Swiss International MBA Summer School
Eight modules. One month in Switzerland. One MBA.
Your gateway to business in Switzerland and Europe: one summer month in St. Gallen with mentoring and coaching, a Master’s thesis as a real business project – 60 ECTS in cooperation with Steinbeis University
Trusted by leading companies
One month. Eight modules.
One MBA.
Not eight separate topics, but one integrated management challenge – experienced in the heart of Europe, where Swiss business excellence is made.
Eight disciplines, one perspective
General management is more than the sum of individual functions: decisions have an impact across every boundary.
Compact: just one month in Switzerland
All eight modules within a single month between mid-July and mid-August – one journey, full immersion. The Master’s thesis follows alongside your job.
Your gateway to Switzerland and Europe
Company visits, personal contacts and an international network open doors to the Swiss and European business world.
MBA with 60 ECTS
The degree is awarded in cooperation with Steinbeis University, based on the eight modules and the Master’s thesis.
Built for tomorrow’s top executives
- Powered by the St. Gallen Concept – built for tomorrow’s top executives
- Gateway to Switzerland and Europe – direct access to Swiss companies, European markets and an international business network
- Leadership – strategies and mindsets that truly make a difference
- Designed for Professionals – compact, flexible, intensive: eight on-site modules in just one month, with mentoring and coaching for every focus area, self-study and real project work alongside your job
- No multiple choice – get results – the Master’s thesis as a hands-on business project
- Ambitious peers, top faculty, industry partners – participants from around the world learning together
- Curated Expertise – essentials from leading academic and business experts
- Fast-Track Learning – dynamic and interactive, for maximum progress in minimum time
- Swiss Business Champions – excursions to global market leaders and hidden champions
- Global Perspective – optional study trips to world-leading partner institutions
- Open Doors – a special admission track for qualified professionals, even without a bachelor’s degree or high school diploma
Eight modules, one month, an MBA
The Swiss International MBA Summer School takes you through the core tasks of general management in just one intensive month: integrated management and strategy, international markets, financial leadership, leading people, market, brand and sales management, processes and change, innovation, and the use of artificial intelligence in management. Each module stands for one of these tasks.
All modules share a common framework: the St. Gallen approach to integrated management, which connects strategy, organisation, finance, markets, people and culture.
The programme is designed for an international audience: taught entirely in English, delivered within one compact summer month, with participants from different countries, industries and functions. Models, case studies and transfer work – supported by mentoring and coaching for every focus area – ensure that what you learn translates directly into your own management practice.
Theory meets practice on site: excursions to Swiss business champions – from global market leaders to hidden champions – show first-hand how successful companies are run, and open doors into the Swiss business world. St. Gallen lies in the Lake Constance region, where Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Liechtenstein meet – making the programme a natural gateway to business in Switzerland and across Europe.
The programme concludes with the Master’s thesis: written alongside your job, in cooperation with a company or on a practice-relevant management topic, academically sound and accompanied by personal mentoring.
- Manage the organisation as an integrated system rather than optimising functions in isolation
- Make market, location and market-entry decisions with greater clarity and speed
- Make financial decisions faster and with higher quality
- Lead people effectively and develop talent in a targeted way
- Understand customers better, address markets more precisely, position brands more clearly
- Analyse processes based on data and lead change effectively
- Make innovation decisions with more clarity and shorten development cycles
- Use AI responsibly for decisions, strategy and leadership
- Gain access to business in Switzerland and Europe – with first-hand insights into Swiss business champions and an international network
- Work on a practice-relevant topic with academic rigour and graduate with an MBA
»If your uniform isn’t dirty, you haven’t been in the game.«
You put knowledge straight into action in your projects – taking your skills to the next level. Tailored self-study ensures immediate one-to-one application, fully integrated into your daily work.
Every day you test and refine at the front line – a real boost for you and your company.
