CEMS Master's in International Management

Semester 1 | Nova SBE or CEMS Partner University

3 ECTS Block Seminar
28 ECTS Global Strategy and other CEMS courses  

Semester 2 | CEMS Partner University or Nova SBE

1 ECTS Global Citizenship Seminar
12 ECTS Global Leadership and other CEMS courses
15 ECTS Business Project

During Semester 1 and 2

5 ECTS in Data Analytics courses
2 ECTS in Skill Seminars
Language courses and evaluations
International Internship

The CEMS International Professional Experience must cover at least 8 consecutive weeks full-time in the same company. The role may be paid or unpaid at a for-profit or not-for-profit organization, public service, or non-governmental organization. Students can work in either their citizenship country or home school country (Portugal in the case of Nova SBE) if they are not the same, and if the company operates in at least two countries.

There are four approved formats for fulfilling the professional experience requirement:

• Internship: to be done between the Bachelor's graduation and the start of the Master's or between the CEMS Year 1 and CEMS Year 2 or after the CEMS MIM program.
• Previous Work Experience: done between the Bachelor's graduation and the start of the CEMS Year 1.
• First 8 Weeks of Full-Time Employment: the first 8 weeks of a job after the CEMS Year 2.
• Student-Led Start-Up/Entrepreneurial Experience: to be approved by the Academic Director.

The curriculum combines mandatory and exclusive courses, reserved for CEMS students, and a selection of the best elective courses from the Nova SBE MSc portfolio.

Additionally, students must complete 5 ECTS in Data Analytics courses, such as Advanced Programming for Data Science, Entrepreneurial Finance & Venture Capital, Introduction to Machine Learning, Introduction to Programming, AI Impact on Business.

Mandatory CEMS courses at Nova SBE:

• Semester 1, Global Strategy: Global Strategic Management
• Semester 2, Global Leadership: Wicked Global Leadership

Exclusive courses at Nova SBE in 2025/2026:

• Applied Sustainable and Responsible Finance
• Applied Programming and AI Fundamentals
• Global Talent Management
• Impact Venture Capital  
• Negotiation Strategy 
• Responsible AI

Students are encouraged to broaden, personalize, and enrich their academic path by selecting from a diverse list of elective courses.

Elective courses offered recently at Nova SBE:

• Algorithmic Governance 
• Applied Entrepreneurship 
• Blockchain Fundamentals 
• Brand Management 
• Digital Marketing 
• Diversity & Inclusion 
• Entrepreneurship 
• Family Business 
• Game Theory 
• Geoeconomics and International Relations 
• Integrated Marketing Communication 
• Introduction to Programming 
• Introduction to Programming 
• Leading Social Enterprises with Impact in International Development 
• Mergers, Acquisitions, Restructuring 
• Modeling Business Decisions 
• Negotiation 
• Organizing for Good in the Digital Age 
• Performance and Progress 
• Private Equity 
• Risk and Crisis Management 
• Shopper Marketing Management 
• Social Media Marketing 
• Sustainable Finance 
• Venture Simulation 
• Work & Family 

*Please note that these courses may change every academic year.

There are 3 different types of Seminars in the CEMS MIM program:

Block Seminar

The Block Seminar is offered at the beginning of Semester 1 and is designed to be an intense academic, corporate, cultural and social week. At Nova SBE there are two Block Seminars, run in parallel, with the support of CEMS Corporate Partners. The goal is to explore a specific topic and how companies are dealing with the topic’s challenges, developing responsible citizenship and leadership.  

Global Citizenship Seminar

The Global Citizenship Seminar is offered at the beginning of Semester 2. It is an interactive workshop. Students are immersed for two days and asked to deal with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) challenges provided by the Nova SBE teaching team.

