An increasingly selective ranking

The Financial Times has just published its 2020 world rankings of the best Masters in Management, which is the international reference for Business Schools. This year again, the selection has been strengthened. Only the 90 best schools in the world managed to be ranked, compared to 100 in 2019. The French market is no exception to this increased selection. Only 21 French schools and universities appear in the ranking this year, compared to 25 last year.

“The methodology of this ranking is based mainly on the answers of alumni commutities, and in particular on three indicators related to remuneration, which correspond to 35% of the rating: salary, salary progression and return on investment. This methodology creates small differences between schools and allows for great mobility in the ranking from year to year. “explains Bruno Ducasse, Dean of MBS. In this sense, 20 schools have disappeared from the ranking this year.

MBS ranks 6th in France in terms of the employability of its graduates.

While MBS ranks 61st overall, it is on the key employability characteristic of its graduates that it is widening the gap. “We have an employability rate of 96%, mainly due to the professionalizing and inclusive lever of apprenticeship programs. This year, thanks to this good performance, we are ranked 6th in France and 24th in the world on this criterion. ” said Bruno Ducasse.

“The strong performance on employability proves the international recognition of MBS’ ambition, renewed during the presentation of its new brand platform: to embody the power of inclusion,” says André Deljarry, President of Montpellier Business School. MBS also ranks 6th in France (and 18th in the world) for the internationalization of its faculty.

Other indicators that are on the rise among MBS graduates are the average salary increasing by $1,000 and the “aims achieved”, which evaluates the extent to which graduates have managed to meet the expectations that motivated them to continue their Master’s studies at MBS.

To see the full ranking, click here.

In line with the announcement of its new strategic plan, Montpellier Business School is renewing its visual identity in order to embody the broad outlines of the ambitions that will carry it through to 2025.

Training to transform. We prepare future decision-makers committed to a responsible world, driven by an ethic of global performance, aware of the social, societal and environmental impacts of their decisions on the world.

To embody the power of inclusion. Because we are convinced that inclusion is a lever for performance and collective transformation for businesses and the economic world, we want to be among the world’s leading schools of thought on the inclusion of all diversities.        

MBS has set up an exceptional protocol for the care of students to deal with the health crisis:

1. You are symptomatic MBS student:

Symptomatic means: fever and/or cough, difficulty breathing, talking or swallowing, loss of taste and/or smell
– Report his/her status immediately to its Study Program (generic Email address)
– Ask medical attention as soon as possible (teleconsultation recommended)
– Get tested as soon as possible (PCR test)
– Isolate immediately himself/herself at home while waiting for the results
– Transmission of results to the COVID student referent :infocoronavirus@montpellier-bs.com to get authorization to reintegrate courses
– Justified absence from the date of the report to the presentation of the proof of non-contagion

2. You are asymptomatic but tested positive:

– Report his/her status immediately to its Study Program (generic Email address)
– Ask medical attention as soon as possible (teleconsultation recommended)
– Get tested as soon as possible (PCR test)
– Isolate immediately himself/herself at home while waiting for the results
– Transmission of results to the COVID student referent :infocoronavirus@montpellier-bs.com to get authorization to reintegrate courses
– Justified absence from the date of the report to the presentation of the proof of non-contagion

3. You are identified as a contact case* in your student, family or private sphere and tested positive:

Same protocol as above for asymptomatic student tested positive (section 2)

MBS appoints a COVID Referent for Students:

→ Negative result: : Reintegration of the student upon transmission of the test results to the dedicated email address

→ Positive result: The COVID student referent establishes a list of MBS people with whom the positive student feels they have been in close contact* during the 7 days prior to the onset of symptoms.

-The referent keeps up to date the information on each declared student case (Date, Program, Promotion, UB).
– takes note of departures and validates returns to campus.
– informs the MBS institutional contacts (collaborators, teachers, providers) designated by the positive student
– informs the positive student of the steps to be taken (CPAM, respect for sanitary gestures, precautions to be observed with family and private entourage, etc).
-informs the official authorities (Health centers, ARS, Rectorate) according to the modalities and expected data

* close contact – official definition:
• Direct contact within 1 m face-to-face and no mask for any length of time
• Sharing a confined space for at least 15 minutes without wearing a mask (vehicle for example)
• Physical contact (kissing, caring, etc..)

Testing sites in Montpellier

With nearly 200 project leaders registered over the past academic year, the MBS incubator supports students and graduates at every stage of the creation process, starting with a simple idea and leading up to fundraising. For the new academic year 2020, the Entrepreneurship Center team of Dr. Annabelle Jaouen provides students and graduates with new tools to enhance the quality of this personalized support.