Entrepreneurial – Practical – Action-Oriented – Implementing Real Projects and Business Plans
The International MBA Summer School is designed for future leaders, founders and entrepreneurs. The training follows the logic of modern fast-track and scale-up mindsets: starting with an idea, then shaping strategy, defining processes and structures, staffing, and building concrete financial and master plans.
At its core is a unique management transfer concept: through integrated project work, participants tackle real business initiatives that drive companies forward sustainably. This means no passive seminar mode – you take the driver’s seat from day one, guided by your trainers, mentors and coaches.
The programme at a glance
Eight modules in St. Gallen within one month, each with mentoring and coaching; the Master’s thesis completes the programme. Select a tab for an overview.
International Management
Enter markets with confidence and make clearer decisions in an international environment – including excursions to Swiss hidden champions.
Focus areas- Market selection, entry modes and growth paths
- Assessing geopolitics, supply chains and country risks
- Transferring the success patterns of hidden champions to your own organisation
- Intercultural leadership, negotiation and leading across distances
Innovation & Future Businesses
Anchor innovation in strategy, organisation and culture – and turn ideas into marketable solutions faster.
Focus areas- Future readiness: anchoring innovation strategically
- Business model innovation: from idea to market
- Recognising disruption, competition and market shifts earlier
- Designing innovation culture, roles and spaces for experimentation
StGallen Integrated Management & Strategy
Connect strategy, organisation, finance, markets and culture into one coherent picture – and translate these connections into concrete action.
Focus areas- The St. Gallen Management Model as a framework for your own organisation
- Strategy development for volatile markets: resilient business models, sustainable growth
- Leading transformation: structures, processes and culture
- Decision intelligence: underpinning decisions with data and AI
Leadership Excellence
Success does not come from doing everything yourself, but from resonance and multiplication – achieving more with less effort.
Focus areas- Sharpening leadership mindset, self-leadership and personal routines
- Delegation and prioritisation: creating room for what really matters
- Strengthening communication, resonance and leadership impact within the team
- AI in everyday leadership: analysis, planning and decisions
Intelligent Marketing & Sales
Understand marketing, sales, brand and communication as one shared leadership task – from customer analysis to channel management.
Focus areas- Recognising customer needs, buying motives and decision patterns more clearly
- Sharpening positioning, brand message and market presence
- Connecting traditional sales channels, digital channels and social media
- Using AI for market analysis, content, personalisation and steering
Intelligent Finance
Rethink financial leadership: combine classic financial thinking with data-driven methods and AI-supported analysis.
Focus areas- Interpreting balance sheets, key figures and cash flows with confidence
- Underpinning investment decisions and capital allocation with data
- Building early-warning systems, scenarios and financial dashboards
- Using AI in forecasting, reporting and stakeholder communication
AI for Managers & Executives
Make artificial intelligence part of everyday management – and combine human judgement with machine intelligence with confidence.
Focus areas- Decision intelligence: using predictive analytics, scenarios and simulations
- Strategy and AI: evaluating options, investments and business models
- Governance, ethics and accountability in the use of AI
- Developing a personal AI decision playbook for your own area of responsibility
Process & Change Management
Improve processes measurably and lead change effectively – embedding change rather than imposing it.
Focus areas- Making end-to-end workflows visible, identifying bottlenecks and waste
- Anticipating the impact on roles, costs, interfaces and culture
- Realistically assessing automation and AI potential
- Understanding resistance and building acceptance for change
Master’s Thesis
No multiple choice – get results: a demanding, practice-relevant business project, worked on with academic rigour alongside your job and accompanied by personal mentoring.
Focus areas- A project in cooperation with a company or a practice-relevant management topic
- Application of the concepts and methods from all eight modules
- Personal mentoring and academic supervision
- Integration of current topics such as digitalisation, sustainability or AI
Your gateway to business in Switzerland and Europe
Switzerland is home to global market leaders and an exceptional density of hidden champions – and St. Gallen lies at the heart of Europe, where Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Liechtenstein meet. The Summer School takes you straight into this business world.
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Excursions to business champions
Visits to selected Swiss companies – global players and hidden champions – show how strategy, innovation and leadership work in real life.
