Admission to the Master's programme in Strategy and International Management (SIM)

If you have one of the following degrees from a recognised university or complete one before the degree programme starts, then you can apply for the Master's programme:

• University Bachelor's degree in Economic Sciences (at least 60 ECTS Credits in Business Administration / Economics and also at least 6 ECTS Credits in Mathematics or Statistics)
• A Bachelor's business degree (similar major) from a recognised university of applied sciences (Fachhochschule) with a minimum average grade (not rounded) of 5.00 Swiss grading system (German/Austria 2.00, Netherlands 7.5) in the degree certificate. (At least 90 ECTS credit points in the core areas Business Administration, Economics, Law and Mathematics/Statistics; thereof 45 ECTS credit points in Business Administration).
• Consecutive university Master's degree in another discipline
  Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes must have been completed in the same discipline (consecutively) and amount to at least 270 ECTS credit points together.

Your degree programme will be recognised if the following criteria are fulfilled:

• Your final degree certificate was awarded by a institution of higher education which is recognised in the country where you attended the course.
• You have completed at least 80% of your course work at a recognised or accredited institution of higher education.
• You have completed at least half of the course work onsite at the institution of higher education awarding the degree.
• You fulfil the minimum requirements for admission to the Master's degree programme at your home institution of higher education.

Detailed information on the recognition of universities, university degrees and country-specific provisions

If you have any questions on recognised degrees or degrees in similar subjects, please do not hesitate to contact the team at the Admissions and Crediting Office who will be happy to help you.

You do not need to submit proof of language proficiency when you apply. It is your responsibility to ensure that your command of the language of instruction is sufficient to allow you to complete your studies successfully. Recommended level at the start of the study is at least C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

GMAT or GRE can also be taken in the new online format.

When evaluating GMAT scores the total score is taken into consideration, while for the assessment of GRE scores both the Verbal and the Quantitative Reasoning sections are decisive. If you have taken the tests several times, the test with the best results will be considered.

Test results must not be older than five years and must be provided to us electronically by GMAC or ETS before the closing date for applications. It is important to state the Institution Code of the University of St.Gallen. Should you have failed to do so, then instruct GMAC or ETS to provide us with your test results in a timely manner (institution code GMAT 5RK-QG-10, GRE 7202).

The average grade recorded on your degree certificate is decisive. If you do not have your final degree at the time of application, you must apply with a current transcript. All credits specified in the current transcript will be considered.

Commitments and activities outside of your studies, such as work experience, internships, exchange semesters or extracurricular and social activities are only considered if you furnish proof thereof. List all of these activities on your curriculum vitae and upload proof thereof in the supporting documents section.

You must give two contacts as references on your curriculum vitae - an academic one and a professional one. Make sure you use the SIM style template. The curriculum vitae must be written in English.

The provided referees are contacted at the discretion of the SIM. Should this be the case, they will receive in advance an email invitation to schedule a 10-15 minutes phone call with a person assigned by the SIM Admissions Committee.

Write an essay in English on a given topic. Detailed information on the topic and formatting requirements can be found in the SIM Essay Guidelines.

The SIM video interview consists of a series of pre-recorded questions touching a wide range of topics for you to share your opinion and reflections.

Within five days of successfully submitting your online application, you will receive an email from the SIM Management Unit inviting you to complete your video interview. With the link provided in the invitation you can register online where you will find detailed instruction on how to proceed with the recording of your interview. In terms of equipment you need a computer or laptop with a microphone and a webcam, and it is recommended to choose a quiet place in order to avoid distractions.

The deadline for you to complete the video interview may differ from the regular application deadline, it will be included in the email invitation.

The compulsory integrative week of the SIM Master's Programme "SIM Start Professional" takes place at the beginning of September (calendar week 36).

The management-related topics dealt with in the individual seminars will prepare you for your regular studies in Strategy and International Management. Admitted applicants can obtain more information directly from the SIM Management Unit.

All students must take two language courses (foreign languages) in addition to their Master’s degree course to successfully complete their Master's degree programme. Crediting of internationally recognised language certificates is possible during your Master's studies.

