History
Antwerp Management School is the University of Antwerp’s autonomous management school. It boasts a rich experience of over 60 years. The school was founded in 1959 as IPO (Institute for Postgraduate Education) and in those days was the most prestigious school in management training. The original mission statement of 1959 mentioned: “…Educate participants in the art of decision-making and leading people and organizations, an art that originates first and foremost from a noble attitude and lifestyle…” The School had 1 flagship program: the post-PPB (Postgraduate Program in Business Management), which nowadays would be called an EMBA (Executive Master of Business Administration).
The School had a major influence on management development in Antwerp, Flanders, Belgium and beyond. Our PPB/EMBA are present in many businesses and organizations, such as BARCO, Bekaert, Agfa, Alcatel-Lucent, BASF, Electrabel, KBC, Janssen Pharmaceutica, Umicore and SD Worx.
By the mid-70s, the IPO extended its program portfolio and enjoyed a leading position in management education in Flanders. In the year 2000 UAMS (University Antwerp Management School) was founded: an integration of IPO, the IMB (Institute for Management), the “Master in Personnel Sciences” of the University of Antwerp and the MBA program of the former UFSIA and RUCA. In 2008 the UAMS was formally recognized by the Flemish government as an autonomous academic institution with the University of Antwerp as its sponsor. In 2009-2010 the School went through a time of introspection and reflection to reposition itself, which resulted in a brand name change from UAMS to Antwerp Management School.
In 2016 Antwerp Management School extended even further, with new research centers. In 2018 AMS moved to a newly renovated building on the Mechelseplein square. The new Campus "Boogkeers" allows for an optimal operation based on our sustainability principles.