RSM Global Executive OneMBA Programme Guide 2026: Curriculum, Partners and Careers

RSM Global Executive OneMBA Overview

The RSM Global Executive OneMBA represents a fundamentally different approach to executive MBA education. Rather than a single school offering international modules, the OneMBA is built as an equal partnership among five leading business schools across four continents — creating what its founders describe as “the first truly global executive MBA.” Housed at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, the programme provides experienced executives with an immersive 21-month journey that combines rigorous academic content with authentic global business exposure.

The programme’s core differentiator is its structure: participants enroll at their home school (RSM in Rotterdam for European candidates) while joining a global cohort of more than 100 executives spread across five cities. They study the same core curriculum simultaneously, collaborate on global team projects with classmates on different continents, and come together for four intensive residency weeks in the United States, Brazil, China, and Europe. This design mirrors the reality of modern multinational business — decisions made across time zones, cultures, and markets.

For senior professionals seeking an MBA that goes beyond theory to build genuine global leadership capabilities, the RSM Global Executive OneMBA offers a compelling proposition. The programme targets executives with at least six years of experience and an average age of 40, ensuring that classroom discussions draw on deep professional knowledge and that the peer network provides immediate strategic value. Conducted entirely in English, the programme attracts participants from diverse industries including financial services, consulting, manufacturing, energy, and technology — creating the kind of cross-sector exposure that drives innovative thinking.

The Five-School Global Partnership

The OneMBA’s most distinctive feature is its equal partnership model. Unlike MBA programmes that add international residencies to a home-school curriculum, the OneMBA was designed from inception as a joint venture where each partner school contributes equally to programme design, faculty, and governance. Understanding each partner helps prospective students appreciate the breadth of perspectives they will encounter.

Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (Netherlands) anchors the European experience. Consistently ranked among Europe’s top business schools, RSM is renowned for its research excellence and its location in Rotterdam — one of Europe’s most dynamic port cities and a hub for international trade. RSM brings deep expertise in supply chain management, strategic management, and sustainable business practices.

UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School (USA) represents North American management thinking. With a worldwide network of more than 33,000 alumni and top-ranked faculty, Kenan-Flagler contributes strong capabilities in leadership development, marketing, and entrepreneurship. The North American residency provides direct exposure to the world’s largest economy and its business culture.

FGV-EAESP (Brazil) is Latin America’s most prestigious business school, combining tradition with innovation to prepare professionals for a constantly changing world. The Brazilian residency gives OneMBA participants firsthand experience of doing business in one of the world’s largest emerging markets — invaluable context for executives managing operations or growth strategies in developing economies. Those interested in FGV’s approach can also explore our FGV EAESP Exchange Programme Guide.

EGADE Business School, Tecnológico de Monterrey (Mexico) is recognized as the number one business school in Mexico. EGADE’s focus on developing globally competitive and entrepreneurial leaders adds a Latin American innovation perspective that complements FGV’s strengths. The Mexican connection provides exposure to one of the world’s most dynamic economies at the crossroads of North and South America.

School of Management, Xiamen University (China) is one of China’s oldest and most successful business schools, with MBA programmes ranked in the top 10 nationally. The Asian residency in China provides direct engagement with the world’s second-largest economy, offering insights into Chinese business practices, regulatory environments, and market dynamics that are essential for any executive operating in global markets.

Programme Structure and Global Residencies

The RSM Global Executive OneMBA spans approximately 21 months and is structured to balance intensive learning with the demands of a senior executive career. The programme combines 11 local residencies at RSM in Rotterdam with four global residency weeks across four continents.

Local residencies at RSM typically run from Wednesday afternoon through Saturday afternoon, minimizing time away from the office while maintaining the depth required for executive-level education. These sessions cover both global core courses — studied simultaneously by all OneMBA cohorts worldwide — and RSM-specific regional courses designed to develop capabilities particularly relevant to European business contexts.

Global residencies are the programme’s signature experience. Each is an intensive seven-day immersion in a different continent:

• North America (USA): Hosted by UNC Kenan-Flagler, featuring classes on American management practices, company visits to major US corporations, and meetings with business leaders in the world’s largest economy
• Latin America: Based at either FGV-EAESP in São Paulo or EGADE in Monterrey, offering immersion in emerging market dynamics, entrepreneurial ecosystems, and the unique challenges of doing business in rapidly growing economies
• Asia (China): Hosted by Xiamen University, providing direct engagement with Chinese business practices, market entry strategies, and the regulatory landscape of the world’s fastest-growing major economy
• Europe: The final residency brings the global experience full circle, with RSM hosting participants from all five schools for collaborative sessions, cross-cultural team activities, and graduation ceremonies

Each global residency includes classes taught by local professors, visits to regional and multinational companies, meetings with business and government leaders, and cultural immersion experiences. These are not tourism — they are structured learning environments where participants analyze business challenges specific to each region and apply frameworks learned in the core curriculum to real-world contexts.

