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Stockholm School of Economics in Riga

Stockholm School of Economics in Riga

Stockholm School of Economics in Riga

Introduction

One of Europe's Finest Business Schools

You don’t have to go far from home to study in one of the best Business Schools in Europe. The mission of SSE Riga is to provide state-of-the-art education in economics and business that contributes to the economic and social development of the region, in particular the Baltic countries.

The first class of students was admitted to SSE Riga in 1994. Since then more than 1,800 students have entered through the doors of the School’s Art Nouveau building on Strelnieku iela 4a.

"By providing an education that is competitive at the European level, SSE Riga gives talented Baltic students an opportunity staying “at home” rather than going abroad for studies. Otherwise, the most talented might leave the region and once they have done that, it will be difficult to lure them back," says Anders Paalzow, SSE Riga Rector.

Mission

The mission of SSE Riga has been, since its inception in 1994, to provide a state-of-the-art education in business and economics that contributes to the economic and social development of the region, in particular Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

The mission also includes research, and SSE Riga should produce state-of-the-art research of relevance to the Baltic countries, and the School should actively participate and foster public debate in its fields of competence.

Establishment

The Stockholm School of Economics in Riga (SSE Riga) was founded in 1994 by the Stockholm School of Economics (SSE) with the support of the Swedish government, and the Latvian Ministry of Education on behalf of Latvia.

Since 2010 SSE Riga is owned by a foundation established by SSE, the University of Latvia and the SSE Riga Alumni Association. The operations of SSE Riga are governed by the Articles of Association of the SSE Riga Foundation, which have been agreed upon by all the founders, and one of the most important tasks of the new foundation is to raise funds for the School.

The SSE Riga main building is located at Strelnieku iela 4a. The Building is a remarkable structure and an architectural monument of national significance in the heart of Riga’s Jugendstil (Art Nouveau) district. The district is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The First SSE Riga President

The establishment of SSE Riga was to a large extent one man’s vision – Staffan Burenstam Linder (1930-2000). He served as President of SSE and, being a man of vision, he was the Founding Father of SSE Riga.

In the early 1990s when the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) regained independence after close to 50 years of Soviet rule, Staffan Burenstam Linder, former Swedish Member of Parliament and Minister of Trade, served as President of SSE. He pushed the idea that a School of Economics should be established, serving the Baltic countries and giving intensive training to a new generation of Baltic managers, with English as the language of instruction. The Swedish Government supported the idea and so did the Latvian authorities. An intergovernmental agreement was signed in 1993 between SSE, acting on behalf of the Swedish Government and the Latvian Ministry of Education. The Staffan Burenstam Linder Foundation was established by family and friends in 2001 to commemorate SSE Riga’s founder and benefactor. Each year two scholarships of up to SEK 100,000 (approximately EUR 7,000) are awarded to support SSE Riga graduates who are going to a Nordic country for further Masters or Doctoral-level studies.

The First Years

On July 11 1994, the first class of BSc. students was welcomed by the school’s first rector, Jan-Erik Vahlne. The renovation work on the school’s building at Strelnieku iela 4a was not completed, so the first months were spent at the University of Latvia, in the Faculty of Geography. On November 8, 1994 the school’s building on Strelnieku iela was inaugurated in the presence of HM King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and HE President Guntis Ulmanis of Latvia.

The first class was comprised of 56 students, all of them from Latvia. The year after, there were students from all three Baltic countries and class size expanded to 100, and a few years later to 115. The BSc. programme started as a two-year programme with classes starting in early July and continuing virtually without any breaks. In 1998 the BSc. programme was expanded into a three year programme that today is in line with the European Union’s Bologna higher education framework.

Expansion

In parallel with the development of the BSc. programme, the school developed its Executive Education unit. Since the very beginning, the unit has served the educational needs of the Latvian and Swedish business communities as well as the Latvian Government in the fields of business, management and economics.

The first decade of the 21st century saw a number of important developments: The launch of the SSE Riga Executive MBA programme in 2003 which opened up the SSE Riga experience to a new group of students; the Baltic countries’ accession to the European Union that considerably increased the student exchange opportunities through the Erasmus programme; increased research activities at the School and the establishment of the independent research centre BICEPS (Baltic International Centre for Economic Policy Studies) with which the School cooperates closely both in terms of research and faculty appointments. In addition, the School’s research capacity was further strengthened in 2004 when TeliaSonera Institute at SSE Riga was founded. In 2009 the School established the Centre for Media Studies at SSE Riga. The Centre for Sustainable Business at SSE Riga was founded in 2012.

Program Admission Requirements

Demonstrate your commitment and readiness to succeed in business school by taking the GMAT exam – the most widely used exam for admissions that measures your critical thinking and reasoning skills.

Download the GMAT mini quiz to get a flavour of the questions you’ll find in the exam.

Locations

  • Riga

    Strelnieku iela 4a, LV 1010, Riga

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