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Studies & Degrees in Strategic Management

Strategic management is the study of how an organisation sets its long-term goals and decides how to reach them. It asks in which markets a company should compete, how it can do better than its rivals, and how people, money and other resources should be allocated. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) describes the work of top executives in the same terms: they plan strategies and policies to ensure that an organisation meets its goals.

Students learn to analyse an industry and its competitors, to assess a company's resources, to choose between growth options such as new products, new countries or acquisitions, and to turn a plan into budgets and measurable objectives. Teaching relies heavily on case studies, business simulations and consulting projects. Related topics include corporate governance, internationalisation, innovation and change management.

Qualifications and levels

  • Within a bachelor's degree. Strategic management is rarely a full undergraduate degree. It is usually a compulsory course or a specialisation in a degree in business administration or management. A Spanish bachelor's degree (grado) has 240 ECTS credits.
  • Master's degree and MBA. Strategy is a core subject in MBA programmes and the main subject of specialised master's programmes. In Spain an official master's degree (máster universitario) has 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits. Fundación Universitaria Iberoamericana (FUNIBER), for example, offers a Maestría en Dirección Estratégica of 90 credits that takes between 12 and 24 months, depending on the student's dedication. It is taught in a virtual learning environment. Its parts include business administration, human resources, strategy, and the internationalisation and globalisation of business, followed by a final project. The qualification is issued by the university where the student enrols, so ask which university that is and what recognition the qualification has.
  • Executive education. Business schools offer short programmes for managers. In October 2026 ESCP Business School lists 21 executive education programmes in strategy. They range from 5 days or less to 18 months or more, are taught in English, French or Spanish, and take place at its campuses in Berlin, London, Madrid, Paris and Turin or online.
  • Online certificates. Harvard Business School Online offers individual courses in strategy. A student who takes one course earns a Certificate of Completion, and one who completes three courses in the subject earns a Certificate of Specialization. These are certificates, not degrees.

Spanish universities and business schools also award their own lifelong-learning qualifications, such as the Máster de Formación Permanente. The law requires them to be clearly distinguished from official degrees. If a programme page does not say which kind of qualification it awards, ask the school.

Where to study it

This directory lists 40 active schools that teach strategic management. Spain has 19, the United States 6, the United Kingdom 5 and Italy 2. Germany, Brazil, South Korea, Australia, Ireland, France, Russia and Slovenia have 1 each.

In Spain the listed schools include IESE Business School in Barcelona and Madrid, EAE Business School and FUNIBER in Barcelona, Universidad Camilo José Cela in the Madrid region, ADEIT - Fundación Universidad - Empresa de la Universitat de València and Escuela de Negocios Cámara Valencia. ESCP Business School appears with its campuses in London, Paris, Berlin and Turin. In the United States the list includes Harvard University, eCornell, Saint Louis University and Ashland University. Other listed schools are Manchester Metropolitan University in the United Kingdom, the University of Wollongong in Australia, KDI School of Public Policy and Management in Seoul and FAAP in São Paulo.

The language of instruction depends on the school. International business schools usually teach in English, and Spanish schools also teach in Spanish. ESCP's executive programmes in strategy are offered in English, French or Spanish.

Careers

Strategic management is not an entry-level job. Graduates usually start in a functional area or in consulting, as analysts in strategy, planning or business development, and move into general management with experience. The BLS notes that top executives typically need at least a bachelor's degree and considerable work experience, and that executives of large corporations may have an MBA.

For context, the BLS counted 3,890,600 jobs for top executives in the United States in 2025. It projects employment to grow 5 percent from 2025 to 2035, with about 304,100 openings each year. Management analysts, who recommend ways to improve an organisation's efficiency, held 1,077,100 jobs in 2025. The BLS projects 10 percent growth from 2025 to 2035 for this group, with about 94,100 openings each year. These figures describe the United States only.

Frequently asked questions

Is strategic management a degree or a subject?

Usually a subject. It is a core course in business administration degrees and MBA programmes, and the main topic of some specialised master's programmes, executive courses and online certificates.

Do I need work experience to study strategic management?

It depends on the level. A bachelor's course needs none. Executive programmes are designed for people who already work as managers. Master's programmes set their own requirements: FUNIBER, for example, addresses its programme to professionals who work in, or want to move into, business administration and management.

How long does a master's in strategic management take?

An official Spanish master's degree has 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits, and 60 ECTS credits are the equivalent of a full year of study. The 90-credit programme offered by FUNIBER takes between 12 and 24 months.

What jobs can I do after studying strategic management?

Typical paths lead to management consulting, corporate planning, business development and, with experience, general management. According to the BLS, some employers prefer to hire management analysts who have an MBA.