Student Guide
CEMS is recognised as a unique global community, comprising the world’s finest students, schools, alumni, corporate and social partners, delivering the leading international Master’s in Management (MiM) that prepares responsible leaders contributing to a more open, sustainable and inclusive world.
The programme consists of two academic terms (Term 1 & Term 2) and an international internship. The two academic terms are consecutive (starting in autumn), while the internship can take place at any time during the graduate period of studies, but not overlapping with Term 1 or Term 2. Students spend one of the two academic terms in another CEMS Member School and the internship abroad.
Students can find the Aalto CEMS Programme Offer on cems.org. Registration in courses is done through study platform Sisu.
Most of the CEMS MIM studies must be completed during the MIM year, but up to 15 ECTS of CEMS studies (including elective courses and skills seminars) can be done during the previous or following academic year.
Each CEMS student completes a minimum of 45 ECTS of CEMS exclusive and elective courses. In addition to term-specific mandatory courses, students are invited to build their individual study through elective, exclusive, and global elective courses. As of academic year 2021/2022, each CEMS student must also complete a minimum of 5 ECTS of Hard Skills courses.
Mandatory courses
Each term includes one mandatory exclusive course: Global Strategy in Term 1 and Global Leadership in Term 2. In academic year 2023/2024, the two courses offered at Aalto are:
Exclusive elective courses
In academic 2023/2024, Aalto CEMS offers one exclusive elective courss designed and offered specifically for CEMS Students:
Elective courses
Each CEMS school offers a range of elective courses. The Aalto CEMS elective course lists are updated on cems.org, as well as the course offerings of other schools. A more detailed course description and schedule can be found in Sisu.
Hard Skills courses
Each student is required to complete a minimum of 5 ECTS of Hard Skills courses. Courses counted as such are marked on the CEMS course list, in the column "Type of course". Hard Skills courses are counted as electives, so there is no upper limit to taking these courses.
CEMS Business Projects are consultancy-like projects designed as a real-life learning experience for students, where international student teams solve a real business problem typically for CEMS Corporate or Social Partners as a one-term, part-time activity. The project amounts to about half of Term 2's workload.
Students gain insight into business life, train their analytical and problem-solving skills, apply research methods, transfer theoretical knowledge into practice, learn process management and acquiring social skills. They also get to know potential employers and re-define their professional goals.
Student teams work independently in teams of ca. 4-5 students and take responsibility for the project. However, they are co-tutored by academic and corporate representatives who will also evaluate the project work after the project finale in May. At Aalto the teams are additionally supported by several guidance sessions taking place especially in the beginning of term 2. The school assigns students to the individual projects, based on company preferences, didactical considerations and, to the extent possible, based on student's preferences.
Each of the CEMS MIM terms starts with a mandatory seminar: CEMS Block Seminar in Term 1 and Global Citizenship seminar in Term 2. Additionally, all CEMS students will complete a minimum of 2 ECTS worth of elective CEMS Skills Seminars.
CEMS Block Seminar (3 ECTS)
The Block Seminar is a one-week course taking place at the beginning of Term 1, bringing the students together for an intensive week of learning about a new topic but also to meet their Term 1 peers typically for the first time. The seminar often takes place prior to the official semester start and might include evening or weekend programme. Sometimes additional costs are included (please see the school's offering on cems.org).
The topics of the Block Seminar may change from year to year and they vary between the different CEMS Schools. Topics, dates and exact locations are announced on cems.org under "Programme Offer" (for example, Aalto) during Term 2 of the preceding academic year.
CEMS Global Citizenship Seminar (1 ECTS)
The Global Citizenship seminar is a two-day event taking place at the beginning of Term 2. Within the Global Citizenship seminar, students will have the opportunity to engage with the Sustainable Development Goals through experiential learning.
Skill Seminars (min. 2 ECTS)
Skill Seminars are training seminars in practical skills, often offered as interactive sessions by CEMS corporate ad social partners in collaboration with the CEMS schools or CEMS Global Alliance. They are essential to kick-starting an effective professional career and fundamental to adjusting easily to an international management environment.
