New AI master’s aims to turn non-tech graduates into business leaders

Swiss business school launches one-year programme for students without engineering backgrounds, including study periods in Europe and Asia

People without coding or engineering backgrounds are being offered a new route into artificial intelligence with the launch of a one-year master’s degree aimed at future business leaders.

HIM Business School in Switzerland will take just 24 students on its first Master in Applied AI in Customer Experience, starting in January 2027.

The course is designed for people who want to use AI in business rather than build the underlying technology, teaching students how to identify opportunities for its use, analyse data and develop AI-enhanced customer experiences.

Students will begin the programme online before spending two months in Macao and the Greater Bay Area, followed by four months in Montreux, Switzerland.

They will then complete the course online through a capstone project or can remain on campus for an optional leadership term leading to a second master’s degree through César Ritz Colleges Switzerland.

The school said the structure was intended to expose students to two major technology regions within a single year.

In Asia, students will visit businesses and organisations in Macao, Shenzhen and Hong Kong, including companies involved in AI-powered manufacturing and fintech.

The Swiss part of the course will include links with the technology and research ecosystem around Lausanne and Geneva, with further visits planned to AI events and organisations elsewhere in Europe.

HIM said the programme had been developed specifically for students without technical or engineering degrees at a time when businesses increasingly need people who understand how AI can be applied commercially.

Students will learn how to use data to support decisions, develop AI projects for real businesses and consider the ethical and sustainable use of the technology.

Claire Jollain, the school’s dean, said: “At HIM Business School, ‘Be World Ready’ has never been a slogan — it’s how we’ve always taught our BBA students in Montreux to think: with curiosity, adaptability, and a genuine grasp of the world they’re entering.

“Launching this Master in Applied AI in Customer Experience wasn’t a strategic pivot for us. It was the obvious next step. Today, there is no version of being world ready that doesn’t mean being AI ready.”

READ MORE: UK universities take top four places in European global rankings. Oxford, Cambridge, UCL and Imperial lead U.S. News list as research-focused ranking evaluates more than 2,250 universities worldwide.

Do you have news to share or expertise to contribute? The European welcomes insights from business leaders and sector specialists. Get in touch with our editorial team to find out more.

_{Main image: HIM Business School’s new Master in Applied AI in Customer Experience will combine study and industry exposure across Europe and Asia, including Montreux, Macao, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Paris and London. Image: The European; HIM Business School logo: HIM Business School / Fair use}