Joining Forces, Even When Competing

When a student turns down an acceptance offer from the MA in Banking and Finance program at the University of St. Gallen, the Swiss university follows up with them to ask where they have chosen to study instead — and Bocconi is usually one of the responses. “We therefore consider Bocconi serious, yet friendly competition,” says Zeno Adams, Executive Director of the program. 

This provides an interesting perspective on Double Degree programs: the same universities collaborating to educate students are also rivals when it comes to attracting them. The schools know one another’s strengths, compete in the international higher education market, and proceed to develop a program together using that information. The following interviews with the program directors of three partner institutions — St. Gallen, Grenoble École de Management and WU Vienna — offer a view of Bocconi’s programs from the other side of the partnership.

Similarities that make the partnership possible

Students recognize Bocconi’s “rigorous curriculum, excellent job placements, and the opportunity to study in Milan,” as Adams shares. The resemblance to St. Gallen is also what makes the school so attractive; in fact, students seem to observe similar characteristics between the two universities. The only difference, however, is their geographic location — Zurich for the Swiss institution, and Milan and London for Bocconi.

This affinity provides a foundation on which to build when it comes to the Double Degree program linking St. Gallen’s Master in Banking and Finance program with Bocconi’s MSc in Finance. Students can deepen their knowledge about their own disciplinary areas in two academically demanding environments while gaining exposure to various professional settings. The partnership thus also stems from an ability to recognize the value that a competitor can offer.

Programs built on complementary strengths

The reasons for collaborating differ depending on the program in question. Grenoble École de Management links its own MSc in Finance and Investment Banking with Bocconi’s MSc in Accounting and Financial Management, while WU Vienna’s MSc in Strategy, Innovation and Management Control partners with Bocconi programs in management and innovation.

These pairings show how academic programs are developed: by identifying similarities that ensure a consistent course of study, and differences capable of enriching it. For Werner H. Hoffmann, Director of WU Vienna’s MSc, the quantitative skills acquired at Bocconi are also clearly reflected in students’ theses. Their independent research and analysis thus reveal what studying in a second academic environment has added to their education.

Safwan Mchawrab, Associate Program Director of Grenoble’s MSc, highlights students’ exposure to different expectations, assessments and ways of working. He notes that, in some cases, students discover an educational approach that broadens how they analyze problems and complements what they have learned at their home university.

What is noted when students return 

For program directors, the value of a partnership can also be gauged by observing students after their experience abroad. Mchawrab explains that many of them return “visibly more mature and confident”, a transformation that is noticeable even in the way they approach their studies, interviews and first career steps.

“Being able to navigate two academically demanding environments gives them a sense of confidence," he continues. Having to meet different requirements, stay on top of the work, and carve out a space for oneself in a new community all become part of the learning experience. For the partner universities, these changes serve as an indicator for the quality of the program they have successfully developed together.

The universities’ responsibility 

Finally, the partnership represents something that goes beyond individual programs. In a political climate that increasingly favors national interests, as Hoffmann so succinctly puts it, “universities are particularly responsible for fostering an international mindset and advancing the values of multilateralism.”

Double Degree programs put this responsibility into practice: courses that are jointly agreed, students that are welcomed, and academic achievements that are recognized by each institution. Even among universities competing for the same candidates, the decision to educate students together remains a shared investment.