One of the features that makes European Master in Management programmes distinctive is how easily they send you abroad — and the most ambitious version of that is the double degree: study at two schools, in two countries, and graduate with two separate master’s diplomas. It sounds like an exchange on steroids, but it’s a genuinely different thing, with its own trade-offs. This guide explains what a double-degree MiM actually is, how it differs from an exchange, and whether it’s worth the extra time and cost.
What a double degree actually is
A double-degree (or dual-degree) MiM is a programme run jointly by two partner schools, usually in different countries. You spend a substantial block of your studies at each, meet both schools’ graduation requirements, and walk away with two distinct master’s diplomas — one from your home school, one from the partner.
The typical shape is a year or so at each institution (formats vary widely), with the curriculum coordinated so that the time abroad counts toward both degrees rather than extending your studies indefinitely. You usually apply through your home school first, then enter the double-degree track during the programme. The pay-off is two credentials, two alumni networks, and two countries’ worth of experience and contacts from a single, planned programme.
Double degree vs exchange: the crucial difference
People conflate the two, but the distinction is simple and it matters:
- An exchange sends you to a partner university for a term or two. The credits transfer back, and you graduate with one degree — your home school’s. It’s an experience layered onto a single MiM. (For how the exchange route works on its own — cost, choosing a destination, funding — see the MiM exchange semester explained.)
- A double degree has you complete a full block of study at the partner and satisfy its graduation requirements, so you receive a second, separate diploma as well. It’s two qualifications, not one degree with a trip attached.
So a double degree is longer and more demanding than an exchange, but you end up with two recognised master’s degrees and two complete networks. Many schools offer both routes, so when a programme advertises “international opportunities,” check whether a given partnership is an exchange or a true double degree — the difference shows up on your CV.
A related model is the joint degree, where a single qualification is awarded by more than one school together. The CEMS Master in International Management is effectively a multi-school version of this idea — a prestigious diploma layered on top of your home MiM across an alliance of schools — and it scratches a similar “study in several countries, build a global network” itch.
The pros — and the real costs
Why a double degree can be brilliant:
- Two diplomas, two markets. A credential from a strong school in your target country can open doors a foreign degree alone wouldn’t — useful if you want to work where the second school is based.
- Two alumni networks. You graduate into both communities, doubling your reach for jobs, referrals and mentorship.
- A genuinely international signal. Completing two schools’ requirements in two countries is harder to fake than a semester abroad, and recruiters who hire for cross-cultural ability read it accordingly. (It deepens the international exposure that a European MiM already builds in.)
Why it isn’t for everyone:
- Time. A double degree usually runs longer than a single MiM — more months before you start earning.
- Money. You may pay two schools’ fees and fund two relocations and sets of living costs. Budget honestly.
- Logistics and language. Two visas, two housing searches, two academic systems — and some partnerships carry language requirements for the second school. It’s more to manage.
- Selectivity. Double-degree tracks are often competitive and may have academic conditions, so they’re not guaranteed even once you’re admitted to the home MiM.
Who should consider one
A double degree makes most sense if you:
- want to build a career across two countries, or break into a market where the partner school’s diploma carries real weight;
- value two networks and a strong international signal, and
- can absorb the extra time and cost.
If your goals are more local, or you want the fastest, cheapest route into the job market, a single MiM — perhaps with an exchange semester — may give you most of the international upside without the second set of fees and the extra year. Think of the double degree as a deliberate specialisation of your MiM toward an international career, in the same way you’d choose a functional specialisation: worth it when it points at the career you actually want, overkill when it doesn’t.
How to find and get one
Many of the top European MiMs — especially the larger French, Italian and other Grande École-style schools — run double degrees with partners across Europe, North America, Asia and beyond. But the exact partners, structures, costs and entry rules differ by school and change every year, so the only reliable source is each programme’s own double-degree or partnerships page.
In practice you usually:
- Apply to your home school’s MiM through its normal process.
- Apply or are selected into the double-degree track during the programme — places are competitive and may carry academic or language conditions.
- Confirm the current partner list and requirements on the school’s site before you count on a specific pairing.
To compare which schools offer the partnerships you want, browse the full catalogue and the composite rankings, and once your shortlist forms, keep every deadline straight with the deadline tracker.
The bottom line
A double-degree MiM lets you graduate from two schools, in two countries, with two diplomas — a powerful, genuinely international credential when you want a cross-border career, and an expensive, time-consuming one when you don’t. It’s different from an exchange (two degrees, not one) and from the joint CEMS model (separate diplomas, not a single shared one). Decide it the way you’d decide any specialisation: by whether the second diploma and network point at the career you actually want — and confirm the specifics on each school’s own partnerships page, because the pairings change every cycle.
Sources & how to confirm
This guide describes the general, well-established structure of double/dual-degree and exchange options in European Master in Management programmes — two partner schools, a block of study and graduation requirements at each, and two separate diplomas, versus a single-degree exchange. The specific partner schools, programme structures, fees, language rules and selection processes vary by school and change every cycle, so no particular pairing or requirement is asserted here — confirm the current details on each programme’s own double-degree/partnerships page before you rely on them. Nothing in this piece invents a school-specific partnership or figure. Last checked June 2026.