Each CEMS School offers a number of Skill Seminars during each term. They are also offered as part of the annual CEMS Career Forum as well as during the various regional events, such as the Nordic Forum.
One Skill Seminar day amounts to 0,5 ECTS, and a half-day Skills Seminar (up to 4 hours) amounts to 0,25 ECTS. Many students choose to attend more than 2 ECTS worth of seminars, as these provide a fantastic way to learn new skills and to get to know different industries, companies and CEMS community members.
CEMS term abroad and exchange allocation
All CEMS students spend one of the CEMS terms abroad in another CEMS school, which forms the International Minor for all School of Business Master's students. During the exchange CEMS students follow the CEMS MIM curriculum and complete mandatory and elective CEMS studies.
The exchange allocation is done in February/March before the student's MIM year. For Add-on CEMS MIM students this takes place shortly after they have confirmed their slot in the CEMS programme, and for Global Management students this takes place during the first MSc year simultaneously with the exchange allocation of the newly selected Add-on CEMS students.
We aim at sending students to as many CEMS schools as possible, and as evenly divided between spring and fall term as possible. The students' preferences are taken into account as much as possible, regarding both the timing and the preferred schools, but we cannot guarantee a slot in any specific school. The comparative success in the assessment center will also affect the exchange allocation process. The minimum GPA to be selected to CEMS MIM is 3.0 and this is also the minimum GPA for students to be sent out to exchange regardless of their MSc.
All CEMS schools provide unique experiences and learning opportunities in an international setting. We highly recommend students to take time to familiarize themselves with the schools' programme offering, consider the companies and industries involved with each specific school, the size of the CEMS MIM cohort, practical arrangements such as housing and living costs, in addition to any personal interests regarding the local culture and language(s). Prior to making the choice for your top preferred exchange locations, you will receive access to travel reports of previous CEMS students. Other CEMS students, CEMS Clubs and alumni are also good sources for information.
International internship
CEMS International Internships provide students with the real-life professional learning experience of integrating an organisations culture and processes. The main objective is to turn academic experience and theoretical knowledge into a professional, multi-cultural experience. They must therefore be at the level of a graduate recruit in order to provide valuable business experience.
The minimum requirement for CEMS internship is an 8-week, consecutive, full-time internship/job abroad. During the CEMS MIM studies you will have multiple opportunities to connect with CEMS Corporate and Social partners, who are often eager to hire CEMSies for internships and graduate programmes. Some such opportunities are the various Skill Seminars, company visits, regional events, CEMS Career Forum, CEMS Global Recruitment fair, and online tools such as CEMS Career Center, to name a few.
Read more about internship guidelines and validation on cems.org, as well as recruitment and career services. If you have completed an internship or work assignment abroad prior to your CEMS MIM year (but after finishing your BSc degree) and confirmed that it meets the internship requirements, please contact the Aalto CEMS Office at [email protected] upon being accepted to the programme.
Languages
Upon graduation, CEMS students must have acceptably proven language competence or studies in at least three languages. One of them is always English, and the second language is typically students' mother tongue (unless the student's only mother tongue is English). These two languages are part of the admissions requirements. While the first and second language are admissions requirements, the third language requirement is typically met during the CEMS MIM studies.
See CEMS language requirements and in doubt, contact the CEMS Office. In short, students typically complete the third language requirement by studying at least 5 ECTS in the same language on elementary level at the same CEMS school, or by taking a commercial language test accredited by CEMS.
There are many ways to complete the language requirement, but it is a good idea keep this in mind and plan for it already as you start your CEMS MIM studies.
Upon graduation from CEMS MIM at Aalto University, students receive both a Master's degree from Aalto University and the highly valued CEMS Master's in International Management certificate granted by CEMS Global Alliance in Management Education, and become part of the life-long CEMS community as one of the close to 20.000 CEMS alumni.
CEMS Graduation takes place annually, once a year. Students must always graduate from their home school first. Typically, the CEMS Graduation Ceremony is organized as a part of CEMS Annual Events at the end of November and hosted by one of the CEMS member schools. The annual CEMS graduation ceremony is a once in a life time experience!
When you have fulfilled all CEMS graduation requirements, please contact the Aalto CEMS Team. We also approach graduating students during summer and early fall with further instructions.
