Skip to content

Studies & Degrees in Leadership in International Management

Leadership in international management combines two things: the management of organisations that work in several countries, and the personal skills needed to lead people in them. Students look at strategy, finance, marketing and operations from the point of view of a company with customers, suppliers and staff in different markets. They also train the skills of a manager: communication, negotiation, motivating and developing a team, decision-making and leading change, often across cultures and languages.

It is rarely the title of a full degree. Most people meet the subject as an MBA or a master's in international management, as a leadership course inside a business degree, or as a short executive programme taken while working.

Qualifications and levels

  • Within a bachelor's degree. Business degrees usually include leadership modules. The Bachelor of Business Administration of the Swiss School of Management, which has a campus in Rome, includes a course called Leadership, Motivation, & Group Dynamics.
  • MBA and master's programmes. In Spain, official bachelor's degrees (grados) have 240 ECTS credits and master's degrees 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits. EAE Business School describes its International MBA in Barcelona as designed to train leaders able to manage organisations in a globalised world: 60 ECTS credits, full time, in English, with the next intake in October 2026. According to the school it leads to two qualifications, EAE's own Máster de Formación Permanente (título propio) and an official Máster Universitario en Administración y Dirección de Empresas from the Universitat de Lleida. EAE's Global MBA is a hybrid programme of 60 ECTS credits in Spanish; the Madrid edition lasts 12 months. The Swiss School of Management lists a 1-year MBA of 60 ECTS credits and an Executive MBA for people who already have a career.
  • Online programmes. Cerem - Escuela Internacional de Negocios, a Madrid business school active since 1977, teaches mainly online. Its MBA with a specialisation in Project Management lasts about 14 months and has 72 ECTS credits. Cerem states that the Máster de Formación Permanente titles issued with its partner universities in Spain are títulos propios, that is, not official degrees.
  • Executive education. Short programmes address managers in work. The Programa de Despliegue de Liderazgo of IDDI, the executive education unit of the Universidad Francisco de Vitoria, is aimed at executives and middle managers with teams in their charge. It is taught in person on the university campus in 5 modules with a total of 87 hours, at a listed price of €6,750 for the 2026 edition.
  • Preparation. Students who need to improve their English first can take a language programme; ASU Global Launch at Arizona State University, for example, teaches English to international students.

Because many programmes in this field are a school's own qualification, ask each school what recognition its certificate or degree has, both in the country where it is awarded and at home.

Where to study

SpainExchange lists 7 active schools for leadership in international management. Four are in Spain, and the United States, Italy and the United Kingdom have one each.

The Spanish schools are EAE Business School and UIBS / Barcelona Business School in Barcelona, Cerem - Escuela Internacional de Negocios in Madrid and IDDI in Pozuelo de Alarcón, near Madrid. Outside Spain the directory includes the Rome campus of the Swiss School of Management, Oxford Scholastica Academy in Oxford and the Arizona State University programme in Tempe.

Programmes are taught in English, in Spanish or in both. EAE offers its International MBA in English and its Global MBA in Spanish, and the programmes of IDDI and Cerem are in Spanish.

Careers

This is a subject for people who want to move into management: team leader, department or country manager, project manager, consultant, and later general management. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics describes top executives as people who plan strategies and policies to ensure that an organisation meets its goals. It notes that they typically need at least a bachelor's degree and considerable work experience, and gives 5 years or more as the usual experience in a related occupation.

The same source projects overall employment of top executives in the United States to grow 5 percent from 2025 to 2035. A leadership qualification does not replace that experience; it is normally taken alongside or after some years of work.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need work experience to study leadership in international management?

For executive programmes and Executive MBAs, yes: they are designed for people who already manage teams or have a career. Full-time MBAs and master's programmes set their own requirements, so check with each school.

How long do these programmes take?

From a few days to more than a year. The IDDI leadership programme has 87 hours in 5 modules, EAE's International MBA has 60 ECTS credits, and Cerem's online MBA with a specialisation in Project Management lasts about 14 months.

Is an MBA an official degree in Spain?

It depends on the programme. Some lead to an official Máster Universitario, others to a school's own qualification, and some to both. Ask the school which qualification you will receive.

In which language are the programmes taught?

In English, Spanish or both, depending on the school. EAE, for example, teaches its International MBA in English and its Global MBA in Spanish.