'When our graduates apply for jobs, employers take notice'

This is a sponsored article, created by emlyon business school

At 153 years old, emlyon business school is among the oldest business schools in France. It was built by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs – and that entrepreneurial mindset is in its DNA. 

The French network of Grandes Ecoles – which includes emlyon business school – gathers together all the major engineering schools, business schools and military schools, and gives them a stamp of academic excellence. This adds significant value to emlyon business school’s graduates’ job applications. 

And students at emlyon business school are able to take advantage of the university’s enviable location, close to the Alps, close to the sea and close to Paris. The campus is right in the centre of Lyon, in a very safe area of the city.

The aim at emlyon business school is to disrupt students’ lives – to shake them up a bit. Students graduate from its courses, such as the Global BBA and the BSc in Data Science for Responsible Business, thinking differently. And they realise that the most important element in the classroom is them – the students – and their creativity.

Global BBA: tackling real-life business problems

The Global BBA aims to give students a balance of theoretical and practical knowledge. Students draw on a wide range of theoretical courses offered in order to tackle the practical challenges of their degree. 

Students also translate theory into practical projects with external businesses. They are treated as employees of the business, addressing real issues that the company is facing. This gives them experience of working in a team, developing the soft skills necessary to succeed in business. They are supported throughout by their tutors. 

The Global BBA also includes innovative elements. For example, students participate in an immersive experience in nature, to help them understand the nature of ecosystems. The aim is to demonstrate that everything in business – every decision made at every level – has consequences for the overall ecosystem. As future professionals, students need to bear that in mind.

The word “global” is integral to the Global BBA. The entire programme is taught in English, and students participate in two international experiences. These can take the form of an overseas internship – students undertake one internship a year, which staff help them to find. Alternatively, students can participate in an academic exchange at one of emlyon business school’s 150+ partner universities. 

BSc in Data Science for Responsible Business: using skills for good

The BSc in Data Science for Responsible Business runs in partnership with Ecole Centrale de Lyon, one of the top engineering schools in France. Because it’s taught in partnership with a engineering school, there is a hardcore component of maths and information to this programme. 

The BSc in Data Science is new – it’s three years old – and takes 100 students each year. Seventy per cent of students on this programme are international, and it’s taught entirely in English, across all four years. All students participate in a mandatory academic exchange, spending the first semester of their third year in South Korea. 

BSc in Data Science students follow one of two tracks: research or applied. Those pursuing the applied track work with a company for a year, using the long-term insider’s perspective this provides them with to tackle specific problems the business is facing. 

All BSc in Data Science students work for an NGO during their first year. The aim is that they will gain values and skills along the way, which they can then use for good – because putting good into the world and trying to change organisations for the better is the ultimate aim of the course. 

Students: the most important element in the classroom

Technology is very important at emlyon business school. But the most important element in the classroom is not the computers – it’s the students. AI and other tools can make students’ work easier – but they are only tools. What matters is whose hands the tools are put in. And human beings, unlike AI, have creativity, empathy and judgement. 

The goal at emlyon business school is to find young people who are willing to change the world. They should be sensitive, empathetic, open-minded, able to listen to what other people think and capable of considering the consequences of their actions. 

In summary, the Global BBA and BSc in Data Science for Responsible Business offer students practical opportunities to work with relevant companies, putting skills and knowledge to use the instant they are acquired. These skills are eminently transferrable – internationally as well as nationally – as the programmes’ international element emphasises. 

When emlyon business school graduates apply for jobs, employers take notice. And these two new degrees demonstrate that emlyon business school continues to develop and grow – so that graduates are equipped to tackle whatever challenges the future may bring.