This platform is open to the entire MBS community to help share experiences and spark new entrepreneurial adventures.

From the end of September, all MBS students will have access to training modules on the Moodle platform for a tailor-made support in their first steps as entrepreneurs. “These modules are independent of their academic curriculum and are neither mandatory nor evaluated. The objective is to provide all students with tools, experience sharing, and answers to questions that their already incubated peers have asked themselves before them,” explains Cécile Dauche, Head of the MBS incubator.

On the program: a series of podcasts to demystify the business creation process, stimulate creativity and open the entrepreneurial path to those who would be reluctant to enter the incubator.

Fighting against the entrepreneur’s “loneliness”

To ensure long-term, individualized support, the incubator calls on a dozen coaches with strong expertise in the field, who adapt to the pace of the project owner. In addition to this, special training sessions are organized around the specific needs of the entrepreneurs being incubated.

“One of the problems that young entrepreneurs very often encounter is loneliness. To fight against this and to encourage the exchange of best practices between business creators, we are going to set up a Slack for MBS incubates, so that they can have a collaborative tool for work and exchanges”, adds Cécile Dauche.

The double support with Pépite-LR, our long-time partner

A long-time partner of MBS, Pépite-LR offers each year the opportunity to incubated companies with the national status of Student-Entrepreneur to participate in training workshops and the Prix Pépite, a real financial boost for young entrepreneurs.

“This year, the incubator will give four of its students the opportunity to obtain the Student-Entrepreneur Diploma (D2E) and will pay for their training. “explains Annabelle Jaouen, Director of the MBS Entrepreneurship Center. Open to students with the National Student-Entrepreneur Status, this diploma reinforces the value and credibility of the entrepreneurial experience of students in preparation for possible fundraising.

To contact or join the MBS incubator: ec@montpellier-bs.com / Cécile DAUCHE c.dauche@Montpellier-BS.com

Any questions about the National Student-Entrepreneur Status? A series of Webinars are held throughout September. Please click here to participate in a session.

Stanley joined the Grande Ecole Programme. Originally from Ghana, he is the new laureate of the International Excellence Scholarships of the MBS Foundation.

Since 2012, 18 students from Syria, Haiti, Colombia, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Myanmar, Dominican Republic, Vietnam, Mali, Venezuela, Bangladesh, Peru have been able to come and complete the last two years of the Grande Ecole Program at MBS.

Through corporate donations, The MBS Foundation covers the tuition fees of the laureates and finances living expenses.

Tell us more about you.

“I am a Ghanaian, a fellow of the African Young Leaders Fellowship Program, a former Students Representative Council (S.R.C) President of the University of Ghana Distance School, a former facilitator of the Distance Education Students Entrepreneurship challenge and the President of the International Intercessory Group which is a Christian Leadership and Prayer network.

What is your current project ?

I currently run free home tuition for poor and needy children who don’t have the resources to join online tuition being offered by schools due to COVID-19 leading to school closure.

What are your passions ?

With my past and present experience in leadership, i am passionate about raising young and morally approved leaders with integrity to drive innovation, entrepreneurship, and development both in urban and rural centres in Ghana, Africa and the world at large.

What do you expect from your MBS journey ?

I believe that being enrolled at MBS is a great opportunity to launch me into my vision of making impact within my small world. I expect that by the end of my studies, i will able to influence my world with the knowledge and skills acquired either by working for a corporate institution or establish my own business. Also, to further to become a lecturer to teach what i have acquired in the past years.”

The MBS 2025 Strategic Plan reflects the School’s ambition to actively participate in building an open, responsible and sustainable economy and society. One of the objectives of the courses is to make students aware throughout their studies of the economic, social, societal and environmental impact of their individual and collective choices. It is in line with this mission that Montpellier Business School is proud to be a partner and host the Sustainable Development Meetings.

Meetings will be broadcasted live

Organised from 22 to 29 September, under the high patronage of Mr Emmanuel Macron, President of the Republic, these Meetings will be an opportunity for citizens to debate with all decision-makers and experts on ecological and solidarity transition. By placing the three pillars of sustainable development – environmental, social and economic issues – at the heart of the debate, the Open Diplomacy Institute, which is initiating this project, intends to advance the debate on this urgent and important topic.

7 dates and 7 different subjects:

• September 22 – Transforming Capitalism 
• September 23 – Sharing the Earth 
• September 24 – Access to well-being 
• September 25 – Acting on Time 
• September 26 – Building a Europe of ecology 
• September 28 – Recycling the economy 
• September 29 – Conducting a Just Transition 

See you on September 22nd at MBS for the day on the theme: “Transforming Capitalism”.

