To best support our students across the campus network and accommodate new students during these unprecedented times, we’re making temporary adjustments to certain organizational and educational policies. We do not expect these changes to have significant impact on the students’ study planning. Examples of changes we are making include:
As our campuses reopen amidst eased restrictions during the current global pandemic, several measures and guidelines were reviewed and are being implemented, related to (online) education quality, and related to campus health and safety. As we prepare for the start of the Fall Quarter, further updates will be shared on this page.
Our entire next academic year will be organized based on the following framework. This framework was developed based on the experience from the Spring and Summer Quarters of the 2019-2020 academic year, the preferences of our student community, and general best practices in higher education. The framework prioritizes campus-based teaching, but allows for immediate switching to virtual teaching and online courses whenever and wherever necessary. In order to achieve such flexibility, and to regulate the time on-campus, a certain number of courses across the campus network will be organized as online courses only.
More (detailed) information for each campus will be made available while we move closer to the start of the new academic year. Please connect with our Admissions Department to discuss your individual situation and preferences. Feel free to reach out to our Admissions Department via e-mail at admissions@uibs.org, via WhatsApp or phone at +41442011222, or via LiveChat at the bottom right of this page.
We look forward to welcoming our students back in the Fall!
Starting dates
Students can (re)start in any Term. Refer to the Academic Calendar for details.
Travel restriction
Students who experience restrictions to travel to their campus of choice may start their studies with online courses, and continue on-campus in the following term once travel restrictions are lifted. Refer to your country’s Embassy nearest to your preferred campus, or to the local Ministry of Foreign Affairs. See the links near the bottom of this page.
Student visas
Students who experience delays in their student visa application or renewal may also start or restart their studies with online courses, similar to students who experience other travel restrictions.
Campus health
All campuses are cleaned thoroughly on a daily basis, emphasizing surfaces frequently touched. All main and branch campuses are also equipped with hand sanitizers and access control. Campus investments continue, with a priority for health-related items.
Mouth masks
Mouth masks are mandatory across the campus network, even when located in regions where there is no mouth mask requirement in public.
Social distancing
Social distancing is recommended across the campus network, and results in a local policy on class sizes, campus circulation and on-campus teaching time.
Class sizes
For online courses, our class sizes are aimed at 24 students, with a margin for late enrollments up to 30. For regular courses, taking into consideration the recommendation for social distancing, our class sizes vary across the campus network. Several campuses are equipped for typical class sizes with social distancing, while others are equipped only for smaller class sizes with social distancing.
Course planning
Because of our flexible study programs, multiple starting dates and professional digital platforms, we are fully prepared for unplanned or required changes in our course planning. Our setup allows us to shift between regular and online courses whenever and wherever necessary, for the safety of our academic community. Each Term, we can switch each campus or group individually between regular and online courses, and if need be, also continue regular courses virtually mid-Term. More information about the course planning is available for registered students.
The following options are available to our new and continuing students:
Option A: a 100% online course selection, organized the same was as during the Spring and Summer Quarters of the 2019 – 2020 academic year. This is an excellent option for students who are unable to travel (back) to campus, or who simply prefer interactive online education.
Option B: a blended course selection with a number of regular and/or blended courses, combined with a number of online courses. The online courses will be the same as for students choosing Option A. The percentage of campus-based and online courses will be different for each student depending on their selection, and be different at each campus depending on local restrictions. Students who started most recently will have priority for campus-based courses. This is an excellent option for students who wish to have a (though temporarily still limited) campus experience. In an effort to minimize exposure time to other students and faculty and team members, on-campus contact hours (cases and discussions) are limited – with the other part organized online (theory and concepts). We intend to shift more contact hours from an online format to a campus-based format as the local situation develops positively.
Team members
Our team members are available to students as normal, either on-campus with office hours, or virtually.
Campus visits
Our Admissions Advisors are available and ready to meet with you virtually, or on-campus upon appointment. Mouth masks are mandatory, and visits are limited to 1 hour.
Synchronous teaching happens in real-time and with face-to-face (virtual) communication and interaction between students and professors.
Regular courses are courses in a regular format with traditional campus-based teaching and learning in group, organized fully synchronously.
Hybrid courses are courses in a hybrid format with virtual and traditional teaching and learning in group, organized fully synchronously. Asynchronous teaching with non-interactive auditorium-style lectures does not fit our educational beliefs and is therefore not organized.
