The Practical, Hands-on, Real-life MBA 

Sasin’s Flexible MBA is built around what we call Transformative Action Learning. Action Learning includes meeting real-world challenges, implementing solutions, and reflecting on results.

• You’ll work on unstructured, complex, practical, hands-on issues.
• You’ll work in diverse teams to stimulate creative curiosity, questioning, and reflection.
• You’ll generate clear, action-oriented results and the team will learn to tackle more complex problems.

Sasin faculty and alumni talk about Transformative Action Learning at Sasin

As one of our alumni put it:  “The best part of Sasin was working in elective courses as a group to realize our ideas. It was often frustrating, but always rewarding.” Transformative Action Learning is about: challenging and changing your assumptions and beliefs, and transforming your actions. The pace with which technology, culture, society—and as a result management—are evolving leaves conventional thoughts, feelings, and actions far behind. There is an urgent need to recalibrate your reality. That’s transformative learning!  

We Craft Life-long Learning Leaders for a Digital World

In 1982, Chulalongkorn University, Kellogg School of Management of Northwestern University, and The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania established the top English language MBA program in Bangkok. Today, Sasin continues to be the top business school in Thailand. In 2010, Sasin became the first business school in Thailand to receive international accreditation. Sasin was first accredited by AACSB, the US-based accreditation body, and then by EQUIS, the European-based accreditation organization. Sasin is still the only school in Thailand with full accreditations from both organizations, and one of only five Southeast Asia-based business schools with these two accreditations. In 2017, Sasin launched the Flexible MBA: you choose your workload and your completion time (within reason). Whatever speed you choose to complete your MBA, you will participate in the same quality curriculum, with the same distinguished faculty members, and the same transformative action learning approach. Please note: it may not be possible to schedule every single elective in both evening and daytime. University regulations set the maximum MBA completion time as 48 months.  

Exposure to international business, multiple cultures, and global business problems is essential to creating successful business leaders. The Flexible MBA integrates an international perspective throughout the program, with almost every course involving international examples, cases, and perspectives. Students have many opportunities to learn about global business practices and develop international contacts within their class and among the faculty. If you decide not to pursue an International Dual Degree, the Flexible MBA provides several global options.  

Exchange Programs

Sasin offers Flexible MBA students access to an evolving network of exchange programs with over 30 leading b-schools around the world. Exchange programs give you the opportunity to live and study in another country while earning credit towards your MBA at Sasin. As a tool for building your future business network, exchange programs are invaluable. Each year 30-40 MBA students take this opportunity, and a similar number of students choose to visit and study at Sasin. Incoming Exchange Students work closely with their Sasin colleagues, providing further opportunities for cultural exchange and international networking.  

Action Learning Labs

Sasin firmly believes that exposure to real-world situations, multiple cultures, and global business problems is essential to developing successful leaders. The Flexible MBA integrates an international perspective throughout the program, giving Sasin Flexible MBA students a diverse range of opportunities to gain international business experience and work in global teams. We offer a growing variety of global options and collaborations such as the Sasin-MIT Action Learning Lab, the Sasin-Fudan Thailand-China Lab, and the Sasin-Tsinghua SEM Thailand-China Lab.  

Sasin offers students the opportunity to learn about global business practices and develop their international contacts for future business networking through exchange programs with leading business schools in North America, Europe and Asia. Approximately 30-40 full-time MBA students spend one-quarter/semester abroad on Exchange Programs each year. Sasin Flexible MBA students and Dual MBA & Master of Engineering students usually apply for an exchange program in their first year. If there’s an exchange spot available, and you haven’t already gone on an exchange, it’s possible to apply in your second year…but it’s really best to apply in your first year. The exchange period will either be in the first or second academic year depending on the exchange partner school.  

Exchange Partners

You can find more information about the programs of our exchange partners at the links below. Australia QUT Business School, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane Canada Schulich School of Business, York University, Toronto China’s Mainland Guanghua School of Management, Peking University, Beijing School of Management Zhejiang University, Hangzhou Hong Kong City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Taiwan NCCU College of Commerce, National Chengchi University, Taipei France EDHEC Business School, Lille-Nice Emlyon Business School, Ecully ESCP Business School, Paris ESSEC Business School, Cergy-Pontoise Grenoble Ecole de Management, Grenoble HEC School of Management, Jouy-en-Josas IAE d’Aix en Provence, Puyricard Germany EBS Business School, EBS University for Business and Law, Oestrich-Winkel HHL – Leipzig Graduate School of Management, Leipzig WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management, Vallendar Hungary University of Miskolc, Miskolc India India School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad Italy Bocconi University, Milan Japan Graduate School of Business Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tokyo Graduate School of International Management, International University of Japan, Niigata Keio Business School, Keio University, Yokohama Meiji University, Tokyo* NUCB Business School, Nagoya University of Commerce and Business, Nagoya Waseda Business School, Waseda University, Tokyo Malaysia Putra Business School, Selangor Mexico IPADE Business School, Universidad Panamericana, Mexico City Morocco ESCA Ecole de Management, Casablanca Portugal Porto Business School, University of Porto, Porto The Netherlands Rotterdam School of Management (RSM), Erasmus University, Rotterdam South Korea Graduate School of Business Chonnam National University, Gwangju KAIST Graduate School of Business, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul Spain IE Business School, Madrid USA Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, Cornell University, Ithaca Drucker School of Management, Claremont Graduate University, California Fuqua School of Business, Duke University, Durham Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, Evanston Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill USC Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California, Los Angeles The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia United Kingdom Alliance Manchester Business School, University of Manchester, Manchester *Inbound University Program  

