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Business School Lausanne

Business School Lausanne

Business School Lausanne

Introduction

At Business School Lausanne (BSL), we redefine business education with a dynamic and forward-thinking approach. Situated in Switzerland, a hub for international professionals and innovation, BSL brings together students and E/MBA participants worldwide to collaborate with industry experts in a unique learning environment. Our small class sizes ensure personalized attention, fostering meaningful engagement and allowing our faculty to help each participant find their unique strengths while developing highly demanded skills for today's market and deeply exploring business roles in society.

Founded in 1987, BSL was the first business school in Europe to be ACBSP accredited in 1996 and became part of the Lemania Swiss Group of Schools in 1997. Our extensive network includes 50 international faculty members and partnerships with institutions across Europe and Asia. With 60 nationalities represented in our student body and over 120,000 graduates from the Lemania Group, our impact is truly global.

Our curriculum is designed to equip students, E/MBA participants, and DBA applicants with the skills needed to advance their careers at every stage and achieve meaningful change with an authentic approach. By integrating real-world challenges and promoting critical thinking, we prepare our students and participants to navigate complexities with strategic knowledge and confidence. At BSL, our approach to education is focused on providing the skills to develop an entrepreneurial mindset, create value in every project, and lead confidently in their abilities. Leadership is not just taught; it's embodied and practiced every day.

About BSL Lausanne

At Business School Lausanne we approach business education differently. To build a new generation of leadership, it has become essential to create learning programs that address the fundamental changes of working in the 21st century. This includes focusing on how digital transformation, current economic trends, changes in societal structure, and environmental concerns have transformed the business landscape.

Based in Switzerland, we are a truly global learning lab. Students from sixty nationalities with diverse backgrounds join our experienced faculty in a co-creative approach to learning, focusing on topics as broad as leadership, systems thinking, economics, and business-driven sustainability. Our faculty comprises individuals who have run successful businesses and practically applied what they teach in real-world situations, ensuring our students are taught the most cutting-edge business thinking.

BSL is committed to creating a personalized and focused learning experience for each of our students. This is why we insist on keeping our classes small. So each student has the opportunity to truly participate in seeking new ideas for measuring the role and impact of business in today’s society. We endeavor to create a space where all of our students, professors, staff, researchers, and stakeholders, feel free to come together to ask courageous questions and to maximize solutions through values that matter; because connection is key to tackling issues for the common good.

We teach our students big-picture thinking, so they can develop innovative cross-sector solutions, which we believe will help them to realize their true potential in whatever avenue of business they choose to pursue.

Welcome to our school and we look forward to collaborating with you!

Mission

As a Swiss private institution of higher education, we develop a genuine Business Education Philosophy for the personal and professional development of our students who are future and proven professionals living and working in Switzerland or abroad.

We nurture our Business Education Philosophy with the research of our Doctoral School, the educational skills, academic qualifications, and professional experience of our Faculty, our international and multicultural community, and the constant interaction with all our stakeholders.

Our Business Education Philosophy is centered on our students to provide them with the opportunity to generate impact during the time of their studies in addition to transmitting the most up-to-date Business literacy, and hard and soft skills to foster continuous Business transformation.

We teach our students to act with ethical behavior and professional judgment informed by research and practice. We seek the best possible recognition for the diplomas we deliver to help our students progress in their future professional lives.

We see the impact generated by our empowered students during and after their studies as our main contribution to the greater good. As an institution, we acknowledge the importance of being ethical, responsible, and engaged actors of change and, therefore, engage in short and long-term initiatives for progress in the environment, society, and governance.

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Visa Requirements

Non-EU students who wish to enter Switzerland must have a valid passport and a study visa issued by a Swiss Embassy or Consulate. Please note that a tourist visa does not authorize a student with a foreign passport to study in Switzerland. Applications for a study visa must be submitted to the Swiss Embassy in your home country which is then forwarded to the Cantonal authority in Switzerland. The whole process takes 10 to 12 weeks.

All foreign students (EU & non-EU) living in Switzerland require a Student B permit.

Switzerland is now part of the Schengen zone which means that once you have a Student B permit, you are allowed to travel to the following countries without a visa: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden.

Note: Part-time study options are not accepted as a sufficient reason by Swiss authorities to grant a study visa for students from outside the EU/Schengen area.

Scholarships and Funding

BSL is proud to offer partial scholarships to worthy candidates on a need and merit base, interested in leveraging business as a force for good! The Admissions Committee reserves the right to acquire financial statements to confirm the financial need of the scholarship applicant. Applications will only be considered when submitted with a complete application file at the initial application stage. In return for a reduction in tuition fees, scholarship recipients will be able to make a positive contribution to the BSL community and have the opportunity to leverage their talents.