Online courses are courses in an online format with virtual teaching and learning in group only, organized fully synchronously. Asynchronous learning by self-study is available as an option, referred to as distance learning. Asynchronous teaching with non-interactive webinar-style lectures does not fit our educational beliefs and is therefore not organized.
Regular programs are programs whereby students traditionally attempt regular courses only. Our students can attempt courses across the campus network, as well as online.
Blended programs are programs whereby students mix regular, hybrid and online courses.
Online programs are programs whereby students traditionally attempt online courses only. Our students can also attempt regular courses across the campus , and blend their programs.
The Summer Quarter starts on Monday, July 6 and finishes on Friday, September 18. Term A starts on July 6 and finishes on August 8, and Term B starts on August 17 and finishes on September 18.
The following applies only to the virtual courses that we will continue to organize during the Summer Quarter. The following does NOT relate to the additional campus-based courses that we may also organize during the Summer Quarter, subject to certain conditions. More information about these possible campus-based courses will be made available separately for new and continuing students.
During the Summer Quarter all Undergraduate courses are always organized on a 5-week basis, unlike during the Fall, Winter and Spring Quarters during which Undergraduate courses are typically organized on a 10-week basis.
All Graduate courses will continue to be organized on a 5-week basis.
All Undergraduate courses will be graded according to the existing grading sheet of 5-week courses organized during the Summer Quarter. Attendance will not be mandatory, but highly recommended. Participation will be mandatory and will be graded also.
All exams across all campuses will be open-book take-home exams during the exam weeks from May 4 to 8 and from June 15 to 19. All Undergraduate courses will not have a mid-term exam and will only have a final exam. Upon returning to campus-based teaching, students will again have closed-book exams for some or all courses, and at some or all campuses.
The teaching method will be based on virtual office hours. The teaching method for all courses during the Summer Quarter will be confirmed before the end of Term B of the Spring Quarter, subject to the situation at each campus.
Schedules for the upcoming Term are made available by the end of the current Term. Schedules may still change due to the rescheduling efforts that may be ongoing after the start of the Term. Schedules for all groups and for all campuses will be centralized on the SharePoint. The link to the SharePoint location will be shared in the student groups on Teams.
New students starting will attend a virtual registration event and will be informed personally of the time and date of the registration, the connection details and the team member who will welcome them.
With courses based on a system of virtual office hours, students may be assigned to student groups consisting of students from multiple campuses, depending on total enrollments for a specific course. Consider this an opportunity to extend your network beyond the student group you typically attend classes with.
With courses based on a system of virtual office hours, and depending on total enrollments for a specific course, professors who typically teach in one campus may be reassigned to another. We are prioritizing professors with doctoral degrees in order to achieve the highest possible academic standard.
Students joining us, and continuing with us, during the coronavirus pandemic with online courses will be waived of the Blockchain fee and will automatically receive a blockchain-verifiable diploma. This should make students employable faster. UIBS introduced blockchain-verifiable diplomas already in 2019.
Students who start online can transition easily to campus-based courses whenever the local situation allows for this. Only note that student visas may still be needed for non(European)-residents, but that many non(European)-residents may also be able to attend a number of courses or weeks on-campus without the need for a student visa. Refer to the visa guidelines for details on what may be possible. Studying abroad expands your horizons, but studying online certainly does too in this modern time and age!
You can study in blocks of 5 weeks, earning up to 10 European Credits. There are multiple starting dates, in May, July and August.
The 2020 Graduation Ceremony is postponed. Further information will follow when available. We hope to organize the event in September, but subject to possible restrictions, availability and everyone’s willingness to travel.
The Spring Quarter starts on Monday, April 6 and finishes on Friday, June 19. Term A starts on April 6 and finishes on May 8, and Term B starts on May 18 and finishes on June 19.
During the Spring Quarter, all Undergraduate courses will be organized on a 5-week basis instead of the regular 10-week basis. During the Summer Quarter all courses are also organized on a 5-week basis. All Undergraduate courses will therefore be scheduled either during Term A or Term B only.
All Graduate courses will continue to be organized on a 5-week basis.
All Undergraduate courses will be graded according to the existing grading sheet of 5-week courses organized also during the Summer Quarter. Attendance will not be mandatory, but highly recommended. Participation will be mandatory and will be graded also.
For all courses scheduled during the Spring Quarter, all exams across all campuses will be open-book take-home exams during the exam weeks from May 4 to 8 and from June 15 to 19. All Undergraduate courses will not have a mid-term exam and will only have a final exam. Upon returning to campus-based teaching, students will again have closed-book exams for some or all courses, and at some or all campuses.