Eligibility for Exchanges

All MBA students and Dual MBA & Master of Engineering students are eligible to apply for exchanges. Exchange applicants must go through an exchange ranking process. The exchange ranking process is during February – March. There may be other requirements depending on the exchange partner school. For more information, contact Sasin Experience at SasinExperience@sasin.edu.  

Applying for Exchanges

Sasin Experience will make an announcement when the exchange application period will open. Exchange program applicants are invited to submit an application form and schedule an interview. Applicants will be ranked based upon their GPA and interview scores. The highest ranked student gets to choose first! We usually have enough exchange program places for everyone who wants to go for exchange. But if you want to go on one of the more popular exchanges, you’ll need to have a high ranking: so keep that GPA up and polish your interviewing skills. For students at Sasin’s Exchange Partner Schools who are interested in coming to study at Sasin, your first step is to contact your school’s Exchange Coordinator.  

Action Learning is about challenging and changing assumptions and beliefs and as a consequence, transforming actions. It includes real-world challenges, implementing solutions, and reflecting on results. Students work in diverse teams on unstructured, complex, practical, hands-on issues and generate clear, action-oriented results. All MBA students must take at least one Action Learning Lab. We offer several types of Action Learning Labs. You choose the type that best fits your interests. You can take more than one if you wish.  

Sasin-MIT ASEAN Lab

Sasin-MIT ASEAN Lab is a collaboration between Sasin School of Management and MIT Sloan School of Management. It offers the joint teams of students from both schools a hands-on opportunity to apply leading-edge management frameworks, skills and analytical tools to solve real-world business problems for an ASEAN-based enterprise. This lab also includes a trip to MIT Sloan School of Management.  

Sasin-MIT Action Learning Lab

The Sasin-MIT Action Learning Lab is a joint initiative of the MIT Sloan School of Management and Sasin School of Management. This experience engages joint teams of MBA students from the two schools to work collaboratively on key management challenges facing host companies. If you want to go into consulting or work on practical projects in a specific industry, you might choose this as your Action Learning Lab.  

Sasin-Fudan Thailand-China Lab

The Sasin-Fudan Thailand-China Lab is a joint cooperation between Sasin and the School of Management, Fudan University. Sasin MBA students work with MBA students from the Fudan School of Management on real client projects, in China and in Thailand.  

Sustainability Lab

The Sustainability Lab provides opportunities for students to work on solutions to complex real-world sustainability issues through close collaboration and engagement with a multitude of stakeholders. If you are interested in sustainability management you will want to choose this as your Action Learning Lab and work on real sustainability problems, with real businesses.  

New Ventures Lab

The New Ventures Lab (consulting) and the New Venture Lab (formulation) are perfect for students wishing to break into the world of startups, either through assisting a fledgling new venture in a consultative role or building their own new venture as startup co-founders. If you are interested in creating your own start-up, you may wish to take the New Ventures Lab. Additional Action Learning Labs will be developed from time to time, depending on student demand.  

It’s practical, hands-on, teamwork

All Action Learning requirements will involve some common elements, designed to reinforce Transformative Action Learning. All Action Learning Labs will involve:

• students working in teams,
• to solve real-world business problems. These practical problems might come from existing businesses (in the case of GIM for example), or from problems students themselves identify and choose to solve (in the case of startup business plans, for example).
• mentored by a resource team of faculty, usually assisted by specialized professionals (who will often be Sasin alumni).

Action Learning Labs will normally span several modules. The regular four-week module will usually not give sufficient time for an Action Learning Lab. You can start on your Action Learning Lab any time after you have successfully completed your initial core courses. Be sure to discuss your ideas for an Action Learning Lab with a faculty member, and make sure to confirm the details with your faculty advisor(s) in writing.  

Sasin offers many opportunities and experiences beyond the classroom. In addition to international opportunities, these include:

• taking part in local, regional and global startup competitions (e.g. SCBFLC);
• helping organize Sasin’s own Bangkok Business Challenge (Asia’s longest-running global startup competition);
• attending presentations by noted speakers and renowned global leaders;
• participating in Sasin’s ever-changing array of clubs, sports, and networking activities.