The Master in Commodity Trading offered by the University of Geneva, in partnership with the Swiss Trading and Shipping Association, is a unique program in Europe.
Taking place over 12 months, the program combines theory with practice as students are employed by industry related companies while studying for their Master.
The goal of this program is to ensure that students acquire financial, economic and responsible management skills. The Master provides interdisciplinary courses with different perspectives to allow students to approach complex interrelations in today’s world.
Since its inception, the program is constantly adapted. It is crucial that the content of the courses be adjusted to address today’s business environment and challenges. Courses like Sustainability or New Technologies, and topics like wind, solar energy or blockchain did not exist in 2008 at the creation of the Master degree. Likewise, both professors and students must be able to assess the impact of any decision or situation and the courses are adapted accordingly.
Courses adjusted to address today’s business environment and challenges
Being part of a program wherein students are working and attending lectures simultaneously is an enormous advantage. They are exposed to the real-life situation of their companies while studying. By discussing with professors, exchanging with classmates on best practices, working on case studies, debating or writing a thesis on current topics, students acquire new unique talents which companies are looking for. The profiles of the students have also changed over the years, more students have quantitative skills, with knowledge in coding, for example, and are aware of the sustainability aspects.
Professors Giacomo Luciani and Dr John Gault, both recognized experts in Energy, have been teaching the Energy and Renewable Energy courses in the Master since the beginning of the program. Both professors adapt their lectures each year, with an ever-increasing attention to the energy transition and to the converging interrelationships among all energy commodities.
Since their guest speakers are primarily practitioners, active in the markets every day, their presentations evolve each year to reflect the latest developments in their specialized fields.
Over the years, professors Luciani and Gault have devoted increasing time teaching electricity markets, non-fossil fuels and carbon trading, while maintaining a realistic balance reflecting the relative importance of each energy source.
They dedicate time to a discussion of the ever-changing relationships between Swiss and EU energy markets and how they are affected by political considerations.
While the professors have always discussed questions of energy security, they now devote additional emphasis to this concern along with goals of low energy cost and sustainability.
Over the last years, the number of students joining the Master has increased in response to a growing demand by the commodity trading industry for trained talents. This is an equal opportunity program, welcoming an increasing number of women.