The teaching method for all courses during the Spring Quarter will be based on virtual office hours. The teaching method for all courses during the Summer Quarter will be confirmed before the end of Term B of the Spring Quarter, subject to the situation at each campus.
Schedules for the upcoming Term are made available by the end of the current Term. Schedules may still change due to the rescheduling efforts that may be ongoing after the start of the Term. Schedules for all groups and for all campuses will be centralized on the SharePoint. The link to the SharePoint location will be shared in the student groups on Teams.
New students starting will attend a virtual registration event and will be informed personally of the time and date of the registration, the connection details and the team member who will welcome them.
With courses based on a system of virtual office hours, students may be assigned to student groups consisting of students from multiple campuses, depending on total enrollments for a specific course. Consider this an opportunity to extend your network beyond the student group you typically attend classes with.
With courses based on a system of virtual office hours, and depending on total enrollments for a specific course, professors who typically teach in one campus may be reassigned to another. We are prioritizing professors with doctoral degrees in order to achieve the highest possible academic standard.
Students joining us, and continuing with us, during the coronavirus pandemic with online courses will be waived of the Blockchain fee and will automatically receive a blockchain-verifiable diploma. This should make students employable faster. UIBS introduced blockchain-verifiable diplomas already in 2019.
Students who start online can transition easily to campus-based courses whenever the local situation allows for this. Only note that student visas may still be needed for non(European)-residents, but that many non(European)-residents may also be able to attend a number of courses or weeks on-campus without the need for a student visa. Refer to the visa guidelines for details on what may be possible. Studying abroad expands your horizons, but studying online certainly does too in this modern time and age!
You can study in blocks of 5 weeks, earning up to 10 European Credits. There are multiple starting dates, in May, July and August.
Teaching and learning locations
Until further notice, all professors teach and all students learn remotely from home. Campuses may re-open from as soon as the local government policies allow for this. Details will be announced separately at a later date.
In Milan, campus-based teaching switched to virtual teaching a few weeks before the end of Term B of the Winter Quarter. Also in Madrid and Barcelona we switched to virtual teaching for the remaining sessions that were scheduled on-campus during the teaching weeks of Term B. All exams across all campuses were switched to open-book take-home exams during the exam week from March 16 to 20. No on-campus events took place after switching to virtual teaching. The Spring Break was from March 23 to April 3 with no scheduled sessions, exams or other events. All team members across all campuses switched to working from home or remotely, and no inter-campus travel of neither faculty or team members took place during the Spring Break. No cases of infected students, faculty or team members were reported.
Start with virtual courses remotely, along with all continuing students. Professors will teach these courses from our campus conference rooms once the home campus of the professor is accessible again. Once campuses become accessible again, local students will be able to transition to campus-based learning in these virtual courses again. Campus-based courses will be organized in the Term following the reopening of each local campus. Some virtual courses may remain depending on local organizational restrictions.
Start at your campus of choice, and also consider the alternative academic options for all students described below.
Virtual teaching, by means of connecting two or more conference rooms, has been an integral part of our day-to-day teaching activities, for one group or campus more than another depending on enrollments and professors.
While our typical virtual teaching, “virtual courses” as we refer to them internally, are based on a typical teaching method, such method becomes less practical with all students connecting remotely rather than from dedicated conference rooms. While the system we use for video conferencing is capable of handling many simultaneous connections, the teaching method has to be adapted. Courses that are scheduled virtually from the Spring Quarter onwards, will be organized based on a system of virtual office hours, whereby professors are available during designated times published in the schedules, and whereby students prepare assignments and review course materials in advance of those virtual office hours so that this time is used not for group lectures but for addressing certain topics that students have questions about. Our video conference best practices will be reviewed and adjusted for such situation. Such best practices include, for instance, not speaking all at the same time, avoiding background noise, and connecting with a laptop rather than with a tablet or a mobile phone.
Students may consider the following academic options for one or more courses. These options may contribute positively to an individual’s general health risk.
We highly recommend following local news outlets, where possible to also follow international news outlets who may bring a different perspective (which was at least the case in 2011 at our campus in Tokyo with the Fukushima disaster), to follow notices from local health authorities, and to also follow the hygiene practices promoted by the local health ministry.
Finally, in such sensitive times, we ask that everyone be cautious with the information they spread. We ask you to please verify that something is true before passing it along. Rumors and misinformation can challenge decision-making and can lead to mistakes. We kindly ask you to take the time to verify what you are sharing as it is important to our overall response to this current situation.
