: Think Globally - Developing an international perspective to look at (potential) markets
The module "Think Globally" of the Open Borders MBA opens the focus to a broader industry level. Participants are stimulated to look beyond the borders of their own company and explore the business world from a strategic and international angle. In this module, all courses adopt the perspective of this open border with a particular discussion of trends, challenges, opportunities, and implications of doing business in an international setting. Again the broad field of management is covered with courses in finance, marketing, law, entrepreneurship & lobbying, but in this module, candidates are continuously invited to look and think globally.
Module 2: Act Locally - Refine organizational design and management know-how
In the module "Act Locally", attention here shifts from the industry level to the corporate level and the emphasis is put on the design and management of the organization itself. Participants are invited to use the insights gained in the broader perspective of module 1 to start planning actions in their own company. Courses in this second module again cover some functional management fields like Finance and People Management but in addition, Change Management and Project Management in a Euregional context are introduced. Furthermore, participants start working on their individual assignment in which they can elaborate on a topic of their choice.
Module 3: Decide- Develop further skills to make strategic decisions
The final module "Decide" brings it all together with a focus on decision-making and strategic leadership. This module starts with two particular courses, one zooms on the impacts of the interplay between economics, ethics and technology, and the other one looks at strategic intelligence, design and innovation. The module ends with an overall business game in which the new insights and expertise gained throughout the program are applied. Finally, the program concludes with a final individual paper that candidates present in front of a jury.
SEMINAR STRUCTURE
The program is designed to optimize the knowledge transfer thanks to:
- Small cohorts: 15 to 20 participants maximum.
- Action-oriented methods and constant challenges before and during the seminar session.
- Duos of professors and experts leading our seminars and coaching our participants throughout the seminar (problem-solving in groups, meetings with experts, experience sharing, team strategy presentations, conflict resolution role-play, computer-based business simulations, negotiations and debates, peer evaluation sessions, etc.). An association that makes our students benefit from both academic excellence and field best practices.
- Multiple opportunities to network and share experiences with professors, experts and other participants with diverse cultures, backgrounds, and work experience.
- Interactions between our MBA students and the company they work for are highly encouraged for the seminar preparation (working on concrete company's projects, coaching for problem-solving, extending your company's network, assignments on different aspects of your company, sharing new skills and ideas with colleagues, etc.).