The starting point of the Sustainable Development Meetings will be online :

• Opening conference : 9:15 am to 9:35 am
• Keynote | 9h35 to 9h50
• Roundtable discussion | 10am to 11:30am | Transforming Capitalism, transforming our companies
• Masterclass | 11:45 am to 12:30 pm
• Roundtable discussion | 2:00 to 3:15 pm | Transforming Capitalism, Let’s Use Public Power
• Masterclass | 3:30pm to 4:15pm
• Roundtable discussion | 4:30pm to 6pm | Transforming Capitalism, Transforming Finance
• Keynote | 18h to 18h15
• Closing conference | 6:15 pm to 7 pm

For more information, the official website of the Sustainable Development Meetings is available here :

Many students have asked about the modalities of the new 2020 academic year that the health situation forced MBS to consider differently than previous years. Many of them have expressed their wish to attend face-to-face classes in order to keep interactions with professors and other students. MBS understands their will and try to make every effort to give to them the best possible experience.

However, the respect for safety gestures remains more essential than ever and MBS cannot welcome all of its students, because it would gather too many people on campus, during and out of classes.

A new academic year adapted to the profile and needs of each student

However, the relief in progress by the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, of the instruction of distancing subject to the wearing of the mask during the courses, allows MBS to consider to welcome as of the upcoming intake :
– the students of Bachelor Programme (1st year) BL1
– the students of Bachelor Programme (2nd year) BL2,
– the students of Grande Ecole Programme (1st year), PGE1,
– the students of Grande Ecole Programme (2nd year) in continuous education, PGE2C (except students from international admissions).

The students in the 3rd year of Bachelor Programme will take e-learning classes in September and October before being welcomed on campus starting in November.

The students of Grande Ecole Programme (2nd year) (except the apprentices) from the International Competitions will take the courses of the first semester in distance and will be welcomed on campus from January 2021.

Apprentices of PGE2A and PGE3A will take e-learning classes of the first semester and will be welcomed on campus from January 2021.

The start of the new academic year of the students of Grande Ecole Programme (3rd year) (except the apprentices) and MSc students is postponed to November. These students will take e-learning classes until the end of 2020 and will be welcomed on campus from January 2021.

All operational terms and conditions, including access to the campus and cafeteria, will be provided to you later, before the start of the academic year.

Events that traditionally bring together large groups, such as the integration weekend, are postponed to a later date that remains to be specified.

Different dates depending on your program to preserve everyone’s health 

• BL1: on campus
  • English-speaking Programme : 09/16 afternoon; with online animation for students from the international admissions only
  • French-speaking Programme : 09/15 morning
• BL2: on campus
  • English-speaking Programme : 09/07 morning; with online animation for students from the international admissions only
  • French-speaking Programme : 09/07 afternoon
• BL3 C: 09/08 in the afternoon and 11/02 on campus
• BL3 A: 09/04 afternoon remotely, 11/02 on campus
• PGE1C: 09/21 on campus
• PGE1A: 08/31 on campus
• PGE2C: 09/17 on campus
• PGE2C International: 09/17 remotely, 01/04 January on campus
• PGE2A: 09/14 remotely, January on campus
• PGE3C: Week of 11/02 remotely, January on Campus
• PGE3A: 09/01 remotely, January on campus
• MSc: Week of 11/02 remotely, 01/11 on campus

A collective to implement immediate measures to address the climate crisis

Because it is crucial to take immediate action to address the current climate crisis, Dr. Helen Etchanchu, Lecturer-Researcher at Montpellier Business School, co-founded OS4future, a collective of researchers in management sciences that aims to transform research behaviours and organisations to achieve the goals of the Paris Accord.

It aims to create new initiatives among researchers, business and political leaders, students and citizens in order to act now to reduce the consequences on the environment. “It is our role as researchers in the social sciences to support and help companies and organisations change their behaviour and re-imagine the way they operate“, explains Dr. Helen Etchanchu.

4 founding values

For this purpose, OS4future bases its actions on four axes: research, teaching, consulting to organisations and exemplary behaviour. “OS4future focuses on climate action and covers all the main functions of the company. We integrate the results of climate research into our teaching and prepare students to lead change and make smart decisions in their individual and organisational roles“, says Dr. Etchanchu.

However, OS4future’s actions aim to go beyond the world of research and teaching. “We all work with business, political or social organisations and our actions should not be limited to just one of these fields“, says Dr. Etchanchu. “Our actions in the professional and private spheres will have a greater impact if they are consistent with what we teach“, she adds.

