The Nov 2008 intake of the International MBA included a number of major developments in the structure and curriculum of the program.
Program aim:
Forming change agents. The new International MBA curriculum puts change and change management front and center. Organizations, markets, and societies are changing at an ever-more rapid pace. To stay ahead, companies will have to constantly reinvent themselves. For this they need leaders capable of identifying major drivers of change, gauging the potential impact of change, and formulating and implementing adaptive strategies of change. Building on IE Business School’s existing strengths in entrepreneurship and innovation, change management, diversity and leadership, the new International MBA program strives to form change agents for the private, public, and non-profit sectors.
New Program features at a glance:
 LAUNCH. The program begins with a two-week intensive program on Leadership, Cross-Cultural Awareness, Understanding, Networking, Communication and Humanities that develops participants personal skills and perspectives through hands on workshop and out-of-class learning experiences. Developing skills in the areas of critical thinking, team work, communication, and creativity are the main objectives. To achieve this, IE relies on a combination of in-house experts as well as leading external consultants and providers, including trainers from Shakespeare’s Globe, the famous theatre in London, who will work with students on communication skills, and the Architectural Association School of Architecture, who will lead a workshop on design. The module will also develop skills in career planning and -management, as well as the art of networking.
 Humanities. Management is about people. Bringing the humanities into the MBA curriculum helps to ground the study of management and puts it in perspective. During the LAUNCH module, participants will study the grand civilizations to better appreciate differences between regions of the world and explore pertinent issues of contemporary society. Topics include the History of Modern Spain, the Arab World, Indian and Chinese civilizations, New Technologies, Contemporary Culture, and the Challenge of Global Warming.
 Making Change Happen. Between the first and second core periods, participants in the program will be led through a multidisciplinary discussion of a case of radical industry change by a team of IE’s leading professors. Each session takes a different approach – strategic, organizational, financial, cultural, personal – and slowly a full picture of the complexity of change management and change leadership emerges.
 Change in Action. Between the second and third core periods, participants explore – through a series of presentations from outside experts and case discussion facilitated by IE faculty – the challenges and opportunities of discontinuous change. Topics will vary each year. Examples include climate change, demographic change, nanotechnology, or the rise of user-generated media. Exercises will strengthen participants’ ability to gauge the impact of change and to identify new opportunities offered by change. The topic for 2008-09 is energy, with a simultaneous focus on affordability, sustainability, and security.
 Short study abroad. In additional to term-long, conventional student exchanges, the program will offer participants the opportunity to study an intensive, one-week module at one of our select partner schools. Participants can study trends in U.S. financial markets at Tuck, for example, or learn about luxury brand management at ESSEC. Those with an interest in automotive management can learn from leading thinkers at HHL Leipzig. Each partner is the leader in its respective field and each program will include company visits.
 Two languages. The International MBA will be offered in both English and Spanish. Participants can either study the program entirely in one language, or mix and match courses and other program components in English and Spanish as the program progresses. To support participants’ development of additional language skills, IE offers courses in Business Spanish for speakers new to the language and Advanced Business English for those initially pursuing the program in Spanish who would like to brush up on their English.
 Two intakes. In addition to the existing November intake for the 13-month International MBA, there will be a second intake in April of each year. Students will graduate in either December or May.