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Exchange with decision-makers
Conversations with executives, founders and owners provide insights that no textbook can offer.
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Doors to Switzerland and Europe
Company visits, personal contacts and the Master’s thesis in cooperation with companies open doors to the Swiss and European business world – for your career, your company or your next market entry.
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Global perspective
Optional study trips to world-leading partner institutions broaden your view beyond Switzerland.
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Exclusive network
This MBA is also your entry ticket to an active career network of executives, entrepreneurs and experts. Exchange is fostered in many ways – from alumni seminars to after-work events – offering lifelong opportunities to refresh your knowledge and expand your connections.
Your Master’s thesis – alongside your job, with a mentor at your side
After the summer modules, you write your Master’s thesis alongside your professional work. Two paths are open to you: in cooperation with a company – your own employer or a company from the StGallen imt network – or on a practice-relevant management topic of your choice.
Mentoring and coaching accompany you throughout the programme – for every focus area of the modules and all the way through your Master’s thesis. Your mentor supports you from defining the research question through to submission, ensuring that academic standards and practical relevance go hand in hand. The duration of the thesis phase is agreed individually, so it fits your professional responsibilities. On successful completion, you are awarded the MBA with 60 ECTS in cooperation with Steinbeis University.
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Define your topic
During the summer, you develop your research question – with a company or on a practice-relevant topic.
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Research and write alongside your job
Personal mentoring and academic supervision support you throughout; the timeframe is agreed individually.
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Graduate with an MBA
60 ECTS in cooperation with Steinbeis University.
For ambitious professionals from around the world
The programme is aimed at managers, high-potential young professionals, founders and entrepreneurs from all over the world – from strategy and general management, international business, finance and controlling, operations and organisation, marketing, sales and communication, and other decision-making functions.
It is designed for those who want to put their management knowledge on an integrated foundation in a compact format – combining just one month in Switzerland with an MBA degree, practical insights and direct access to business in Switzerland and Europe. Thanks to a special admission track, qualified professionals can also be admitted without a bachelor’s degree or high school diploma.
How the programme fits into your summer
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Eight modules within one month
All on-site modules take place in St. Gallen within one month between mid-July and mid-August.
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Mentoring & coaching
Every focus area comes with mentoring and coaching – for a direct transfer into your projects and your Master’s thesis.
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Master’s thesis alongside your job
In cooperation with a company or on a practice-relevant topic; the duration is agreed individually. Part of the 60 ECTS.
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Taught entirely in English
Lectures, case work and discussions are all held in English.
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Open Doors admission track
Qualified professionals can also be admitted without a bachelor’s degree or high school diploma.
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Boarding Service
An optional Boarding Service is available to support international participants with visa formalities and accommodation in St. Gallen.
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Programmes for companies
Can be tailored: contact us – we will adapt the programme to your organisation.
Key facts at a glance
All key facts about the Swiss International MBA Summer School – and the summer 2027 schedule.
- LocationSt. Gallen, Switzerland
- DurationOne month on site with mentoring & coaching, plus Master’s thesis
- LanguageEnglish
- PeriodMid-July to mid-August 2027; thesis phase agreed individually
- Programme typeMBA
- Target groupManagers, high-potential young professionals, founders, entrepreneurs
- AdmissionAlso possible without a bachelor’s degree via the Open Doors track
- InvestmentCHF 24,900 · plus 8.1% VAT
- AccreditationMBA · 60 ECTS in cooperation with Steinbeis University
- ServicesOptional Boarding Service (visa and accommodation)
- NetworkStGallen imt Alumni
Summer schedule
The eight modules of a summer follow one another in a fixed sequence; the Master’s thesis follows afterwards. Programmes for companies can be scheduled individually – contact us.
