Programme tradition

Our success story begins from 1993. After discovering that there are unsatisfied needs in Slovenia for managers to have up-to-date and globally competitive knowledge and skills, Janez Prašnikar, PhD. and his colleagues designed an MBA programme for current and future top managers.

In collaboration with top business schools in the world and leading experts on study fields, the programme was designed in a way to provide the students analytical skills, relevant managerial tools for environment analysis and decision making and trains them to work intensively in multi-cultural and extremely competitive environment.

The first generation of MBA Radovljica (Radovljica is a town less than 50 kilometres from Ljubljana) students was enrolled in the programme in 1993/1994. The study programme was primarily designed as a campus type of study. Students lived together in a beautiful environment of historical tourist town, Radovljica, a beautiful natural setting in the Gorenjska region of Slovenia. There were enjoying the comfort of Grajski dvor hotel, where each student had a room with a bathroom and possibility to use fitness room, gym, sauna and swimming pool. The classes were held in special quarts of Intertrade center, easily accessible from the hotel. Yet, the costs of the programme in Radovljica were incomparably higher than fee for the programme today and students mainly gained scholarships to attend the programme from companies. Students were working hard, yet they have had a great time and many still refer to their study experience as one of the most valuable in their life.

Also the programme logotype »R« is derived to honour the Programme's beginnings in Radovljica.

Later, the MBA Radovljica programme was moved to the School of Economics and Business main quarters in Ljubljana and renamed in IMB (International Full-Time Master Programme in Business Administration).

This was done in order to address the needs of changing structure in students’ profiles attending the programme. In the first generations of students, male students dominated and students have had significant working experience before attending the programme.

The dynamics in the post-transition Slovenian environment offered the following trends on which we adopted:

• Each year more female students attended the programme, so in current generations, there is a natural balance between genders;
• Students from abroad were increasingly interested in attending the MBA Radovljica programme, therefore now at least one third of the students come from abroad. Students come form the U.S., Canada; Germany, France, Finland, Portugal, Austria; the People’s Republic of China, India; the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, Moldova; Poland, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Slovakia; Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Kosovo.
• Younger students have been applying for the programme due to changes in the Slovene educational system. IMB students are now in majority young, talented and ambitious people with or without working experience, so we offer a offer a programme to bridge the gap between Bologna study system, which makes students difficult to gain working experience without completing their studies before and a business world that requires special skills and knowledge form the candidates, which can be obtained by working and/or attending the IMB Programme.

The Alumni MBA Radovljica was initiated by the first generation of students with the aim to instigate and enables keeping in touch with study colleagues and cross-generational contacts. The Alumni association was established in 1996 and since then it regularly organises events, where members socialise, issues publications, organise professional lectures and offers networking possibilities. During the last 22 years of the study programme existence, it turned into one of best and most prestigious master programmes in the local and broader business environment.

Our graduates enjoy a good international reputation of being well-skilled, knowledgeable, and hard-working and ambitious in the eyes of employers. Many students, who finished the programme, have reached top managerial positions in influential companies. Being an IMB student is an honour with an obligation to work hard, play fairly and defend the good reputation of the programme. Being a part of our success story is a privilege and pleasure. Are you ready to enter your world of ambition?