CEMS & the Double Master’s Degree Programme

Graduate School of Business and Commerce
Kotaro Tsuru

CEMS Overview

CEMS (The Global Alliance in Management Education) is a global network comprised of top level business schools from Europe and the rest of the world with multinational corporate partners. CEMS offers CEMS MIM (CEMS Master’s in International Management) which is a Master’s Course in International Management, based on a European style management philosophy. Through participating in this program, students will receive a Master’s Degree from their alma mater and the CEMS MIM. Students who have successfully been awarded the CEMS MIM have in essence been armed with graduate school education from two institutions in different regions and have experienced an internship outside their passport nation. These experiences will enable the student to conduct business in at least two languages.
The objective of CEMS is to use multilingual programs to educate students so that they can perform well on the stage of global business where different cultures are interconnected. The courses are designed to provide the student with what is essential for being effective in this environment. To achieve this objective, the CEMS MIM Program instills a sense of high ethical standards and equips the businessperson with what is necessary to be effective on the global stage, as well as an awareness befitting a citizen of the world, including respect, empathy and understanding toward cultural diversity. Since its establishment in 1988 (Showa 63), the program has continued to grow, and currently over 800 students from more than 50 countries participate in this program annually. The Financial Times has ranked this program as one of the best Master’s Programs in the world.
A university must pass competitive screening to be selected as a partner school of CEMS. Only one university from each nation can participate in this highly esteemed program, and from Japan, Keio University is the certified CEMS partner school. Keio University offers CEMS MIM programs in the Graduate School of Business and Commerce, Graduate School of Economics and Graduate School of Media Design. Students enrolled in the Graduate School of Business and Commerce may earn a Master’s Degree from the Keio University Graduate School of Business and Commerce and a Master’s in International Management if they meet the necessary requirements.

The System and Prerequisites for Application

The CEMS MIM Programme consists of three terms: Two academic terms (Term 1 and Term 2) and the internship term (Term 3). The two academic terms can be taken in the fall and spring consecutively but in different schools. The Internship may take place at any time so long as the student remains enrolled in their alma master. Students enrolled in this program must spend two terms out of three in a university overseas.
To obtain the CEMS MIM double degree through Keio University, you must first be enrolled in one of the following Keio graduate programs: the Graduate School of Business and Commerce, the Graduate School of Economics or the Graduate School of Media Design. As a general rule, if you are a student at the Graduate School of Business and Commerce, you must be enrolled in the Master’s Program to participate in the CEMS NIM double degree program. Prospective students who have successfully passed the entrance examination for the Graduate School of Business and Commerce an year before the start of the CEMS MIM double degree program are also eligible. The screening takes place in the spring and fall. Please go here for details.
On the other hand, if you are enrolled in a CEMS partner school overseas and wish to study at Keio University, you must be screened at your alma mater to be selected to register for one semester at Keio.

The Graduate School of Business and Commerce & CEMS MIM

The CEMS MIM program is not only theoretically relevant, but also has a strong practical orientation due to its network with CEMS corporate partners. While Keio University maintains the same high quality as its partner schools, we also offer a program showcasing our own strengths. Along with other Keio graduate schools involved in the program, the Graduate School of Business and Commerce offers a broad range of programs to participating students.
Since becoming a partner school of the CEMS Double Degree Program, it has become possible for the students to not only acquire knowledge regarding business, but to learn from universities overseas about global management, as well as gain valuable experience from this. In addition, the student who has completed this program successfully will be able to appeal that he/she has a global perspective and experience to potential employers. It is hoped that this will broaden the scope of opportunities for our students.

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