alumni
Academic Year '08-09 Wrap-up: Graduation and Beyond
BSE students will have much to celebrate at their graduation ceremony, which takes place this Friday, July 3 at Casa Milà (La Pedrera). After completing an intense year of study, they make the transition from students to alumni pursuing either professional and academic career paths.
Graduation at a Barcelona Landmark
The BSE will celebrate its 2009 graduation exercises at Casa Milà (La Pedrera), one of the distinctive modernist buildings designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí and a designated UNESCO World Heritage site. Casa Milà (La Pedrera) is owned by Caixa Catalunya, a Board member of the BSE. This year the School will graduate 127 students in 6 master programs.
The keynote speaker at the ceremony will be Mr. Josep Mateu, President of FemCAT. Also participating will be the director of Obra Social Caixa Catalunya, the rectors of the UPF and the UAB, and student speaker Ms. Julia Krein Rocha, who is graduating from the Master in Macroeconomic Policy and Financial Markets. BSE Chairman Andreu Mas-Colell will preside over the graduation and will offer the closing speech of the ceremony. A cocktail reception in the Sala Gaudí at Casa Milà (La Pedrera) will follow.
Alumni Career Paths
Despite the tough economic climate, many graduates have already accepted offers with employers such as the WTO (Geneva), the British Economic Service, the Bank for International Settlements (Basel), and Banc Sabadell. Among other organizations welcoming GSE graduates are ASCAMM, the Fundació Caubet-Cimera, and NEO Metrics.
Graduates choosing an academic path after finishing the master program have elected to do so primarily in PhD programs. A total of 16 students have chosen to enter one of the GSE’s two reference PhD programs in economics: the Graduate Program in Economics, Finance and Management (GPEFM) at the UPF or the International Doctorate in Economic Analysis (IDEA) at the UAB. Others will pursue their studies at the Wharton School of Business, the Tilburg Institute, and other prestigious institutions.
In the interest of highlighting the variety of professional and academic paths that GSE graduates choose, the School has created a new web page called Alumni Career Paths that features profiles of alumni. On this page, visitors can read a brief description of each featured graduate’s work, as well as an archival list of selected businesses, research organizations, and academic institutions where GSE alumni have continued their careers after graduation.
Staying connected via the Alumni Network
To help students transition into their new alumni status, the School has begun developing an Alumni Network. The objective of this initiative is to foster continued interaction and professional contact between alumni and to create a space for exchanging “best practices,” job opportunities, and professional advice.
All 2009 graduates are warmly invited to join the Alumni Network with the hope that it will be a valuable resource for them for years to come. Alumni of all class years can contact the GSE staff for more details on how to participate in the program.
The BSE will celebrate its 2009 graduation exercises at Casa Milà (La Pedrera), one of the distinctive modernist buildings designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí and a designated UNESCO World Heritage site.
Graduation student speaker Julia Krein, here with fellow Macro student Laura Fernández Caballero at the Bellaterra Campus this spring.