We will continue to monitor the situation and adapt these guidelines where needed. Thank you all for your support and understanding during these exceptional circumstances.
General information
https://news.un.org/en/events/un-news-coverage-coronavirus-outbreak
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
Travel advice
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/travel-advice
Situation reports
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/situation-reports
https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6
Travel advice from the local government:
https://www.nederlandwereldwijd.nl
Coronavirus information from the local government:
Travel advice from the local government:
https://diplomatie.belgium.be/nl/Diensten/Op_reis_in_het_buitenland/reisadviezen
Coronavirus information from the local government:
Travel advice from the local government:
Coronavirus information from the local government:
https://www.mscbs.gob.es/profesionales/saludPublica/ccayes/alertasActual/nCov-China/home.htm
Travel advice from the local government:
https://diplomatie.belgium.be/nl/Diensten/Op_reis_in_het_buitenland/reisadviezen
Coronavirus information from the local government:
Travel advice from the local government:
https://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home.html#
Coronavirus information from the local government:
Travel advice from the local government:
Coronavirus information from the local government:
https://www.mscbs.gob.es/profesionales/saludPublica/ccayes/alertasActual/nCov-China/home.htm
Travel advice from the local government:
http://www.viaggiaresicuri.it/
Coronavirus information from the local government:
http://www.protezionecivile.gov.it/risk-activities/health-risk/emergencies/coronavirus
Travel advice from the local government:
Coronavirus information from the local government:
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/seisakunitsuite/bunya/newpage_00032.html
Travel advice from the local government:
https://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home.html#
Coronavirus information from the local government:
The following are frequently asked questions from current students. Note that the following questions and answers are considered to be informative only and under no circumstances to be understood as formal statements from the school. Confirmation can be obtained in writing from the Office of the Registrar, Office of the Bursar or your local Academic Coordinator. In all cases, the applicable Terms and Conditions will apply.
The following are frequently asked questions from new students. Note that the following questions and answers are considered to be informative only and under no circumstances to be understood as formal statements from the school. Confirmation can be obtained in writing from the Admissions Department. In all cases, the applicable Terms and Conditions will apply.
The teaching method will be somewhat different from the usual group teaching method, but your studies can continue as normal.
Yes, the professors provide a syllabus at the start of each course, which details the type and deadlines of all assessments.
Students who enroll for courses and consequently earn credits will not be affected by graduating later than initially expected at the start of the program. All courses remain available, but are only temporarily organized differently.
Fees are due payable according to a fixed payment schedule. Any fees paid already paid are added to the balance. Only charges are added to the balance related to the actual courses attempted.
We partnered with ProQuest several years ago to provide students access to their online research library.
All our admissions team members remain available by e-mail, phone, Skype and WhatsApp. We currently advise against non-essential personal face-to-face meetings.
Students may pause their education for 3 months/1 quarter per academic year without the applicable program fees changing to the newest program fee schedule. The program fees for those pausing more than 3 months/1 quarter will change to the newest program fee schedule, which is likely to be higher.
Graduate students may pause per Term as all courses start and finish in a single Term. Undergraduate students typically could not, but from the Spring Quarter onwards also all Undergraduate courses are scheduled on a 5-week basis, allowing for this option.
All our team members remain available by e-mail and phone. Most of our team members also created a Skype account to connect. Our Admissions Department specifically is also available via WhatsApp. Current students may also reach out to us via the Teams app. We currently advise against non-essential personal face-to-face meetings.
Payments that are not made according to the payment schedule included in your acceptance letter, or according to an adjusted payment schedule prepared by our Office of the Bursar, will result in non-participation and consequent exclusion from the program. Payments made late result in a fixed and variable additional late payment fee. There is no deviation from the standard policy.
Connect with your fellow students or a team member for app usability issues, or refer to a local or online IT shop for software and hardware issues with your device.
Dedicated since 2002 to cross-cultural education with a global perspective, United International Business Schools (UIBS) is an independent private education institution with campuses across Europe and Asia. UIBS offers flexible business and management studies at the Undergraduate (Bachelor/BBA) and (Post)Graduate (Master/MBA and Doctor/DBA) level leading to private (programmatically-accredited) degrees, and to American regionally-accredited and European state-recognized degrees in cooperation with our academic partners. Our sister institution, the European College for Liberal Studies (ECLS), offers interdisciplinary liberal and global studies also at the Undergraduate and (Post)Graduate level.
© 2002 - 2020, Global Education Corporation AG. All rights reserved. Cookies Policy | Privacy Policy | Disclaimer | Share
 |
Swiss Private Education |