Geneva School of Economics and Management GSEM

Welcome to the GSEM

The Geneva School of Economics and Management (GSEM) was the result of the merger between the departments of Economics and Hautes Études Commerciales (HEC Genève) of the University of Geneva with a history spanning over more than 100 years. The merger of the two departments led to the strengthening of our study programs, executive education programs, and research activities in the fields of economics, management, finance, statistics and information systems.

Our location in Geneva – a region that is home to many international organizations, non-profit organizations, multinational corporations, and financial institutions—supports our strategic positioning in the areas of global governance, sustainability, and business analytics. Our strength lies in the strong ties between these Geneva institutions and the school’s faculty members. Combined with a strong multidisciplinary approach we have become leaders in these three strategic areas.

Supported by a total staff of about 200 dedicated individuals, we use this ‘Geneva Advantage’ to benefit students, executives and their organizations, and society at large. We offer the more than 2,000 highly diverse students currently enrolled in our Bachelor, Master, Ph.D., (Executive) MBA, and other degree programs, a state-of-the-art education. Following our mission to educate responsible leaders for a diverse and changing society, our study programs and research activities are continuously improved through systematic quality development measures and external accreditations processes.

We invite you to experience our school’s Geneva Advantage by enrolling in one of our programs, or collaborating with us on one of our research projects.

Prof. Marcelo Olarreaga, Dean

Strategy

THE GENEVA ADVANTAGE

The Geneva School of Economics and Management’s Strategy 2025 centers on what we call “the Geneva Advantage” – our School’s focus on interdisciplinary areas in which our strengths match the unique opportunities that Geneva offers.

OUR MISSION

• We educate responsible leaders for a diverse and changing society.
• We create and disseminate evidence-based knowledge that makes a difference in the way organizations are sustainably led.
• We collaborate with the private and public sectors through research and executive education.

OUR VISION

As the University of Geneva’s School of Economics and Management, we aspire to be a research and education leader in analytics, governance, and sustainability – areas in which Geneva is uniquely positioned.

OUR STRATEGIC AREAS

We tackle contemporary challenges’ complexity by focusing on three interdisciplinary areas that require a concerted effort from our School and University’s faculty and staff:

Analytics

Business analytics, big data, digitization, and quantitative analyses are some of our School’s key strengths. Geneva is a global financial center and the headquarters of many consumer and luxury goods companies that need to cope with their digital transformation. The GSEM is uniquely positioned to assist them with this challenge.

Governance

Our School has developed a key strength in the economics and management of complex corporations, institutions, and markets with an important global role. The GSEM is uniquely positioned to provide this expertise to the many international organizations and multinational corporations in Geneva.

Sustainability

Sustainability, corporate social responsibility, and public-private partnerships have traditionally been some of the key strengths of our School, which started as a social sciences faculty. Since Geneva is home to many international organizations and NGOs addressing and/or facing sustainability-related issues, the GSEM is uniquely positioned to support them.

OUR VALUES

Rigor

We care about rigor, meaning that all our activities are completed as rigorously as possible. In our activities, we strive for excellence and continuous improvement.

Relevance

We focus on relevance, which is a guiding principle for all our activities. The issues we address matter for organizations and society.

Responsibility

We act responsibly in all our activities. We consider the consequences of our actions for multiple stakeholders, and also encourage such behavior in others.

Memberships & Recognition

The Geneva School of Economics and Management is nationally and internationally recognized and accredited for the quality of its study programs, executive education, research, and support activities.

AAQ

As a School of the University of Geneva, the GSEM is included in the quality assurance system by the Swiss Agency of Accreditation and Quality Assurance (AAQ). The AAQ regularly audits all Swiss universities.

AACSB

The GSEM is a member of The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). AACSB provides quality assurance, business education intelligence, and professional development services to more than 1,600 member organizations and nearly 800 accredited business schools worldwide.

AMBA

The Association of MBAs (AMBA) has accredited the Executive MBA Program and the International Organizations MBA since 2006, which reflects the quality of our study programs and executive education.

EFMD

The GSEM is a member of the European Foundation of Management Development (EFMD). The EFMD awards the prestigious EQUIS accreditation.

PRME

The GSEM has been an Advanced Signatory of the Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME) since 2017. The PRME is a United Nations-supported initiative founded in 2007 as a platform to raise the profile of sustainability in schools around the world, and to equip today's business students with the understanding and ability to deliver change tomorrow.

Our Heritage

The Geneva School of Economics and Management (GSEM) is one of nine schools of the University of Geneva, which Jean Calvin founded in 1559. Called the Académie de Genève, the institution was originally conceived as a theological and humanist seminary, the guardian of the Reform doctrine. During the Enlightenment, distinguished scholars found inspiration here and new disciplines, such as physical and natural sciences, law, and philosophy, were introduced. The Academy shed its ecclesiastical vocation during 19th century’s political and social upheavals and, following the establishment of the Faculty of Medicine in 1873, became a university.

In 1914, the Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences (SES) was founded. Over the years, the Faculty became one of the largest schools of the University of Geneva and included seven departments: Economics, Econometrics, Business Administration (Hautes Études Commerciales [HEC] Genève), Geography, Political Sciences, International Relations, and Sociology). In 1999, the new Uni Mail building in the heart of the City of Geneva was completed and opened its doors. It has hosted the SES Faculty and the GSEM ever since.

In 2014, the University of Geneva decided to strengthen its competencies in economics and management by merging the Economic Sciences and Business Administration (HEC) departments of the SES Faculty to create a new autonomous school - the Geneva School of Economics and Management (GSEM). This initiative aimed to strengthen the City and Canton of Geneva's economics and management education, as well as research.

Since then, the GSEM has grown substantially and recruited several new professors who combine cutting-edge research with excellence in teaching to further improve the quality of the GSEM’s study programs. In 2015, the Bachelor in Economics and Management program was reformed to meet the demand for a high-quality, bi-lingual undergraduate education. The GSEM also developed its Master programs further, offering both consecutive (pre-experience) and professional (post-experience) graduate programs.