Intro to Emlyon Business School
“I am a business school.” No other sentence can more clearly express our mission and ambition. Our purpose is to empower the next generation of business leaders as innovative creators who dare to dream and change the world. We work in collaboration with all parties who are committed to excellence. We deeply believe that the best ideas can be formed out of interdisciplinary thought. Our teaching is focused on innovation. We support this wish with innovative teaching approaches. We are also guided by academic research that leads to new knowledge to enhance our educational offerings. We reach out to the national and international business community, offering our students and researchers opportunities to collaborate with them.
Emlyon offers five programmes: BBA, Specialized Masters and MSc, MBA, Executive MBA, and PhD in Management. Our programmes, whether dedicated to new students or experienced managers, offer a collaborative and innovative learning experience. This is accredited by the Triple Crown and has been ranked in the top 5 business schools in France. For more than 100 years, entrepreneurship has been part of Emlyon’s DNA. Our teaching and research on entrepreneurship and innovative human capital set us apart. We create entrepreneurs for the good of society and business in turn. All of this, in accordance with the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals, creates value for business, people, society, and the planet.
Between academia and the real world, we are the link. At our disposal, we bring together academics, external experts, staff, and professionals to bring relevant contributions to the content owned and taught at Emlyon. We run an active pop-up lab at Hubs that allows us to be constantly involved in local and global areas where we can have the greatest impact. We currently have more than 42,000 alumni and students spanning almost 130 countries
. Today, Emlyon is more than just a business school. Every year we come together to set the direction and achieve the objectives that allow us to effectively contribute to our business and society. Emlyon not only offers a qualification; it transcends the idea of a university education. Our goal is to help shape people who will shape the world.
Historical Background
Emlyon Business School has been inspiring entrepreneurial leaders for 150 years and is continuing to use its pioneering spirit to generate cutting-edge knowledge that serves the needs of the business world. The current Emlyon began in 1872 as École Supérieure de Commerce de Lyon, one of the very first business schools formed outside Paris and the second in France after HEC.
As a private and independent school based on the principles of “co-operative educational association,” it quickly embraced the scientific business education movement initiated by business schools in the United States. Lyon was instrumental in developing the cultural identity and special status of France’s eighty-plus business and management schools, which as of 2021 constitute the most significant branch of French higher education and are termed “établissements d’enseignement supérieur privé d’intérêt général.”
The historical development of Emlyon took place in phases shaped by changes in the French system of higher education, in the structure and expectations of the labor market, and in the economy and society. It began its life in a situation of great uncertainty and had to find a place among the professional and degree-awarding institutions of its host city and nation.
The early history of Emlyon is therefore little known. This thesis reconstructs the evolution of Emlyon’s institutional identity by examining the structures that made up the organization for students, from the date of its creation in 1872 until the law of 1874 that granted it official educational authority, and which confirmed its status and functions as Emlyon in 1919.
Founding and Early Years
Chapter 2: Founding and Early Years
When Édouard-Henri Léon asked an assortment of entrepreneurs from the Lyon Chamber of Commerce what kind of students they would be interested in taking on in five years’ time at the end of the Second World War, they replied, ‘graduates from Commercia!’ Those gathered were among the first board members of the local business school which would start life as a fictitious private institution. Emlyon was very much a product of the post-war years and of the department it sought to revitalize. Its creation went hand in hand with a process of reflection and re-evaluation of management teaching, as listened to, followed and indeed practiced by the founders and future directors.
The school’s first identity grew from the very concrete day-to-day vision of its leaders, who had to in turn convince the local entrepreneurs of their ability, perseverance and determination in order to ignite and boost their enthusiasm for their still fictional school. Facing a real lack of interest from students because of the lack of an officially recognized degree, they called upon the professionals of the period to interest them in the new courses they were offering, courses described as ‘unique in France’.
Despite the lack of training professionals, some of those involved had told the fledgling school to focus on courses exclusively in economics, others wanted financial courses, and another was interested in secretarial training through shorthand and typing courses. Even if none of these tuition courses really corresponded to the training school it was later to become, the differences in opinion underscored the need to focus on administration, an area in which the Lyon area previously had few services. In 1900, the city had 1.6 secondary school students per 1,000 inhabitants — the lowest rate in the country after Corsica and Algeria — as against 4.2 in Paris.
Secondary teaching was the punishment of choice for the capital’s many layabouts and layabouts’ children. The subject school directors were advocating, as part of their projected opening curricula, also mirrored the Department’s hopes for the future. If Gottwalles intones as part of his vision of a press conference for the local authorities that ‘within 25 years, if God lends us life, sound, intelligent and responsible economic cooperation will make Lyon the Queen of commercial and industrial hearts, the monument and the wonder, not only of France, but the world’, the keyword is clearly ‘cooperation’.
Academic Programs
Emlyon Business School, since its establishment, has been committed to providing high-quality academic programs. In response to the diverse backgrounds of students and the different stages of their personal development, Emlyon has designed a series of academic programs suitable for different academic levels. In 2020, in response to changes in the global economy and society, Emlyon Business School has also made corresponding adjustments to its curriculum, combining the most cutting-edge research results to include knowledge such as sustainability, interdisciplinary knowledge, digital skills, and so on, that students need to acquire to fit into future trends. Currently, the academic programs of Emlyon Business School are mainly divided into two parts: undergraduate and master’s series.
