Executive MBA (EMBA)

Executive MBA focused on entrepreneurship

Flanders Business School considers entrepreneurship and innovation as one of the most important keys to social progress, even though we give a broad interpretation to the word “entrepreneurship”. For us, entrepreneurship encompasses much more than just starting a new company. It also concerns, for example, the creation of new activities within existing organizations (corporate entrepreneurship or intrapreneurship).

We like to see our campus as a place of open discussion about (business model) innovation, strategy and management: our goal is to support the personal initiative of our students as much as possible. We do this with an open mind, in a culture of freedom and solidarity. That is why we have a strong interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary focus and we actively collaborate with partners in the Netherlands and abroad.

Focus on entrepreneurship and innovation: the Executive MBA is central

Our Executive MBA program is undoubtedly the best example of our ambition. This two-year course offers a combination of theoretical training and individual coaching moments, which are built around the real life entrepreneurship trajectories of the participants themselves.

It is our experience that during the course of this process, students get a better view of themselves: their ambitions, their strengths and their points for improvement. They reap the benefits of this, both in their professional and personal environment. We are therefore firmly convinced that our Executive MBA program will prepare you for the next step in your professional career.

"The Executive MBA program at Flanders Business School sharpens entrepreneurship by developing both business and personal insights outside the normal comfort zone, giving you a fresh and alternative view on business challenges."

An Van Gerven, Business Unit Director Vaccines, Pfizer

Strong influence on career development

More than 70% of our graduates confirm that their MBA education at Flanders Business School has had a strong to very strong influence on the course of their career. Our alumni are more aware of their role within their company — and of their future prospects, or lack thereof. In combination with the fact that they develop their competences through the training, this means that they often make decisive decisions. About half of our alumni choose to realize their entrepreneurial ambitions by starting their own business or self-employed activity. In addition, obtaining the MBA diploma leads to more credibility and credit within companies and often means a first step towards promotion and/or a position at executive level.

A diploma and a concrete, feasible business plan

At Flanders Business School we approach entrepreneurship as a process that each of our students experiences in a personal way. We choose to place this trajectory at the center of our training, which is also apparent from the structure of our programme.

For the rest, you will find all subjects in our curriculum that you will also find in a “standard” MBA course. It is therefore the combination of a good management training with the personal entrepreneurial trajectory that makes the MBA of Flanders Business School unique: our training offers entrepreneurial talents the opportunity to develop optimally and to really contribute to the future of their company. That is also the reason why we constantly pay attention to concrete cases and make time for discussing best practices. Where possible, we also start from cases provided by the participants themselves.

Our Executive MBA course differs most from traditional MBA courses in that it requires you to provide proof of proficiency in order to qualify for the MBA title. In addition to the traditional examination of theoretical knowledge, you will also be assessed on your capacity to put this knowledge into practice. In the second year of the MBA course, space and guidance are provided to put your entrepreneurial ambitions into practice. You learn to look for a valuable business opportunity, defend it in group and develop your idea until it is grounded in research, resulting in a viable business plan.

At Flanders Business School you therefore not only graduate with a diploma, which counts as proof of your knowledge and skills, but also with an entrepreneurial attitude and with a concrete business plan. We are therefore confident that our MBA will also prepare you for the next step in your career!

Come and meet us during the MBA information sessions or contact us

Flanders Business School invites ambitious professionals for an evening of discussion. MBA candidates can get acquainted with the FBS vision on entrepreneurship and innovation, the program and the approach, without obligation and in an informal atmosphere. It is also an excellent opportunity to meet our lecturers, staff members and alumni.

A Dutch-taught course with an international perspective

Attention to interaction

While some business schools choose to offer their entire program in English, which allows them to recruit internationally, we at FBS have opted to offer our MBA training mainly in Dutch. This is a conscious choice, which is an extension of the content of our MBA. We work case-based on the development and application of concrete, new business models for local actors. Moreover, we have noticed that the use of Dutch as the language of communication allows for more discussion and smoother interaction during the various seminars.

Naturally, this choice for Dutch means that almost all of our MBA students come from Flanders. Yet we also retain the necessary international, even global perspective. Insight into the international context in which companies operate today is simply indispensable. Internationalization opens up new growth prospects, even for companies that start small.

We introduce the international component into the curriculum of our MBA program through, among other things, the international track, which is organized every two years for the first and second MBA years together, and which forms a permanent part of our programme. You will also find this component in executive briefings with an international approach, regular exchange projects with and visits to our partner institutions. These are open to our MBA students and alumni. We aim to organize two international programs per year.