A call for action from the scientific community

The project was born from the desire to travel differently to limit our carbon footprint. “Last year, one of Europe’s largest management research conferences, EGOS, was held in Edinburgh. We took up the challenge of “EGOS by train”, in order to avoid having to travel by plane as we are all on the same continent”.

Limit your carbon footprint, set up a zero-waste routine, travel differently, and promote video conferences: OS4future seeks to show organisations through the exemplarity of the scientific community that it is possible. “We cannot remain credible and teach the impacts of climate change if we ourselves are not exemplary in our daily actions” says Dr. Helen Etchanchu.

Finally, we also have to rethink the role of the scientist in our society. “In the post-truth era, scientific methodology is a guarantee of trust. The scientific community must better share its knowledge and come out of its ivory tower to assist our organisations and society in social progress. Economic and political decision-makers need to be receptive to our expertise“, concludes Dr. Helen Etchanchu.

To learn more, read the full article (in French): Face aux crises, l’avènement du chercheur-militant.

The result of the mobilisation of all MBS stakeholders

In a world in transition and in the face of increasingly complex and fluctuating economic, social and ecological environments, MBS has chosen to build on its convictions to implement a new strategic plan up to 2025. “This plan is organized around 4 main axes, each built with the collaboration of all the school’s stakeholders: teacher-researchers, students, alumni, employees from all departments, governance and corporate partners“, says André Deljarry, President of Montpellier Business School.

MBS wishes to continue and strengthen the promotion of its values of openness and inclusiveness.

As a pioneer in the field of social openness, MBS intends to reaffirm its differentiating commitment to serving the general interest through action. “The school is aiming for a campus of 5,000 students, 30% of whom are international and 35% from modest SPCs, by 2025“, explains Bruno Ducasse, Managing Director of MBS.

The school is committed to a rational development plan. The sustainable growth of its workforce will be driven by the launch of new programs on the themes of the digital and ecological transition together with the development of postgraduate (after the French baccalaureate) activities in France and abroad.

To embody its difference, the school will structure its CSR expertise around a new area of excellence called “BEST”

Today, nearly 25% of MBS research publications include CSR-related issues and MBS is also one of the Grandes Ecoles with the highest number of teaching hours on this topic. “Our objective is now to structure our expertise around a high-level field”, says Bruno Ducasse.

The Programs and Faculty Departments are planning to integrate a new “BEST” (Business Environmental & Social Transition) course of excellence to train women and men who wish to take on an ambassadorial role in the environmental and social transformation of companies and organizations. New modules and certifications will accompany this new area of expertise to give students the keys to “managing diversity”.

Increasing its footprint locally and internationally

By 2025, MBS will continue to internationalise its programmes, research and recruitment, with a consolidated presence on three continents (Africa, Asia and America).

At the same time, Montpellier Business School will also strengthen its links with regional companies to develop its support in terms of training and consulting. “The aim is to increase the local influence of the school, which will benefit from a new 20,000 m² eco-campus by 2023”, Bruno Ducasse adds.

Measuring its impact to adopt a responsible and agile stance

In order to remain concrete and adopt an agile stance, MBS will put in place instruments to measure the impact of its strategy on the lives of its students and the evolution of the society they live in.

“The objective is to be able to measure the societal impact of higher education with the establishment of the first observatory of diversities”, reveals Bruno Ducasse. MBS will set up the RIX index (Responsibility Index) to support the local SMEs & ETIs in their social and environmental transformation.

A prestigious international ranking of research in 54 different fields

Every year, Shanghai Jiao Tong University publishes a thematic ranking that measures, by academic specialties, the research performance of higher education institutions around the world.
This ranking assesses five major sectors (natural sciences, engineering sciences, life sciences, medical sciences and social sciences) broken down into 54 different fields.
This demanding and prestigious ranking takes into account the publications of researchers, as well as the rankings of the scientific journals in which they appear, but also the awards or prizes obtained by the institution’s researchers.

Montpellier Business School is ranked in 3 of the rankings

While the majority of the rankings are still dominated by American universities, appearing in these rankings is a guarantee of international quality for the research of the institution. This year, Montpellier Business School’s research is ranked in three disciplines:

•  Economics: tied for 151st position worldwide, tied for 6th position nationally.
•  Management: tied for 400th position worldwide, tied for 19th position nationally
•  Business Administration: Tied for 301st position worldwide, tied for 12th nationally

To discover the whole ranking by theme, click here.