CEMS provides a unique stepping stone to a global career. The direct interaction with multinational companies and NGOs throughout CEMS studies allows students and alumni to explore many different career paths and meet key decision makers in a variety of sectors from all over the world.
98 % of recent CEMS graduates are working or continue studying, and 95 % have worked abroad (based on CEMS 2018 graduate survey).
The career options of CEMSies are versatile. Students can consult the main sectors and functional areas of recent graduates and more seasoned alumni, and make use of the various online communities such as the CEMS Alumni LinkedIn groups or contact CEMS peers working in interesting positions or organizations.
Thevarious online tools available for CEMS students, such as the CEMS Career Center and CV Database, can be accessed via the Student Portal. We kindly urge all CEMS students to create and keep their CEMS CV updated, as CEMS Corporate and Social Partners actively use the database to search for future talent.
CEMS also offers its students various global and localmentoring opportunities, and for alumni, the opportunity to act as mentors.
Each CEMS school has a CEMS Club, run by CEMS students, which animates student life through events and activities involving CEMS alumni and Corporate/Social Partners, supporting both home school students and incoming students to make the most of their local experience.
Each term a new CEMS Club Helsinki board is elected amongst the current CEMS MIM students. Please find more information on CEMS Club Helsinki on their home page and social media channels (Facebook, Instagram).
You can contact them via email, [email protected].
The CEMS Student Board is the voice of CEMS students within the CEMS Global Alliance. The Student Board consists of one representative from each of the member schools, and it manages its projects according to the following mission statement:
The Student Board has been created to enhance the CEMS experience for the students by:
In carrying out the above, in an ethical and socially responsible way, the Student Board acts as the official voice of CEMS students, representing their interests before the Academic, Corporate and Administrative stakeholders of the CEMS Alliance.
The Aalto CEMS Student Board representative is peer-selected each year among the Aalto CEMS MIM cohort. The mandate lasts for one academic year, and includes some traveling (at own cost).
The Aalto CEMS Global Student Board Representative for academic year 2023/2024 is Juno Pitkänen ([email protected]).
After graduating from the CEMS MIM programme, you join the biggest stakeholder group within CEMS Global Alliance in Management Education: the CEMS Alumni Association. It is present in more than 35 countries through Local Chapters and Global groups. The objective is to promote CEMS alumni experience as a life-long learning experience that can be equally remarkable as the one that you have had as a student.
We encourage you to keep up the CEMS spirit after graduation and become an active member of a Local Chapter in your country of residence. Out of the Local Chapters, Aalto CEMS has around 400 alumni, while worldwide the number of CEMS alumni is close to 20 000 professionals of 111 nationalities. Already a a student, you a welcome to join the CEMS Alumni Finland LinkedIn group to stay in touch and get connected.
For more information about CEMS Alumni Association in Finland, see the Alumni Platform or reach out to the current board via email, [email protected].
CEMS was built on the vision of creating a bridge between the academic and corporate worlds. Since its creation in 1988, CEMS member schools have worked alongside industry and more recently NGO’s in providing expertise, insight and vision for all aspects of programme development, implementation and support.
Today, over 70 world-renowned CEMS Corporate Partners operating in a variety of sectors and numerous CEMS Social Partners work together with students, alumni and faculty as a part of this global business network.
At Aalto University, the CEMS Corporate Partners hosted are KONE and Nokia. Additionally, we work with around 20 other CEMS Corporate and Social Partners in and outside classrooms.
Aalto CEMS Office organizes information sessions both online and in person for interested applicants every year in the fall semester. Upcoming events are announced on these pages. Application dates and instructions can be found on the separate programme pages: Add-on CEMS MIM and MSc in Global Management.
CEMS Master in International Management (MIM) is a compelling choice especially for all those seeking a global career. The CEMS MIM study experience is characterized by intensive collaboration among the diverse members of the network: bright students, active alumni, accomplished academics, multinational companies and non-profit organisations.
From the moment students are accepted into the CEMS MIM Programme, they are on a path to responsible citizenship and will be held to the highest standards of ethical and social responsibility and professional integrity.