All students must provide evidence of sufficient accounting knowledge to successfully complete their Master's degree programme.

If you have already acquired sufficient knowledge of accounting during your studies, the evidence can be credited during the admission process. If this evidence is missing at the time of admission, the accountancy examination has to be taken at the University of St.Gallen.

Please have the following information and documents ready to upload:

• Digital passport photo
• Signed "General Conditions and Code of Conduct"
• Passport or ID card and, if applicable, a Swiss (permanent) residence permit
• Curriculum vitae in English – style template
• Supporting documents for extracurricular activities
• Essay in English
• GMAT or GRE test (official or unofficial score report)
• Higher education entrance qualification (Swiss Matura, foreign secondary school leaving certificate)
• Degree documents, if available. Otherwise current official transcripts from each university attended (including exchange programmes and transcripts from unfinished degree programmes). The current transcript must show at least 120 ECTS credit points for courses taken so that we can process your application. In the case of double degree programmes or "joint degrees", transcripts from each attended university including explanatory notes on the course programme must be submitted.

If any of the documents are not issued in German, French, Italian or English, you must also submit a certified translation of the document in German or English. Please observe our guidelines "Certified documents and translations".

Only one file can be uploaded per bullet point. You can use online tools such as online2pdf.com to create PDF files or to combine several pages into one PDF file. Make sure the files you send to us are legible so that we can process your application without delay.

Swiss citizens need their Swiss social insurance number (AHV number) for the application. If you do not know your insurance number, please order a duplicate of your insurance certificate from the Swiss Central Compensation Office in good time.

If you apply online before 31 March you have the option to specify an alternative programme in your application. You may choose one of the following programmes: MBI, MiMM, MGM, MACFin, MEcon, MIL.

Only if in the selection process your application is rejected, will your application be checked again. If all formal admission requirements are fulfilled for the chosen alternative programme, the admission process starts for this alternative programme.

Read up about language of instruction, admission requirements, and the admission process of the chosen alternative programme before you apply.

Within five days after applying successfully online, you will receive an email from the SIM Management Unit, inviting you to record your video interview. You will be given a specific deadline to do the recording. Your application will only be processed once we have received your video interview.

The Admissions and Crediting Office checks your personal data and your electronically submitted documents. If your application is complete and fulfils the formal admission requirements, it is forwarded to the Admissions Committee.

Please log into your user account regularly to check the status of your application. If we need further information or documents, we will inform you directly via your account’s status overview page.

The SIM Admission Committee conducts four admission rounds between October and April. All complete applications that have been submitted on time are assessed and a decision is made on the admission.

You will receive the Letter of Admission or the Letter of Rejection in your electronic mailbox (Compass Mailbox). Please find the link to your Compass Mailbox in the Online-Application user account at the top right of your status page. You can access your mailbox using your Online-Application log-in data.

Along with the Letter of Admission you also receive the invoice for the first semester fee and a form to confirm your place on your chosen programme. Your place will be confirmed as soon as we receive your completed confirmation form, and the semester fee invoice amount is credited to our account on time.

Mid-July your user account will be created. You will find the instructions for activating your account in your electronic mailbox (Compass mailbox).

From this point on, you will receive all email information to your University of St.Gallen email address.

Mid-August we will upload information on the course selection process (Bidding) and the compulsory introductory Kick-off Days in your Compass Mailbox. Please see the Student Guide and Arrival Guide for further helpful information.

Your admission is conditional until you submit all the necessary documents.

Send a certified copy of your degree certificate and final academic transcript to the Admissions- and Crediting Office of the University of St.Gallen by no later than the start of the programme (calendar week 38). A copy is considered to be officially certified if the content of the copy is identical to the original documents and if the home university or an official body confirms this with stamp and signature.
Do not send any original documents in the post!

If any of the documents are not issued in German, French, Italian or English, you must also submit a certified translation of the document in German or English. Please observe our guidelines "Certified documents and translations".

As soon as you have submitted all the necessary documents, your admission is unconditional. We will send you a confirmation email. Should you not be able to submit the necessary degree documents before the degree programme starts (calendar week 38), we will not be able to admit you.