MBA Executive Leadership Module

To enroll in the MBA Executive Leadership modules, you must first pass the MAS in Business Administration program (and complete your Master’s thesis). The MBA Executive Leadership modules form part of the MBA program that trains participants to become competent managers. A clear focus on strategic, financial, international, and crisis management, in addition to the AACSB accreditation of the ZHAW School of Management and Law, give this MBA its unique profile.

Objectives and content

Enquiries and contact

Downloads and brochure

At a glance

Qualification: Master of Business Administration ZHAW (90 ECTS)

Start: on request

Duration: approx. three years, more details about the implementation

Costs: CHF 16'000.00

Comment on costs:

No reduction will be granted in case of intermittent online instruction.
The program fee of CHF 16,000 are divided into 3 semester invoices.

Location: ZHAW School of Management and Law / Campus St.-Georgen-Platz, 8401 Winterthur

Language of instruction: German

Objectives and content

Target audience

The MBA Executive Leadership modules are aimed at:

Individuals who have passed the MAS in Business Administration program,
Managers responsible for the overall direction of a company or division,
Professionals involved in the development, analysis, and optimization of business models and processes, and
Anyone with a leadership role in a staff or support unit.

Objectives

The MBA Executive Leadership modules enable participants to:

prepare for a senior management position,
master complex financial, strategic, and international challenges,
develop the knowledge they acquire further by working on various practical cases and their own business case.

For students with a business degree (MAS BA) from another university, the transfer of credits may be possible.

Content

Strategic and innovative thinking, decision-making, flexibility, empathy, and authentic leadership are important managerial skills. Leaders are neither entirely born with their abilities, nor can they learn them from a textbook. What distinguishes modern leaders in today’s complex business world is an amalgamation of what you bring to the table as an individual, the tools and methods we can show you, and the valuable lessons you learn at work or while enrolled in our program. Our MBA program helps executives on their career path.

Core Subjects of the Executive Leadership Modules (30 ECTS credits):

The Executive Leadership modules help you consolidate what you have learned and focus on the topic of “leadership”.

Leadership and management (including boot camp, practical management, and ethics)
Strategic leadership (including strategic foresight, stakeholder management, and corporate governance)
Financial leadership (including financial leadership from a top management and a board perspective, steering management, and risk management)
International leadership (including leadership clinic and intercultural communication)
Crisis management (leadership simulation week with a crisis management scenario)

Methodology

The program to become a Master of Business Administration is characterized by methodological diversity. In addition to traditional teaching methods, lectures, presentations, exercises, case studies, and working on practical case studies, great importance is attached to the practical transfer of the knowledge and skills acquired.

More details about the implementation

Classes in the basic modules are usually held on Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings. In the advanced modules, classes are held all day on Friday and Saturday. In addition, there are external seminars and individual extended teaching blocks.

Many of our participants, as mothers or fathers with young children, face the challenge of balancing family and career.
MBA ELM & Family – We're here to support you!

The next course is scheduled to start in mid/end October 2025 (the dates have not yet been finalised) and is already fully booked.
Registration on a waiting list is possible.

“In this practically oriented and wide-ranging MBA, I developed a diverse skill set which allowed me to take on management duties. It really boosted my career.”

Petra Roth, Head Sustainability / Senior Consultant Corporate Development, Thurgauer Kantonalbank

Enquiries and contact

Application

Admission requirements

To be admitted to the program, applicants must meet the following requirements:

They must have graduated from a university or university of applied sciences and have at least five years of professional experience (no major interruptions and a workload of at least 60% (i.e., four days a week)).
Professionals without a university degree must have at least five years of professional experience (no major interruptions and a workload of at least 60% (4 days a week)) and corresponding continuing education certificates (e.g., from a college of higher education and training (höhere Fachschule) or the examination for the advanced federal diploma of higher education (höhere Fachprüfung mit eidg. Fachausweis/Diplom)).
Leadership experience: at least four years as a line manager. Individuals with as little as two years of management experience may be admitted if they currently hold a line manager position. In exceptional cases, applicants with a project management position may also be accepted.
Minimum age: 26 years

The ultimate decision concerning admission lies with the Head of Program.

Information for applicants

Applications will be considered in the order in which they are received.

Please note:
In addition to the official registration (see link below), we require mandatory proof of your previous and ongoing leadership experience, which can be uploaded via the following link:
https://www.zhaw.ch/de/sml/weiterbildung/fuehrungsnachweis-mba