Executive Master
in Strategy, Leadership and Defence Studies
Elevate your leadership with a programme that fuses world-class defence insight and elite executive education.
This Executive Master’s is uniquely tailored to high-potential senior managers, offering a curriculum that draws on the strongest components of leading Defence institutes, War Colleges, and top Global MBA programmes, raising the bar beyond current international standards.
It leverages ESCP’s distinctive academic excellence alongside the unmatched operational experience of the French Army and partner ministries, in close collaboration with UAE authorities. Together, these institutions provide exceptional resources, world-class expertise, and access to top executive practitioners.
Programme objectives:
- To provide participants with a collaborative, multi-disciplinary, and intercultural work experience on a real-life executive challenge
- To put into practice the concepts acquired during the Executive Master in Strategy, Leadership & Defence Studies with the support and guidance of an ESCP faculty members.
Objectives
1
Develop Strategic Mastery
Equip participants with advanced tools in strategic analysis, design, and decision-making to address complex organisational and geopolitical challenges.
2
Strengthen Leadership in High-Stakes Environments
Build the capacity to lead effectively under uncertainty by combining behavioural insights, decision methods, and situational leadership principles.
3
Enhance Understanding of Defence, Industry, and Security Ecosystems
Provide a comprehensive overview of military capabilities, defence industries, and modern security challenges, including cyber, digital, and cognitive domains.
4
Expand Global Perspective on Geopolitics and Geo-economics
Enable participants to interpret global power shifts, assess geopolitical risks, and integrate geopolitical thinking into business and policy strategies.
5
Apply Knowledge Through Real-World Executive Projects
Foster the practical application of learned concepts through wargaming, sustainability modules, and an international consultancy project addressing real executive challenges.
Benefits
1
A holistic strategic mindset integrating defence, business, security, and geopolitical perspectives—rarely combined in a single executive programme.
2
Enhanced decision-making skills refined through gaming simulations, crisis scenarios, and exposure to real-time leadership challenges.
3
The ability to navigate complex global environments, understanding how geopolitical shifts and emerging threats impact both public and private organisations.
4
A stronger analytical toolkit, including macroeconomics, financial analysis, cybersecurity awareness, and sustainability considerations applicable across sectors.
5
Practical, career-enhancing experience gained through collaborative international projects, cross-cultural teamwork, and mentorship by senior practitioners and academic experts.
Executive Master
Strategy, Leadership and Defence Studies
This comprehensive curriculum is designed to equip senior leaders with the strategic acumen, operational awareness, and global perspective required to navigate today’s rapidly evolving defence, security, and geopolitical environments. Spanning nine interconnected modules, it integrates advanced strategy, leadership development, defence ecosystem insights, geopolitical analysis, crisis economics, and digital-age security. Through a blend of academic rigor, practical simulations, and real-world consultancy projects, participants gain a multidimensional understanding of the forces shaping global stability and organisational resilience. This curriculum forms the backbone of a transformative learning journey—one that prepares executives to make informed, decisive, and forward-thinking contributions in complex contexts.
Programme Structure
Module 1: Strategy (Introduction & Context)
- Sustainability (5 ECTS)
- Data Privacy and Security (5 ECTS)
- Research Seminar (4 ECTS)
Module 2 : Decision and Leadership
- Methods & Experience
- Leadership & Situation
Module 3: Defence & Industry
- Military Capabilities understanding
- Defence Ecosystem discovery
Module 4: Geopolitics & Geo-economics
- Geopolitics: Ways of Recomposition of the World
- Geopolitics & Business
Module 5: Business Dynamics in Time of Crisis
- Macroeconomics
- Financial Analysis
Module 6: Global Security in the Digital Age
- National security: threats assessment. Different models of national security
- Continuum Cyber/digital/informational/cognitive/New immaterial field of conflicts
Module 7: Conflicts (through Gaming)
- Wargaming
- Strategic Prospective
Module 8: Asynchronous and Online courses
- Research Seminar
- Sustainability Management
Module 9: Research
- International Consultancy Project (ICP)
- Co-development Workshop
Evaluation
Communication between professors, the programme administration, and participants is primarily conducted through the Canvas LMS platform. This system centralises all module materials, course announcements, assessments, and grades. Evaluation methods vary by course and instructor, and may include quizzes, individual assignments, or group projects.
Executive Master
Strategy, Leadership and Defence Studies
Admission Process
Candidates must hold a recognised degree equivalent to at least 40CH or 180 ECTS. The selection process is divided into two stages:
- Application Review
- Interview
As all applicants are expected to have studied or worked in an English-speaking environment, no English language certificate is required.
Fees
250,000 AED