Does the programme include case studies or practical projects?
Learning business development cannot be achieved without tackling real-world business challenges. The MSc in Business Development & Sales Management at EDC Paris Business School is built around a simple principle: practice first, with theory providing the framework to support action.
Business case studies
MSc case studies place students in situations involving real commercial challenges based on scenarios experienced by actual businesses. The goal is not to produce a theoretically perfect answer, but to propose a concrete, well-reasoned solution, just as a consultant or business developer would in a professional role.
These exercises develop essential reflexes: quickly analysing a complex commercial situation, identifying the key priorities, formulating actionable recommendations and defending them before a demanding audience. Rigorous commercial analysis and the ability to take a clear position are consistently expected.
The topics covered span the full range of business development challenges: entering new markets, structuring a commercial offering, managing a struggling strategic account or repositioning a sales strategy in response to an aggressive competitor. Each practical business development project challenges students to move beyond generic answers and produce differentiated, insightful analyses.
Group and individual projects
MSc projects are delivered in two complementary formats, each developing specific skills.
Group business development projects replicate the conditions of a real sales team: allocating roles, coordinating activities, managing disagreements and presenting the final outcome collectively before a panel. Typical assignments include developing a prospecting plan for a target market, designing a growth strategy for a new customer segment or simulating negotiations with a fictional but realistic key account.
Individual projects, meanwhile, assess each student's ability to make commercial decisions independently, structure their reasoning and communicate it clearly. The final dissertation, presented before a panel of two professors, represents the culmination of this individual work, grounded in a concrete professional challenge.
These operational skills — analytical ability, decision-making and communicating results — are precisely what recruiters expect from graduates ready to take on commercially demanding and high-responsibility assignments.
Collaboration with corporate partners
The practical dimension of the programme extends beyond the classroom. The MSc in Business Development & Sales Management draws on a network of corporate partners that host students on internships or work-study placements and, in some cases, bring their own commercial challenges directly to student teams.
This professional collaboration takes a variety of forms: workshops led by industry practitioners, practical exercises based on challenges from their own organisations, or presentations assessed by professionals working in the sector. Companies that have collaborated with programme students include organisations such as Orange, SFR, Sodexo, Thales, Michael Page and Doctolib — environments where commercial challenges are real and expectations are high.
This hands-on experience is an integral part of the teaching approach. Working on a genuine challenge submitted by a corporate partner means learning to manage the pressure of real business stakes and producing work that has genuine value beyond an academic grade.
Project assessment and professional feedback
MSc project assessments are based on criteria directly inspired by professional standards. Four key dimensions are systematically assessed:
* **The relevance of the analysis:** have students correctly understood the challenges and constraints of the situation?
* **The quality of the proposed solution:** is it realistic, applicable and differentiated?
* **The creativity and originality of the approach:** particularly important in markets where standardised solutions are no longer sufficient;
* **Presentation skills:** clarity of communication, persuasiveness and ability to handle questions from the panel.
These criteria closely reflect what a Sales Director or client expects from a junior professional with business development skills. Students who experience this type of assessment enter the workplace with something that purely academic programmes cannot provide: the confidence of knowing they have already been exposed to genuine professional expectations.
The MSc's practical projects and business development case studies are designed to make a difference on your CV and from your very first days in a professional role. To find out more about the types of assignments offered and understand how practical learning can make a tangible difference to your commercial career, speak directly with an advisor at EDC Paris Business School.