Summer 2027 · 19 July – 14 August 2027
| Dates | Module |
|---|---|
| 19–21 July 2027 | International Management |
| 22–24 July 2027 | Innovation & Future Businesses |
| 26–28 July 2027 | StGallen Integrated Management & Strategy |
| 29–31 July 2027 | Leadership Excellence |
| 2–4 August 2027 | Intelligent Marketing & Sales |
| 5–7 August 2027 | Intelligent Finance |
| 9–11 August 2027 | AI for Managers & Executives |
| 12–14 August 2027 | Process & Change Management |
| After the summer | Master’s thesis alongside your job, with mentoring – duration agreed individually |
Summer 2028 · 17 July – 12 August 2028
| Dates | Module |
|---|---|
| 17–19 July 2028 | International Management |
| 20–22 July 2028 | Innovation & Future Businesses |
| 24–26 July 2028 | StGallen Integrated Management & Strategy |
| 27–29 July 2028 | Leadership Excellence |
| 31 July – 2 August 2028 | Intelligent Marketing & Sales |
| 3–5 August 2028 | Intelligent Finance |
| 7–9 August 2028 | AI for Managers & Executives |
| 10–12 August 2028 | Process & Change Management |
| After the summer | Master’s thesis alongside your job, with mentoring – duration agreed individually |
Who will be in the room with you
The Swiss International MBA Summer School brings together ambitious participants from different countries, industries and functions.
Confidence in our expertise
Experiences from our network
Insights and perspectives from participants, lecturers and partners of the StGallen imt Business School.
The StGallen imt Business School was decisive for my path to the executive board. Practical impetus, strategic clarity and valuable perspectives gave me the best possible toolkit for leading a company successfully.
Inside the learning environment
Inspiring workshops, insights into companies such as Google and a unique educational setting in the St. Gallen Valley.
Your contacts
If you have any questions about the Swiss International MBA Summer School, we will be happy to help you personally.
Brief answers
How much does the Swiss International MBA Summer School cost?
The investment is CHF 24,900 plus 8.1% VAT. This includes all eight modules in St. Gallen with mentoring and coaching, the company excursions and the supervision of your Master’s thesis.
How long does the programme take?
The eight modules take place within just one month between mid-July and mid-August. You then write your Master’s thesis alongside your job; the duration is agreed individually. The degree carries 60 ECTS in cooperation with Steinbeis University.
Can I keep working while doing the MBA?
Yes. Only the summer modules require your presence in St. Gallen. The Master’s thesis is written alongside your professional work, accompanied by personal mentoring.
Who is the programme for?
For managers, high-potential young professionals, founders and entrepreneurs from around the world who want to earn an MBA in a compact format during the summer.
What are the admission requirements?
We will be happy to advise you personally on the admission requirements. With the Open Doors admission track, qualified professionals can also be admitted without a bachelor’s degree or high school diploma.
What language is the programme taught in?
All modules are taught entirely in English.
Do I need my own company for the Master’s thesis?
No. You can write your thesis in cooperation with your employer, with a company from the StGallen imt network, or on a practice-relevant management topic of your choice. In every case, you are supported by a personal mentor.
What are the company excursions?
During the summer, you visit selected Swiss companies – from global market leaders to hidden champions – and talk directly with their decision-makers.
Do you help with visas and accommodation?
Yes. An optional Boarding Service is available to support international participants with visa formalities and accommodation in St. Gallen.
How does the programme differ from the International Executive Summer School?
The International Executive Summer School comprises four modules in two weeks. The International MBA Summer School covers all eight modules, includes company excursions, mentoring and coaching as well as the Master’s thesis, and leads to an MBA with 60 ECTS.
Where does the programme take place?
In St. Gallen, Switzerland, with excursions to companies in the region and beyond.
Why St. Gallen?
St. Gallen lies in the Lake Constance region, where Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Liechtenstein meet. With its many internationally successful companies and hidden champions, it is an ideal gateway to business in Switzerland and Europe.
How do I apply?
Directly online via this page or by phone on +41 71 277 60 00. You can request the brochure with all dates and conditions in advance – free of charge and without obligation.
Download the brochure free of charge
Content, structure, dates and conditions in a compact overview. You will receive the PDF free of charge immediately after submitting the form.