Esade increases its academic offering with tech-oriented degrees, and presents new model of executive education
Esade has increased its academic offering by launching new degrees and innovative teaching methods based on digitisation and technology to create multidisciplinary profiles that combine business acumen with each individual’s technical, analytical and innate skills with a view to capacitating new generations in response to job market challenges. This entailed refining the strategic plan ‘Do Good. Do Better 2019-2023’ to cater for the new landscape and strengthen the four pillars that define the institution’s way ahead in forthcoming years: invest in talent and knowledge, boost the impact on society, intensify globalisation, and strengthen financial sustainability.
“Despite the intense activity, extraordinary investment and considerable stress we’ve experienced over the last 18 months, our business school has increased its investment in technology and digital change and remained committed to innovative education, all of which has enabled us to continue pursuing and consolidating our aims of encouraging talent and diversity whilst making an impact on society”, said the Esade director general, Koldo Echebarria. “The current scenario also means we must address the needs of the post-pandemic business world and its leaders”, he declared. So Esade has also redefined its executive education by designing cutting-edge programmes and creating a ‘multiverse’ ecosystem in conjunction with a variety of partners.
Talent and appeal in the international market
Numbers of students at Esade continue to grow. In the current 2021-22 year, Esade has welcomed more than 1,800 new students, slightly more than expected: 5% more than last year and 20% more than the year before the pandemic. The business school remains committed to globalisation. One of the distinguishing features of the education it offers is its global outlook and commitment to programmes taught in English. This year, 65% of students are international (up from 62% last year and 59% two years ago), including 90 different nationalities (60% European, 15% Latin American, 14% Asian, 7% USA and Canada, and 6% Middle East and Africa).
The quality of students’ talent has improved too: the academic average of first-year students at Esade is 9.1 out of 10 in joint majors and 660 GMAT points out of a maximum of 800 in FTMBA and Masters of Science (MSc).
New joint major in AI for business
In response to increasing demand for talented individuals who are experts in technology but also familiar with the basics of management, in 2022 Esade will launch its new joint major in BBA & Bachelor in Artificial Intelligence for Business to be taught in English. It will combine the BBA syllabus with Esade-URL’s own specific degree in AI for business. For 5 years, in addition to the general management skills already taught in the BBA, students will learn subjects such as applied maths, IT systems, programming, advanced algorithms and AI, plus other areas of computer science. The programme is designed for STEM students (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) interested in engineering and computer science and who want to apply their knowledge by developing an international career in business management.
The current 2020-21 year has also seen the launch of the Bachelor in Transformational Leadership and Social Impact with 43 students from 27 countries. This university degree aims to address the problems and ambitions of a generation calling for a new business world that is committed to sustainability and the environment and the wellbeing of people and society.
New form of executive education
Esade has redefined the business model of its Executive Education unit to underpin its new market positioning strategy and is launching a new paradigm of personalised executive education which, with the slogan ‘Unlimited Better Futures’, situates participants and business at the heart of the educational experience. So Esade has developed a portfolio of hyper-personalised, flexible, specialist executive education in a variety of face-to-face, hybrid and online formats, equipped with the latest immersive technologies and able to adapt to the specific needs of participants and companies. One example of this hyper personalisation is the new Executive Master in Management: the first programme where participants can tailor 50% of credits, combine face-to-face, online and hybrid formats, and study it in Madrid, Barcelona or other international cities.
In addition, the new positioning of Esade Executive Education is committed to boosting its globalisation by creating a ‘multiverse’ ecosystem with a variety of partners ranging from those traditionally found in education to new ones including scientists, consultancies and companies specialised in educational technology, with a view to creating a unified, diverse syllabus. In keeping with this, Esade has developed the new ‘2030 Leaders Programme’ for the MiSK Foundation in Saudi Arabia. It is intended for one thousand men and women with high leadership potential in this region, and focuses on growth, sustainable development and the adoption of new technologies. The five teaching partners involved are: Accenture, the Center for Creative Leadership, the HR consultancy Willis Towers Watson, the scientific research lab at the CERN, and Minerva, the EdTech in Silicon Valley.
Finally, Esade Executive Education has boosted the value of measuring the impact on professionals and society, taking advantage of new technologies as a tool for analysing the level of knowledge and skills acquired in the classroom.
