Maastricht School of Management eyeing Malta as educational centre

Top representatives from the renowned Maastricht School of Management were in Malta late last week in order to further consolidate the school’s educational programmes and to discuss the potential of using Malta as a base for its upcoming Euro-Med MBA programme.

While the MSM already runs 65 business education and outreach programs in some 30 countries, the school has initiated plans with the Malta Institute of Management to develop a new regional MBA program for the Euro-Mediterranean area. Within this scope, MSM views Malta as an ideal platform from which to expand its Euro-Mediterranean region, especially to the developing countries of North Africa, and others in the south of Europe.

Representing MSM at local high level meetings were Dr Rene Van der Linden - President of the Board and a Dutch senator - and Mr Leo Delcroix - MSM Managing Director and a former Belgian Minister of Defence.

Speaking to The Malta Financial and Business Times last week, Dr Van der Linden, who is also President of the European People’s Party Group within the Council of Europe, explained that Malta is ideally placed to serve as a bridge between Europe and North Africa. He adds that he is enthusiastic about making Malta, through its special and long-established relationship with the Malta Institute of Management, its base for the forthcoming Euro-Med MBA programme.

The new programme will prime students for the new global business world, with its cross-cultural approach, while training in the new and emerging means of carrying out business. The MSM is also preparing an extensive e-learning network and has not excluded Malta as a centre for that project as well, and, in fact, has already engaged in talks with a local IT company.

During their stay, the MSM and MIM representatives held successful meetings within this scope with Education Minister Louis Galea, the Prime Minister and the President of the Republic.

Speaking on MSM’s initiative, Minister Galea explains that he has always been in favour of such initiatives, while expressing his agreement that Malta is ideally placed to serve as a regional hub for the administration of educational programmes.

Dr Galea adds that the Education Ministry is willing to consider collaborating with the MSM in the project and in contributing toward its implementation and success.

As over 2,000 students graduate from the Maastricht School of Management each year, the opportunities for developing inter-alumni synergies is astounding. Graduates from the school regularly find that they have generated many business opportunities and spin-offs through synergies developed with students from different countries.

In order to read for an MBA at the school, one must have at least two years of working experience, as the school prides itself on its hands-on approach. While by no means negating the importance of theory, the school provides a good deal of practical experience to its students. As part of this philosophy, it regularly engages tutors straight from the field.

The school is self-sufficient in that it generates some 80 per cent of its revenue from students, while the remaining amount is derived from subsidies from the Dutch Government.

The school is one of the most accredited in the world, with accreditations ranging from the US, to Holland and throughout the EU. The school is also highly active in China, with well over 1,000 MBA students in this country alone.