Applicants are reviewed on an individual basis and are evaluated based on how they intend to contribute their talents to the community of students, faculty, and staff of BSL.

To apply for a scholarship, you should provide a Scholarship Letter together with your complete file at the initial application stage. Your Scholarship Letter should indicate whether you are applying for a scholarship based on merit or financial need. In the case of the latter, you should emphasize your financial condition and the reasons why you need the funding. Regardless of whether you apply for a merit- or need-based scholarship, your letter should address the following:

  • Why do you believe you deserve the merit or need-based Scholarship
  • Describe your talent(s) or contribution to BSL and its student community (this should link to specific activities that are provided in the attached process document)
  • Describe why your talent(s) would be important and add value to BSL and its student community
  • Outline your need and expectation in terms of a % of a scholarship and link this to the scope of contribution to the BSL community

Interested in more information on our partial scholarship program, fill in the form below and get in touch with us!

Alumni Statistics

Rankings

In Switzerland, Business School Lausanne ranked #2 for its Master in International and Sustainable Finance, #2 for its Master in International Business in the QS Business Masters Rankings 2019, and #4 for its MBA program in the QS Global MBA Rankings 2019.

The master ranking includes over 150 schools from around the world and ranks them across five indicators, employability, alumni outcomes, value for money, thought leadership, and class and faculty diversity.

The MBA ranking takes into consideration various criteria such as entrepreneurship and alumni outcomes, return on investment, thought leadership, and class and faculty diversity, however, it emphasizes the importance of employability as a key element (40% of the total ranking weight for the MBA Programs).

BSL did not seek to appear in the Q&S rankings after 2019 when this ranking became a paying ranking. As a general rule, BSL does not seek to appear in paying rankings.

Awards & Accreditations

BSL’s Accreditations

How do we see accreditations?

Accreditations are not only logos for websites, transcripts, or diplomas. Accreditations provide institutions with standards that help them design their activities (strategy, management, teaching, and learning) by assessing them against a benchmark based on the worldwide experience of the best organizations and academic institutions.

ATHEA Accreditation

Business School Lausanne BSL is proud to announce its achievement of first-time institutional accreditation by the Association for Transnational Higher Education Accreditation (ATHEA), a respected international organization dedicated to ensuring quality and continuous improvement in education through institutional accreditation. This prestigious recognition underscores BSL’s unwavering commitment to academic excellence, sustainability, and student-centered learning.

Following a comprehensive evaluation process that included a thorough review of its programs, faculty, facilities, and resources, BSL welcomed a team of ATHEA representatives to campus for a rigorous peer review. Throughout the rigorous assessment, BSL demonstrated its commitment to student-centered learning and adaptive education tailored to meet societal needs.

“ATHEA’s institutional accreditation process was an opportunity to verify that Business School Lausanne is up to the European standards and guidelines for higher education”, said Dr. David Claivaz, BSL Acting Dean. Dominique Bourqui, Chief Academic Officer, further explained “The ATHEA’s accreditation process acknowledged BSL’s performance in leveraging information and data to design, redesign, and maintain academic programs that equip our graduates with the most up-to-date business knowledge and the most relevant business skills”.

With this accreditation, BSL joins an elite group of institutions recognized for their dedication to providing students and participants with a high-quality education that successfully prepares them to be leaders in a fast-changing landscape. Moreover, this milestone constitutes a significant step towards achieving national and international recognition, which elevates and brings more value to the degrees of our current students and alumni.

ACBSP Accreditation

BSL programs have been ACBSP accredited since 1996.

The accreditation of the BSL programs by ACBSP is there to help students validate their studies towards employers and academic institutions.

ACBSP accreditation has a special focus on employability.

“ACBSP’s accreditation process follows the Baldrige model. The accreditation focuses on recognizing teaching excellence, determining student learning outcomes, and a continuous improvement model. ACBSP’s student-centered teaching and learning approach, which is measured and analyzed for quality, ensures that students gain the right skills from their educational investment. Institutions with programs accredited by ACBSP are committed to continuous improvement that ensures their business program will give students the skills employers want.“

Source: ACBSP

ACBSP accreditation also regularly helps BSL graduates continue their studies in the best academic institutions worldwide:

  • Oxford University
  • Stockholm School of Economics
  • Dublin Business School
  • Columbia University
  • University of Colorado Boulder
  • Washington State University
  • London School of Economics and Political Science
  • Regent’s University London
  • Université Paris Descartes
  • Graduate School of Management St. Petersburg State University

… to name but a few.

Locations

  • Chavannes-près-Renens

    Route de la Maladière, 21, 1022, Chavannes-près-Renens

  • Lausanne

    Lausanne, Switzerland

Questions