Curriculum: Global Core and Regional Courses

The OneMBA curriculum is built on two pillars: Global Core Courses studied simultaneously by all five school cohorts, and Regional Courses specific to each home school. This dual structure ensures both shared global frameworks and locally relevant expertise.

Global Core Courses

Five core courses form the programme’s backbone, with each course including a global team project requiring remote collaboration with team members enrolled at partner schools around the world. These projects simulate the reality of multinational virtual teams — working across time zones, cultures, and communication styles to deliver results.

Global Operations Management teaches participants to align operations strategy with overall business strategy, with emphasis on process analysis and supply chain management for global manufacturing and service environments. Leading and Managing Global Organizations develops the leadership and managerial skills critical for effective global managers, with particular focus on the impact of cultural differences on personal and organizational effectiveness.

Corporate Finance in a Global Environment provides the financial frameworks underpinning cross-border transactions and foreign investment, essential knowledge for executives overseeing international operations. Global Marketing Management combines creative and analytical approaches to marketing products and services in a global marketplace, tailoring solutions to targeted customer groups across different cultures and markets.

Strategy in a Global Arena — the capstone core course — challenges participants to align organizational resources with long-term goals while navigating converging global forces and local issues. This course includes the Global Venture Project, where student teams support actual businesses or non-profit organizations in pursuing global aspirations, providing hands-on strategy consulting experience.

RSM Regional Courses

RSM supplements the global curriculum with courses designed to accelerate career success in the European business context. These include Economics for Global Business Managers, Financial Accounting and Analysis, Managing Systems in Business, Change Management, Managerial Decision Analysis, Mergers and Acquisitions, Business Negotiations, and a seminar series on Topics in Global Business and Management featuring top professors and guest speakers. This combination ensures graduates are equipped with both global frameworks and the specific knowledge needed to lead in European and international organizations.

Personal Leadership Development Track

A defining feature of the RSM Global Executive OneMBA is the Personal Leadership Development (PLD) track, which runs throughout the entire 21-month programme. Unlike standalone leadership workshops or elective courses, PLD is woven into the fabric of the programme as a continuous development journey.

The PLD track develops critical thinking, decision-making, and effective implementation skills through a structured behavioral change process. Participants engage in reflective practical exercises designed to help them discover and develop their own leadership capabilities. The programme’s philosophy is clear: leadership is a practice, not a theoretical concept — and developing it requires sustained effort, honest self-assessment, and the willingness to experiment with new approaches in real professional situations.

Throughout the programme, participants work with faculty coaches and peer groups to identify leadership strengths and development areas, set goals for behavioral change, and track their progress. The PLD track creates a safe environment for senior executives to examine assumptions, receive candid feedback, and push beyond comfortable leadership patterns. Many alumni describe this component as the most transformative element of their OneMBA experience — more impactful even than the academic coursework — because it produces lasting changes in how they lead teams, negotiate outcomes, and navigate organizational complexity.

For executives considering similar programmes that emphasize leadership alongside academic rigor, exploring how different schools approach executive MBA leadership development can provide useful comparative context.

Admission Requirements and Application Process

The RSM Global Executive OneMBA targets experienced professionals who will contribute meaningfully to a senior executive cohort. The admissions requirements reflect this focus on quality and experience over standardized test scores.

Minimum requirements include at least six years of professional work experience and an undergraduate degree from an accredited institution. Unlike many MBA programmes, the OneMBA does not require a GMAT or GRE score — the admissions committee evaluates candidates holistically based on their professional track record, leadership potential, and ability to contribute to the global learning environment.

Application materials include a fully completed application form (submitted online), two letters of recommendation from professional contacts who can speak to the candidate’s leadership and potential, three essays, official academic transcripts, a current CV, and a non-refundable €100 application fee.

The admissions process follows a rolling basis, meaning applications are evaluated as they arrive rather than in fixed rounds. An admissions interview is an essential part of the selection process — RSM’s global alumni network enables personal interviews in most parts of the world, making the process accessible for international candidates. Final decisions are made after the Admissions Committee reviews all materials including interviewer assessments.

Strong candidates typically hold senior management or director-level positions, demonstrate clear career progression, and articulate a compelling vision for how the OneMBA will accelerate their professional development. Industry diversity is valued — the programme deliberately balances participants across sectors to maximize cross-pollination of ideas. The application portal is available at rsm.nl/applymba, and prospective applicants are encouraged to submit early as cohort sizes are limited to approximately 30 participants at RSM.

Tuition, Fees and Financial Planning

The total programme fee for the RSM Global Executive OneMBA is €62,000. This investment is structured across a manageable payment schedule: a €5,000 non-refundable registration deposit to secure the participant’s place, followed by three installments of approximately €19,500, €19,000, and €18,500 spread across the 21-month programme.

The programme fee covers tuition, course materials, and global residency programme costs. However, participants should budget separately for travel and accommodation during the four global residency weeks — flights to the United States, Brazil, China, and the European final residency represent a significant additional cost that varies based on departure location and booking timing.

