Learning beyond borders: How study trips shape the Energy MBA journey
In the energy sector, borders matter less, and connections are those that matter the most. Markets, technologies, and policies may be national, but the challenges they address are fundamentally global. This reality is precisely why, for the Energy MBA students, learning cannot stop at the classroom door. Exposure to real-world institutions, cross-border dialogue, and regional perspectives is not a “nice to have,” but a strategic necessity.
This belief guided the organization of our recent study trips to Paris and Sofia. They were not designed as academic excursions, but as strategic learning platforms, where students could be exposed to international institutions, regional dialogue, and real-world energy decision-making, while reinforcing the faculty’s role as an active player in the regional ecosystem.
Paris: learning about Nuclear Energy and Global Governance
Our study trip to Paris focused on one of the most strategic and debated pillars of Europe’s energy mix: nuclear energy. More than a technical topic, nuclear energy represents a complex intersection of policy, safety, investment, and long-term national strategy.
In Paris, our students were exposed to discussions that illustrated how major energy decisions are framed at international level and how evidence, regulation, public acceptance, and geopolitical realities interact. For many of them, it was the first time they could observe, directly, the institutional depth behind energy policymaking.
From an institutional perspective, the Paris study trip reinforced the Energy MBA’s commitment to addressing complex and sometimes controversial topics with academic rigor and openness.
For me, Paris was a reminder that investment decisions in energy are never purely economic. They are societal choices with generational consequences.
Sofia: Energy as a regional dialogue
Sofia offered a different, but equally valuable perspective. If Paris represented the global dimension of energy, Sofia highlighted the importance of the regional one. In Central and Eastern Europe, energy is linked to regional cooperation, interdependence, and shared vulnerabilities in terms of energy security, infrastructure, and transition efforts.
What I appreciated most during this visit was seeing students understand that regional collaboration is not an abstract concept. It is operational, negotiated, and constantly evolving. Collaboration between neighboring countries is not optional, but utmost necessary, and depends on dialogue and trust.
If we aspire to play a meaningful regional role, we must actively build connections, not only discuss them in class.
For the program, the study trip to Sofia represents another important step in strengthening our academic and institutional relationship with Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski.
Learning, Bonding, Growing
What I value most in these study trips is the combination of rigor and human connection. For students, these study trips mean more than academic enrichment. Yes, they deepen their strategic thinking. Yes, they expand their professional horizons and gain international awareness. But they also bond with colleagues, with faculty, and with the wider energy community.
An MBA is not only about acquiring knowledge. It is about building networks, learning to collaborate under pressure, discovering different working styles, and developing trust within a cohort. Shared travel, shared debates, and shared cultural experiences accelerate this process naturally.
For the faculty, these initiatives reaffirm our mission. An Energy MBA cannot remain only locally while addressing a global industry. By connecting our students to international institutions and regional partners, while allowing them to experience different cultures and build lasting relationships, we shape leaders who are technically prepared, regionally aware, and personally grounded.
Energy is often described as a universal language. I would add that education is the bridge that allows us to speak it responsibly and confidently, together. Through experiences like Paris and Sofia, we are not only expanding horizons, but we are shaping the kind of leaders our region, and this sector, truly need.
ABOUT
- Cătălina Nedelcu, Energy MBA Program Director, ASE|BBS
