What is Strategic Management and is it the Right Degree for You? (2024)

What is Strategic Management and is it the Right Degree for You? main image

Sponsored by HEC Paris

It’s never easy trying to whittle down the endless choice of degrees to just one. Especially when you’re interested in a lot of different subjects, and don’t feel ready to close any doors by picking one straight path.

Feeling overwhelmed in this process is normal. But if you’re spending hours upon hours flicking between browser tabs, obsessing over which degree will provide you with the best foundation for your future, it might be a good idea to consider one that offers a wider scope – one that provides you with concrete, invaluable skills and experience, all the while leaving many doors open.

Ever considered a master’s degree in strategic management? We’ve teamed up with HEC Paris and spoke with Patricia Pastor-Martos, a Peruvian international student currently studying an MSc in Strategic Management, to find out more about the course and how it can help get you where you want to be.

A degree for proactive leaders across all industries and sectors

Those who have studied strategic management can work across all areas of business and industries, including both private and public sectors, making high-level decisions in a multitude of contexts.

Having excellent strategic management in any organization is fundamental. It’s about learning how to apply a high level of critical thinking to any situation, allowing you to remain flexible and resilient, no matter what happens.

A master’s degree in strategic management can open many doors and is the perfect gateway to a thriving international or national career.

Looking to the future, Patricia is hopeful her studies will help her get closer to her dream career. “I’d like to start a career in a consulting firm specializing in sustainability and social issues, to help traditional firms and social businesses in their key strategic decisions,” says Patricia.

An applied degree pivoted towards real life

There is only so much you can learn from a textbook, which is why the MSc in Strategic Management at HEC Paris is geared towards solving real-life problems. Instead of learning generic solutions, students are taught the art of critical thinking, so that they can approach any problem with a fresh and curious mind.

The MSc in Strategic Management which has been ranked the best in the world in the QS Business Masters Rankings: Management Rankings 2020, giving students regular opportunities to apply their classroom knowledge to real-life situations through a myriad of thought-provoking projects (organized in collaboration with HEC Paris’ endless list of market-leading corporate partners) and insightful internships.

Customizable to suit your interests, needs and career ambitions

With thousands of business graduates working hard to get their foot in the door, it’s a good idea to consider what you can do to make yourself stand out.

Being able to customize your degree to suit your interests and career aspirations is one way to do this. For example, if you want to work in environmental policy, choosing to study a course that reflects that – such as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) – is going to be a big help. This demonstrates your commitment to the sector long before you’ve even applied for a role in the area.

“What I like the most about the program is how we can really make it fit to our own interests and career plans,” says Patricia.

“It’s the perfect way to start gaining skills in one or many topics of interest that will help us achieve our professional goals, and get a better idea of what a career in a specific area would look like.”

Gain real-world insights

The large number of industry experts taking center stage in lecture halls and seminar rooms is also a big plus, with around half of teaching staff on the MSc in Strategic Management having many years of experience under their belt.

Being taught by those who are able to bring real-life application to your degree is instrumental in gaining a genuine understanding of the industry as it helps bridge the gap between learning theory and how it is practically applied.

Learn from your peers as well as your professors

Looking beyond your textbooks, internships and professors, you’ll study alongside a cohort that comes from all areas of life – something which Patricia considers paramount in having a real appreciation of business across borders and cultures.

“It still impresses me to see how diverse we are as a group, in terms of nationality and previous studies” says Patricia.

“In almost every course we have group assignments and discussions, so we get to learn from people with very different perspectives from our own.

“I think this is very important for a future career in business, because if we’re going to be the leaders of the future, we need to know how to work and learn from people that will not necessarily think the same way as us,” she adds.

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