The Executive MBA at the University of Geneva equips participants with strategic, financial, and leadership skills over two years. But it’s in the Capstone Project, at the very end of the programme, that everything comes together. This real-world challenge pushes participants to turn theory into action—and deliver strategic solutions to real organisational needs.
Why the Capstone matters
Throughout the EMBA, students apply their learning to their real-life work environments and are guided by faculty staff. The Capstone Project is an opportunity to fly solo and put everything they have learnt into practice by taking full ownership of a complex business case and applying the full benefit of their learning to it. Over the course of 9 to 10 months, participants work in small groups on a real business challenge—drawn from one of their own organisations or from a programme partner. Cases range from market expansion to organisational change, mergers, digital transformation, governance questions or new business models.
A structured framework grounded in real-world practice
The Capstone isn’t just about applying knowledge, it’s also about quality of analysis. Students carry out comprehensive academic and scientific research to truly analyse what’s at stake while connecting the issues to course content (finance, strategy, marketing, responsible leadership, etc.). Once this foundation is in place, they collect qualitative and quantitative data, a process that forges a genuine link with the company and ensures the project is founded on real-life data. This also means that the end result is not a high-level consultancy report, but is grounded in reality and is a genuinely useful, strategic solution that the student’s organisation can utilise.
Three clients, one challenge
Throughout the process, the students are accountable to three stakeholders:
– The organisation: Each project has a designated company liaison who ensures relevance and access to data.
– The university: A faculty supervisor offers academic guidance and methodological support at key moments.
– The group: Perhaps the most challenging aspect: managing team dynamics, aligning goals, and balancing personal and professional commitments across time zones, careers, and cultures.
The Capstone experience becomes an exercise in self-leadership, collaboration, and the kind of negotiation and decision-making required in high-level roles. For added support, each group is paired with an external mentor who helps them reflect on how they work together—identifying friction points, strengthening communication and supporting team effectiveness.
Celebrating impact
At the end of the programme, the Capstone projects are celebrated during the graduation ceremony. The ultimate winning project is chosen by a jury of former graduates and each member of the winning team is rewarded with a Parmigiani Fleurier timepiece.
Excited about the potential of a Capstone challenge and how it could impact your career? Explore the rest of the EMBA at the University of Geneva.
Contact us to learn more about the EMBA programme at the University of Geneva.
