About
Opening hours
Communal areas and Faculty units c/o San Giobbe
- from Monday to Friday 8.00 am - 7.00 pm
- Saturday 8.00 am - 1.30 pm
Venice School of Management offices
- Communication office comunica.management@unive.it
- Didactics unit didattica.management@unive.it
- Financial unit segreteria.management@unive.it
- Research unit ricerca.management@unive.it
Opening hours: from Monday to Friday,10.00 am - 1.00 pm
Our School
Since 1868, we have welcomed students from around the world to study with us. Venice School of Management (VSM) is part of Ca’ Foscari University, recognised as a public university by the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR – Ministero dell’Università e della Ricerca).
Founded on August 6th 1868 as the ‘Scuola Superiore di Commercio’ (Advanced School for Commerce), Ca' Foscari was the first Italian institution to provide advanced education in Business and Economics, and the second in Europe. The original head offices are still located in the grand Gothic palace “volta de canal” (on the bend of the Grand Canal), in the heart of Venice.
In 1971, together with Bocconi University, VSM launched the first bachelor’s degree course in management available in Italy.
In 1984, then, the School was formally transformed into a Department, in accordance with national regulations, as an institution able to guarantee the integration between theoretical exploration and research, and also to offer the most advanced higher education opportunities, with the aim to raise a new generation of top managers and innovative minds to tackle the numerous challenges that the growing economy of Northern Italy is facing.
In 2004, the Department moved to the new campus of San Giobbe, where it is still located today. The Department of Management is now recognised as ‘Venice School of Management’, one of the best Schools in Italy in the field of business and management.
EQUIS Accredited
EQUIS (EFMD Quality Improvement System) is one of the most prestigious global accreditations for business schools. Its rigorous peer-review process signals to students, employers, and academic partners worldwide the school’s overall quality, commitment to sustainability, and continuous improvement. Awarded to less than 2% of business schools globally, EQUIS accreditation is often a key benchmark for international rankings. The Department of Management – Venice School of Management officially achieved EQUIS accreditation on November 21, 2023.
Vision
As a public EQUIS accredited School of Management, we aspire to be a recognized reference point in Italy and Europe, leveraging Venice as a unique observation point for the transformations shaping contemporary businesses, cities, and societies. Bridging ideas and people, we cultivate inquiry and ethical awareness to shape a responsible future.
Mission
Rooted in the history of Venice, we view our school as a nexus with the world, where teaching, research and engagement with practice respond to global as well as local calls to action.
As a public academic institution, we are committed to granting everyone access to the opportunity of achieving a responsible impact.
We generate and spread the knowledge needed to reimagine our common future.
We promote a hybrid mindset where business growth is intertwined with sustainable development.
Core values
Community Nexus
We nurture a vibrant campus-life experience and a shared VSM ethos, enabling our students to fulfil their potential. Through meaningful encounters and collaboration among students, faculty, staff, alumni, and partners, both online and offline, we foster collective growth, knowledge sharing and impact.
Diversity in Perspectives
We consider diversity of perspectives and multi-disciplinarity a source of richness and innovation. We promote internal and external dialogue by building bridges across schools, universities, business and institutional actors to strengthen the impact of our ideas and projects.
Ethics, Sustainability, and Inclusivity
As a public School, we embrace ethics, sustainability, and inclusivity as guiding principles underpinning all our decisions and actions.
Why our school
As stated in our mission, at Venice School of Management, we view our school as a nexus with the world, where teaching, research and engagement with practice respond to global as well as local calls to action.
With this in mind, we design our course offerings with the strategic guidance of an International Advisory Board and engage with top academics and innovative leaders and practitioners, to empower students to truly address the challenges that society will ask them to face and make a positive impact, while at the same time being prepared to embrace their future and become the next generation of managers.
As a public academic institution, we are committed to ensuring everyone access to the opportunity of achieving a responsible impact. And we do so by providing scholarships each year and promoting our core values to all the stakeholders involved in the School’s activities.
Our background
1868
On August 6th, 1868 the ‘Regia Scuola Superiore di Commercio’ (Royal Higher School of Commerce) now Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, was founded. It represents the first Business School in Italy and the second in Europe.
From the very beginning, the School integrated theoretical exploration with practical approaches, combining it with the study of Western and Eastern languages. The aim was to provide students with a solid and effective education in economics and busines.
1906
Maria Rimoldi (1884-1958) was the first woman to graduate from Ca’ Foscari, in Business, in 1906. In 1908 she also graduated in Accounting and in 1909 she obtained the Master's Degree in Accounting.
A teacher by profession, she played a prominent role in the society of the last century, thanks to her commitment to women’s emancipation.
1936
The Royal Higher School of Commerce became a state university. At the same time the Faculty of Economics and Commerce was founded, renamed Faculty of Economics in 1994.
1971
Within the Faculty of Economics (Economia e Commercio), Pasquale Saraceno, Emeritus Professor at Ca’ Foscari since 1959, created a degree course in Economia Aziendale (Management) alongside the traditional course in Economia e Commercio (Economics). Three research/teaching centres (management labs related to institutions and accounting, banking and financial products, and management) represented the core teaching activities required by the new degree programme. In the same year, the bachelor degree in Economia Aziendale (Management) was also activated at Bocconi University, in Milan.
1984
The Department of Economia e Direzione Aziendale (Management) was established on January 1st, 1984 with the formal integration of the pre-existing laboratories.
Originally, it was located at the Ca’ Bembo Palace and contributed to marking a distinct identity compared to other university departments. It was intended to assume a clear focus on the development of knowledge and the creation of specific competences needed to effectively manage any kind of business (e.g. enterprises, non-profit, public companies and financial intermediaries).
2004
In 2004, the Department of Economia e Direzione Aziendale (Management) moved to the new campus at San Giobbe (Cannaregio area); the location was equipped with lecture rooms, research labs and other facilities.
The campus library has five kilometres of open shelves, over 200,000 volumes, specific electronic resources for research purposes, support services for users, and study areas. It is also considered as one of the most important libraries for the fields of Economics and Management in Italy.
2011
The Department formally changed its current denomination to Department of Management in 2011 and today encompasses resources related to a broad range of scientific areas of modern business management. The Department carries out scientific research, applied research, as well as undergraduate, post-graduate and executive training.
The current denomination of “Venice School of Management” was chosen by the School in 2021 allowing for better recognition at an international level.