The bachelor’s programs mainly recruit students immediately after graduating from high school. Undergraduate programs include Management, Global BBA, and Bachelor in International Business. The master’s programs are divided into three types: Business Administration, Specialized Master, and alternating Special Master. These include various fields such as entrepreneurship, finance, marketing, operations, strategy, etc. These professional fields just happen to be consistent with the unique advantage of Emlyon Business School’s education with a start-up base, so that students can gain more work experience and professional knowledge during their studies.
There are also seven programs held by EM Normandy x Emlyon Business School. Some master’s programs can get students a degree; in addition, students can also obtain dual degrees. Emlyon Business School’s academic programs have a focus on building a diversified curriculum and education to develop business acumen and expand global exposure, practical and experiential learning.
Undergraduate Programs
Emlyon has long been ranked No. 1 for its undergraduate programs. There are nearly 2,500 students working toward a Bachelor in Business Administration (BBA) degree on campuses in France. Emlyon also offers a double-degree option with Goethe University in Germany. What distinguishes Emlyon’s BBA in France from other programs around the world?
Emlyon’s undergraduate programs aim to bring interdisciplinary knowledge to all students. The 180-credit curriculum is divided into three sections: 61 credits in basic business knowledge in fields such as finance, marketing, logistics, and human resources; 44 credits in complementary knowledge in fields in which future human resources are needed; and 45 credits in life experience.
The head of undergraduate studies says students around the world are choosing BBA because “it is a solid general education in business.” “Today, more and more young people and their families are aware that short-term professional degrees may cease to be in high demand or no longer necessary ten to thirty years from now,” she says. “Investing in general business knowledge combined with internships represents as many companies as possible, which constitutes the unwavering strength of the Bachelor in Business Administration at Emlyon.”
Graduate Programs
Emlyon Business School offers a range of programs designed to meet the needs of individuals already well established in their careers or those who are demonstrating leadership potential. Our full-time master’s programs are for those who wish to immerse themselves in an intensive one or two years of study and networking, whether they would like to specialize in an area of expertise or enhance their generalist skills.
These are also a great way to forge connections fast, living, studying, and completing a “real” project with peers. Our specialized programs, or mastères, are designed to provide master’s level training for those who have been working in a specific field. They last three to four months and may be taken in most cases as countrywide corporate training.
Our programs are academically based and have a large practical component. Some are research programs dedicated to training in data analysis, AI, or entrepreneurship. Others are designed to provide experience in the typical methods used in certain career fields. All of them draw on hyper-current research findings and may seek guidance from the top players in relevant sectors to ensure that they are aligned with the newest trends. Our netlab draws on all of our academic programs to provide access for students to the companies involved in our research projects as well as with partner companies.
Emlyon has a number of unique research partnership programs that ensure permanent mission support. We now have over twenty-five corporate associates directly involved in our projects. As it is impossible to summarize each program, I encourage you to consult the frequently asked questions. Major and marginal subject fields may be part of each program. We sometimes have specific fields of study in our specialized programs. All programs are taught in English, though we also offer a range of English classes as electives.
Global Reach and Partnerships
The school’s global reach is also reflected in the many partnerships Emlyon has established with higher education institutions overseas. “Mounting joint projects with universities and business schools outside France is one of the pillars of our international development strategy,” Dean stresses. “These partnerships allow us to strengthen our efforts to ensure mobility for each of our students and teachers, and to internationalize our training programs by developing cross-cultural educational content.” Specialized or general, these collaborations result in common research projects, faculty research stays, degree programs, and diverse curricular units: MBA, specialized MSc, internships and co-op work, study abroad, and double degree programs.
Here, students learn to construct an international view of management and business by completing academic exchange programs with host schools in specific countries or regions. These are partnerships designed to facilitate and increase research; student and teacher exchanges; international students, scholarships, and volunteer support; and develop double degree programs, special MSc, internships, study abroad, short programs, and international modules. As an example, a partnership between Emlyon and a college has led to a faculty research project between researchers. Entitled “The Re-Appropriation of Western Brands by Ordinary People in Post-1991 Prague: an Ethnographic Study of the Importance of Carnivalesque Dialogue,” the researchers utilized investigation and ethnographic observation of a location.
Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiatives
Emlyon has long been involved in initiatives to encourage its students and faculty to explore their innovative and entrepreneurial potential. Each year, the school mobilizes resources of over €2 million to support teams and establish a living lab. For many years, we have ranked among the top 5 schools for company creation in France and turnover, thanks to the creativity and boldness of our students.
The contribution of research and development (R&D) – close to €6 million per year, pushing to engage in research and provide backing for major projects, including ones that tackle burning issues in the field of management and organization or that can support and enhance our innovative pedagogical approaches – is also a crucial factor in our position at the head of the pack. Training designed to bring to light the potential of students who wish to add innovative and business creation assets to their curriculum is also a keen area of focus.
Of particular note in this area is our investment in educational development initiatives of over €1.5 million. The implications of this constant fostering of entrepreneurship are many: “If someone not currently studying at the school were able to use all these elements to analyze the education we have developed at Emlyon, they would conclude that the school is a pioneer in training and developing students to become potential entrepreneurs.
Over the past decade, Emlyon has worked hard to strengthen existing initiatives and create new ones that allow these potential entrepreneurs to test the waters, to learn, to connect with others who are also passionate about innovation and enterprise, and to scale up.” Currently, the school has three main initiatives, the goal of which is to increase the chances of success and reduce the risk of failure for startups or takeovers of existing businesses by our students, with the help of partners from the business world. These initiatives are: the Emlyon Incubator, the Emlyon Accelerator.
