Within the framework of the General Management MBA, the advanced semester is the absolute highlight of this course of study due to its high degree of flexibility. The content focuses can be completed in different formats according to interest and need. In addition to courses in Vienna and Krems, students have the opportunity to study abroad and thus also attend courses at international universities abroad.

Study trips to Shanghai, Lisbon, Vancouver, Colorado and Silicon Valley are currently offered.

Ali Reza Haidari, participant of the General Management MBA, Class 2016-2018, was in Silicon Valley and reports about his experiences. 

"The study trip to Silicon Valley and Stanford University with the focus on entrepreneurship and innovation appealed to me very much even before I started my studies. 

The program of the one-week study trip included lectures, company visits and a city tour. The study trip started at Buena Vista Park, where we got to know each other better and received information for the upcoming program. During the visit of other attractions, such as Twin Peaks, the Golden Gate Bridge and Fisherman's Wharf, we were able to get a first impression of San Francisco. 

The lectures took place both in San Francisco and at Stanford University. In San Francisco we heard interesting lectures from Professor Tom Byers and from a business angel on the subject of venture capital and on the developments in Silicon Valley over the last few years. I personally liked the Business Angel's presentation very much, because from his point of view we were able to take a closer look at the conditions for deciding on a financing, the associated opportunities and the risk.  

At Stanford University, we analyzed a case study together with the lecturers and also attended lectures on venture capital, funding and ownership and women entrepreneurship. The case study was very interesting because we got to know the people from the case study personally and were able to ask questions directly and exchange experiences. We also explored the university campus and visited the D-School (Design School). 

Additionally, we visited companies at Google, NASA Ames and two very interesting start ups. During a company presentation of Google we got to know the company culture and got a campus tour from a Google employee, which was very informative. I personally found the visit at NASA Ames not very enriching and therefore not worth telling. 

My conclusion: Due to the varied offer I found the study trip very interesting and can only recommend it. We not only attended lectures at a renowned university, but were also able to meet interesting people, make contacts, visit world-famous companies and interesting start ups, learn from the experiences of the executives and explore an exciting city with enormous opportunities. 

You can read more reports on study trips here.