When evaluating the return on investment, OneMBA participants should consider both tangible and intangible returns. On the tangible side, the dual credential (RSM MBA + OneMBA certificate), expanded global network, and enhanced strategic capabilities typically translate into accelerated career progression, expanded responsibilities, and increased compensation over time. On the intangible side, the global perspective, cross-cultural leadership skills, and personal transformation delivered by the PLD track create lasting competitive advantages that are difficult to quantify but consistently cited by alumni as career-defining.

Many employers provide partial or full sponsorship for executive MBA programmes, particularly when the candidate demonstrates how the programme will benefit the organization. RSM’s admissions team can provide guidance on employer sponsorship approaches and financial planning for self-funded participants.

Class Profile and Peer Network

The quality of any executive MBA programme is largely determined by the caliber of its participants, and the RSM OneMBA class profile demonstrates exceptional standards. The RSM cohort typically comprises 30 participants with an average age of 40 years and an average of 14.5 years of professional experience. With 11 nationalities represented in a single cohort, the classroom naturally generates the diversity of perspectives essential for global leadership development.

Academic backgrounds are balanced between Business Administration and Economics (33%), Engineering (33%), Law (10%), Arts and Humanities (7%), Medicine and Science (3%), and other fields (14%). This diversity ensures that discussions integrate technical, commercial, legal, and humanistic perspectives — mirroring the multidisciplinary reality of senior executive decision-making.

Functionally, participants bring experience across General Management (38%), Finance (13%), Engineering and Project Management (13%), Operations and Global Supply Chain Management (13%), Strategy and Business Economics (10%), Business Development, Marketing and Sales (10%), and Human Resource Management (3%). Industries represented include Financial Services and Insurance (30%), Consulting and Professional Services (14%), FMCG, Manufacturing and Construction (14%), Energy and Utilities (13%), IT and Telecom (10%), Travel, Aviation and Transportation (10%), and specialized sectors including Pharma, Public Sector, and Agricultural Business.

Beyond the RSM cohort, participants join a global class of more than 100 executives across all five schools, with 13 years of average work experience globally. The programme’s alumni network now exceeds 1,200 professionals distributed across nearly every major economy in the world. This network — built through the intense shared experiences of global residencies and team projects — represents one of the programme’s most enduring benefits.

Career Impact and Alumni Network

The RSM Global Executive OneMBA is designed to catalyze career transformation for professionals who are already established in their fields. Unlike traditional MBA programmes that primarily serve career-switchers, the OneMBA accelerates the trajectory of senior executives who seek to expand their strategic capabilities, global perspective, and leadership presence.

Alumni testimonials highlight the programme’s transformative impact. Elisabeth Stevens, Head of Partner Success and EMEA Operations at Booking.com (OneMBA Class of 2018), describes how the programme “connects me with inspiring global leaders through intense collaboration and accelerates my learning about international context and organizations.” José Eloi Fernandes Jr., who became President Latin America at Husqvarna, notes that “the OneMBA significantly accelerated my development as a global leader with an inspiring and challenging experience.”

The programme’s career impact manifests in several ways. First, the global network provides immediate access to business contacts across four continents — invaluable for executives managing international operations or exploring new market opportunities. Second, the curriculum’s emphasis on applying learning to current work means participants often implement strategic improvements in their organizations before graduation. Third, the dual credential from RSM and the OneMBA consortium carries strong recognition with multinational employers, particularly in Europe, the Americas, and Asia.

RSM’s broader alumni network and career services complement the OneMBA-specific network. Graduates gain access to RSM’s full range of alumni events, continuing education offerings, and professional development resources. The combination of a strong European business school network with the OneMBA’s truly global alumni community creates a professional ecosystem that supports career development long after graduation. For comparison, professionals also explore programmes at top Asian universities to build complementary regional expertise.

RSM OneMBA vs Other Global Executive MBAs

Prospective executive MBA candidates often compare the RSM Global Executive OneMBA with other globally-oriented executive MBA programmes. Understanding the key differentiators helps candidates identify the best fit for their career goals and personal circumstances.

The OneMBA’s equal-partnership model is its most distinctive advantage. When a programme is co-created by schools embedded in different continents, the curriculum naturally reflects multiple perspectives rather than being designed from a single cultural viewpoint. The mandatory cross-continental team projects — built into every core course — create authentic experience of global collaboration that modular programmes with brief international visits cannot replicate. For executives whose careers require genuine global leadership capabilities rather than a prestigious credential with international flavoring, the OneMBA’s structure delivers differentiated value.

The programme is accredited through AACSB, EQUIS, and AMBA — the prestigious “triple crown” of business school accreditation held by fewer than 1% of business schools worldwide. This ensures that the quality of education meets the highest international standards. For more information, visit the programme’s official website at rsm.nl/onemba or the global OneMBA consortium at onemba.org.