Fashion School Q&A: Antwerp Management School

Antwerp Management School (AMS) is a top-ranked business school in Belgium. AMS offers postgraduate academic programs for young graduates and executive education for individual professionals and organizations. FashionUnited recently spoke to Iris Beyers, Project Manager Marketing at Antwerp Management School to discuss the type of courses the college offers, the impact of Covid-19, and the future plans of the institute.

How has the transition from in-house to remote learning been for the school and students?

AMS opted for a hybrid learning approach that combines different forms of teaching and working, with both in-person education and virtual learning activities. We use the most appropriate mix for each program and course, depending on the current (coronavirus) situation. Our faculty has prepared varying scenarios and switches easily whenever necessary.

Every crisis offers opportunities and inspires to act in new ways: AMS now regularly organizes free online webinars, about a variety of topics.

We are very happy that we managed to welcome our full-time master’s students in person on campus in September 2021. So, when shifting all educational activities online in October, the students had already met one another, which made it easier for them to reach out to one another.

And also the AMS staff thought of innovative original ways to personally stay in touch with their students, some examples: in December, the full-time master’s team went to visit their students with a small gift, the team of the Master in Real Estate Management personally delivered books and study material to their participants, in January, some faculty of the Master in Innovation & Entrepreneurship examined students outside when walking. When limited on-campus activities were allowed again by the government in February, we invited small groups back on campus, which was much appreciated.

Our students showed great resilience. Despite the fact that a lot was closed in Milan (Italy), the fashion students enjoyed their time there while studying at Domus Academy for three weeks. The trip to Brazil was canceled though, so we immersed the students in international perspectives on fashion management by bringing the world to their (online) classroom: fashion professionals from all over the world were invited in online classes, sharing their insights about the challenges of the fashion industry.

How would you describe the Antwerp Management School student community?

Our student community is very diverse: On campus, you can find different types of students: executives and young full-time master’s students coming from all over the world. This results in a very heterogenic mix that creates a lively buzzy atmosphere. To quote Philip Suykens, alumnus 2020: “Where AMS really stood out and what other business schools often lacked in my personal opinion, was the fact that AMS really felt like home.

Not only the beautiful campus but primarily also the people at AMS (students, staff and faculty) made you feel at ease. It is big enough to always be very lively and busy, but small enough to personally know almost everyone walking around.” At AMS there is close contact between students, staff, and faculty. This results in meaningful, personal interaction.

What kind of courses does Antwerp Management School offer? What is the focus area?

For more than 60 years, AMS has been providing high-quality management training and research. AMS is accredited by AACSB and NVAO and listed in the Financial Times Rankings. Our master's programs are highly ranked in Eduniversal Rankings en QS World University Rankings. AMS also takes into account the principles for responsible management education as presented by PRME. AMS wants to help its customers to create sustainable value. We want to boost personal and professional growth. We believe in developing people’s self-awareness, global perspective and societal consciousness.

AMS offers 9 full-time master’s programs in different fields of study: international management, HRM, fashion, supply chain, transport, finance, innovation & entrepreneurship. 4 executive master’s programs, including an EMBA short master classes for professionals, different topics, from leadership to design thinking tailor-made programs for businesses and organizations. In the full-time master’s programs, personal development is a core element. With the Global Leadership Skills track, we challenge and coach you to become more aware of who you are, how you cooperate with others, and what kind of career you want to pursue. 

Today’s employers are looking for exactly the same set of soft skills you will develop during this track: self-awareness, the ability to work collaboratively with others, leadership skills, openness to and respect for different perspectives, multicultural awareness.

What do we need to know about Antwerp Management School?

Antwerp Management School (AMS) is a small top-ranked international business school in Antwerp, a vibrant city in Belgium, the heart of Europe. For the past 60 years, Antwerp Management School has been at the forefront of innovation, transformation, entrepreneurship and ecosystems, always in the best interest of people and society. In all these years our ambition has remained unchanged. Our baseline perfectly captures what we stand for: “Opening minds to impact the world”. Our three key values haven’t changed either: a global perspective, societal consciousness and self-awareness are still at the heart of everything we do.

At AMS, we look beyond the mere transfer of technical knowledge, we also want to stimulate your personal development. Our approach is straightforward: the better you feel like a person, the more confident you are when dealing with complicated business situations. The more accurate your self-image, the better you are able to work with other people and lead others in a responsible manner that commands respect.

We believe in a higher purpose for executive education; that of creating a positive impact on society. This is reflected by a new ranking that was launched by the World Economic Forum in Davos, in January 2020. The new rating “Positive Impact Rating for Business Schools” (PIR) is a clear indication that preparing young people for a successful career has taken on a broader meaning. AMS is one of the three European business schools that are ranked as “transforming schools”.

At AMS, you are not a number. Our personal approach is what sets us apart from other business schools and ensures that your education is tailored especially towards your career goals.

What are the plans for this year? Any new things coming up?

At this moment, AMS has 26000 alumni, spread all over the world. If you study at AMS, you will become part of a global network. We have the vision of creating a trustworthy and future-proof community that our alumni are proud of. We want to be there for our alumni at every stage of their career by offering them services that can be beneficial for them at the different stages of their lives. In June 2021 we will launch a brand new Alumni Platform, a place where alumni can connect, share their knowledge, update their profile, see what is going on in the network and stay close to AMS.

AMS is constantly partnering up to offer interesting content to different industries. An example regarding our fashion program is the Responsible Fashion Series in collaboration with the University of Antwerp and the Antwerp Fashion Museum. This event will take place from Wednesday, October 20 until Friday, October 22.

AMS continues to internationalize, we are constantly looking for new opportunities and partners abroad that share the same values and mindset. We don’t claim to know it all, but we cultivate an open mind culture within our programs, giving students the tools to understand the world. Working with faculty from all over the world, sharing knowledge and insights, as well as creating diverse groups of participants with different perspectives – All of which serve to enrich their learning experience.

A few examples: Our EMBA has a brand new alliance with ESSCA School of Management – ESSCA, allowing us to have intakes in Paris in November 2021. Our team of the Master in International Fashion Management currently explores collaboration with Arch College of Design and Business in Jaipur, India.

AMS, along with its partner university, the University of Antwerp, is currently pursuing EQUIS accreditation, which will bring AMS in the top league of less than 100 business schools worldwide that are Triple Crown Accredited.

Do you have any tips for future students who want to study at Antwerp Management School?

At AMS we welcome students that are open-minded and eager to be in a truly multicultural setting. We are looking for well-rounded candidates - students that not only have achieved success in their academics, but also have been involved in other projects or organizations, or have given back to the community in some way. When you apply for a program, make sure to showcase these extra-curricular activities as well. And most importantly, be yourself.

Images: AMS