The Rotman - SDA Bocconi Global Executive MBA - GEMBA

Who is it for?

The Rotman-SDA Bocconi GEMBA will expand your global understanding, and personal horizons as a future leader: GEMBA is the right program for you if:

• You want to benefit from an inclusive outlook that bridges continents as you earn two credentials from top-ranked Schools with connections worldwide.
• You want to experience a transformative program hosted in seven key business hubs, immerse yourself in local cultures, while building knowledge and skills for an ever-changing, interconnected world.
• You want to gain insights into sectors where our schools have special expertise, and compare perspectives in our home cities: Milano - Italy’s entrepreneurial, industrial, and financial center - and Toronto - Canada’s multicultural financial capital and innovation hub.
• You want to develop a highly personalized focus on leadership challenges and enter a global network of exceptional managers, executives, and thought-leaders.

Grow your leadership on the global stage

Expand your global understanding, and personal horizons as a future leader, in this unique 18-month program spanning seven cities on four continents.

The new Rotman-SDA Bocconi GEMBA will change the way you think, network, and do business in some of the world’s biggest markets.

Traveling towards success

The curriculum, which includes twenty-four courses plus electives, will deepen your grasp of business fundamentals such as finance and accounting while building your knowledge and skills for the new global economy. You will benefit from our school’s leadership in areas such as design thinking and analytics. You will gain insights into industries and sectors where our schools have special expertise: for example, luxury brands at SDA Bocconi and fintech at Rotman. And you will build a network of international contacts while learning invaluable tools to advance your career.

Ten residential modules

The program is built around ten residential modules. These take place at the Rotman School, at both SDA Bocconi Campuses in Milan and Rome, and on the campuses of our international affiliate academic partners, providing in-depth local perspectives on global management. Each module consists of several courses and includes lectures, team discussions, and other dynamic, real-time learning opportunities.

Real-world experiences and learning safaris

Classroom sessions are interspersed with real-world experiences - company visits, exchanges with local executives, and dynamic networking events - that we call 'learning safaris': an impactful formula blending standout site visits with direct interaction with top executives. It's the essence of experiential learning, where participants witness and engage firsthand.

Evenings are filled with group projects, individual assignments, and time to explore the local culture and cities.

Online Learning

Online learning predominates in the periods between modules: preparation begins for the next set of courses, with study materials delivered a month or two before class begins. This is also the time to complete assignments and team deliverables, participate in review sessions, and write exams.

• 18 Months
• 75 Learning Days
• 63 Out-of-Office Days
• 3 9-Day Modules (Friday-Saturday noon), 8.5 learning days/6 working days each = 25.5 total learning days (classroom+company visit)/18 workdays (participants' out of office)
• 8 1-Week Modules (Monday-Saturday noon, including Elective Module Weeks), 5.5 learning days/5 working days each = 44 total learning days (classroom+company visit)/ 40 workdays (participants' out of office)
• 1 Elective Module (either in Milano and/or, Toronto or to exchange partner schools), 1 Week (Monday-Saturday noon) = 5.5 learning days/5 working days

Structure Edition 2024 - 2026

Module 1 - Toronto

• Managerial Economics
• Quantitative reasoning for management
• Leading people in organizations
• Working in teams
• Leadership development practicum

Module 2 - Milan / Rome

• Corporate finance
• Financial accounting and reporting
• Marketing

Module 3 - Mumbai

• Financial Markets and institutions
• Entrepreneurship in India

Module 4 - San Francisco

• Mergers and Acquisitions
• Business Design

Module 5 - Copenhagen

• Strategic management
• Performance Management And Control

Module 6 - Milan and/or Toronto

• 2 electives (students may choose electives offered in Milan and/or Toronto)

Module 7 - Toronto

• Change Management
• Corporate Strategy

Module 8 - Shanghai

• Operations management
• Economics of global markets
• Negotiation

Module 9 - São Paulo

• Sustainability Strategy
• Business Ethics

Module 10 - Milan

• Corporate governance
• Business Analytics
• Innovation management

Learning Model

The Global EMBA is delivered through a variety of learning formats. The learning platform of the Global EMBA aims to make full use of your time by combining lectures, case studies, group projects, and business simulations with distance learning sessions.

The learning model reflects SDA Bocconi’s spirit, which, through practical analyses and criticisms, stimulates and encourages the exchange of ideas, fostering a sense of belonging.

The curriculum is both rigorous and flexible, rich in theory but practical enough to be a test for the workplace. Throughout the program, you will also be in close contact with professionals from various economic sectors.

We strongly believe that balancing theory with practice is the pillar of a good Executive MBA. To achieve this balance, we continuously invite influential academics, corporate executives, and community leaders.

Regular attendance in on-campus modules and distance-learning sessions for the two-year program is mandatory, and an absence of any significant length will make it impossible to complete the program.

Evaluation process

In each module, you will be first assessed on a pass/fail basis. The primary objective of the initial evaluation is to confirm that you have acquired the necessary competencies in each subject. If you are granted a passing grade, you will then receive a final mark (A, B, C, or D), distributed on a grading curve. If you receive three failing grades, you will be required to withdraw from the program.

This rigorous evaluation process is in place because we believe it preserves the value of the program and the quality of each individual’s experience.

• 1st European B-schools Bloomberg Businessweek
• 5th European B-schools Financial Times
• 1st Overall Satisfaction (WW) Global MBA Rankings Financial Times

Financial Times

• #5 European B-School Rankings 2023
• #3 EU - #6 WW Global MBA Rankings 2023
• #3 EU Return on Investment Global MBA Rankings 2023
• #2 WW Environmental impact Global MBA Rankings 2023
• #7 EU - #9 WW Custom Education Rankings 2023
• #13 EU - #14 WW Executive Education Open Rankings 2023
• #8 EU - #10 WW Executive Education combined Rankings 2023
• #13 EU - #21 WW Executive MBA Ranking 2023

The Economist

• #2 EU Full-Time MBA Ranking 2022
• #13 WW Full-Time MBA Ranking 2022
• #3 EU for Faculty Quality Full-Time MBA Ranking 2022

QS - Top MBA

• #10 EU QS Global MBA Rankings 2024 - Europe
• #21 WW QS Global MBA Rankings 2024
• #1 WW Return on Investment QS Global MBA Rankings 2024
• #8 WW QS Executive MBA Rankings 2023: Joint Programmes