During the programme, students are exposed to interdisciplinary challenges in an international context and are encouraged to adopt an analytical and critical attitude in lectures, discussions and project work. CEMS MIM includes exclusive and elective CEMS courses, an extensive business project, an international internship and seminars familiarizing students with skills required in working life.
The CEMS MIM Curriculum is 66 ECTS in total, with a minimum requirement of 24 ECTS successfully completed in each term. The programme lasts for one academic year starting in the fall term. Some elements, such as the international internship, can be completed outside of this academic year.
Aalto University offers students two ways of enrolling in the CEMS MIM programme:
Together, the Add-on CEMS MIM and Global Management students make up the CEMS Aalto cohort. In both options, students study in the same CEMS MIM programme and receive both a Aalto Master's degree as well as a CEMS Master's in International Management certificate from the CEMS Global Alliance.
The difference between the two routes lie in what the student studies outside the CEMS MIM programme and application practicalities. Read more about these below.
In the Add-on CEMS MIM, students dedicate a year of their studies (66 ECTS) to complete CEMS MIM, which can then be partially integrated into Master's degree. Students may complete CEMS MIM either during the first year of their Master's studies or later on, as long as they have Aalto study right left.
The programme always starts in the fall term and lasts for one academic year. Either fall or spring term is spent completing CEMS MIM studies at another CEMS school abroad.
Flexibility rule: From the 66 ECTS of CEMS MIM studies, max 15 ECTS of CEMS elective studies can be completed during max one academic year before or after your CEMS MIM year. All mandatory elements are completed during the MIM year. Always consult the CEMS electives list of the specific academic term that you complete the course in. Additionally, the non-curriculum requirements of CEMS, the international internship and CEMS third language requirement, can be completed outside the CEMS MIM year.
When considering integrating CEMS MIM studies to your regular Master's programme at Aalto, discuss the options with your MSc programme planning officer or coordinator. As a rule of thumb, any studies can count towards both Aalto MSc and CEMS MIM (depending on the MSc programme requirements).
Some options to include CEMS studies into your MSc degree may be:
The high-ranked Global Management programme is a carefully planned 2-year full-time Master's programme, where the first year consists of a set of courses and a 20 ECTS Master's thesis, and the second year consists of most of the CEMS MIM elements.
Students entering the Global Management/CEMS programme are automatically granted a slot in the CEMS MIM cohort of the second year in their MSc studies. The first MSc year is thus designated for Global Management programme studies. It is not possible to change this order, nor can a student choose to postpone their MIM year. There is some flexibility in the timing of the programme studies, but in order to also graduate from CEMS MIM, the students need to complete their CEMS MIM studies according to the rules and guidelines set by the CEMS alliance.
Based on the curriculum, Global Management studies are broken into:
The academic requirements of the CEMS MIM programme are fully integrated in the Global Management/CEMS MSc programme.
In order to graduate from the CEMS MIM programme, Global Management students must also complete skill seminars (2 ECTS in total), a minimum 8-week international internship and fulfill the language proficiency requirements, in addition to finishing their MSc degree in Global Management.
Applications to both the Add-on CEMS MIM and MSc in Global Management takes place once a year, following slightly different application periods during November-January.
When preparing for applying, please pay special attention to the eligibility criteria well in advance, as you might need to complete external exams (such as commercial English language tests and GMAT/GRE tests) which require their own registration and time for completion. Both routes to CEMS MIM programme also require a minimum of 60 ECTS of business-related studies together with a pre-specified proof of proficiency in English and (possibly also) in a second language.
More information about applying and upcoming application periods can be found at the links at the end of this page.
CEMS Master's in International Management (MIM) includes CEMS courses, an extensive business project, an exchange semester at another CEMS university, an international internship, and seminars familiarising the students with skills required in working life.
Aalto students can apply to complete the CEMS MIM programme (66 ECTS) in parallel with their regular Aalto MSc studies during one academic year.
The Master’s programme in Global Management prepares students to operate responsibly and successfully in influential decision-maker positions in a globalized environment. The programme develops students’ knowledge and skills in strategy, business development, leadership, and cross-cultural understanding. The programme incorporates CEMS Master’s in International Management.