Skill Seminars

Skill Seminars are practical skills training workshops (usually half a day), brought to students by the school and CEMS Corporate Partner Companies. Recent Skill Seminars at Nova SBE include:

• "Negotiation Excellence" powered by Simon-Kucher
• "Design Thinking for Practitioners" powered by Accenture
• "FMCG Strategy in Action: From Idea to Market" powered by ABInBev 
• "Expert Insights in the Investment Process and Negotiation" powered by AlphaSights 
• "Leading Your Life" powered by Human Better EDU 
• "Competitive Market Simulation Game" powered by Simon-Kucher 
• "General Inspection" powered by Société Générale 
• “Anti-Corruption as a Strategic Drive in Business” by Xavier le Mintier, Judge, and former executive

Entry requirements – Language 1

Candidates must provide one of the following options as proof of proficiency in English (if not mother tongue):

• TOEFL iBT minimum score – 100
• IELTS Academic/Indicator minimum score – 7,0
• CPE minimum grade of C
• CAE minimum grade of B
• BEC Higher minimum grade of B
• Pearson test of English Academic (PTE) minimum score of 68
• University degree taught 100% in English (from an English-speaking country or a CEMS School or an EQUIS/AACSB Accredited School) – to be validated by the Admissions Team

The CEMS MIM program accepts the following online tests as well:

• TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition test: a minimum score of 100 is required on the Internet-based TOEFL (iBT) with a score of at least 20 in each section.

Please note that CEMS does not accept TOEFL MyBest Scores.

A valid certificate with the necessary minimum score must be submitted at the moment of the candidate’s application. Failure to deliver this document will delay the evaluation of the candidate’ application.

Graduation Requirements – Second and Third Languages

Students must be able to prove the following level for their second and third languages:

• Language 2: mother tongue or B1 proficiency level
• Language 3: 2nd mother tongue or elementary level language

The 3rd Language requirement can be fulfilled by one of the following options:

• Exclusive courses for CEMS/IMF/IMM students, in Spanish and Portuguese, organized and funded by Nova SBE (limited slots available)
• Elementary courses of 60 hours (minimum) in a CEMS school (to be validated by each member school)
• Elementary courses of 60 hours (minimum) in an accredited Cultural Institute, such as Alliance Française and Goethe Institute.

• Commercial exams with a B1 result (minimum) from a CEMS school or an accredited Cultural Institute, such as Alliance Française and Goethe Institute.

More information and details on courses, validity and locations of these institutes can be found here.

Business Projects (BPs) are a mandatory component of the CEMS MIM, and each 33 CEMS Schools offers Business Projects over the CEMS MIM second semester. They are designed as a real-life learning experience for international teams of students who solve a real business problem while being tutored by a company representative and a professor. The Business Projects are worth 15 ECTS and engage at least half of the students’ workload in the second semester at Nova SBE (from February to May).

Recent examples of CEMS MIM Business Projects at Nova SBE:

• Kearney - “The H2 Opportunity: How Can Portugal Become a Green Hydrogen Powerhouse in the Race for Net-Zero" (2024)
• Simon-Kucher - “Commercializing Sustainability in the Cruise Lines Industry in Germany, the UK and the Nordics” (2024)
• Mercedes-Benz – “Future In-Car Entertainment Strategy with Focus on Digital Luxury Experience” (2023)
• Cartier – “Services of the future: How can Cartier evolve in terms of client services towards younger generations?” (2023)
• Siemens Healthineers: “Blank Sheet Healthcare System – How could a Healthcare system with minimum carbon footprint look like and what are the implications for our Business Model?’ (2023)
• BNP Paribas – “Developing a Framework for a More Agile Digital Transformation” (2020)
• EDP – “Shareholder Activism during a Takeover Bid” – Finalist (top 5) in the CEMS Alliance Best Business Projects Award in 2019
• McKinsey & Company - “Perceptual Mapping of the Football Market Worldwide” –Top 3 Finalists of the CEMS Alliance Best Business Project Award (2020)
• UNICEF – “ Data Analytics Strategy for UNICEF’s National Committees ” (2024)