Year by Year

1900 - The idea of starting a university-level school for further education in business studies is born.
The Söderberg and Wallenberg families, among others, are behind the initiative.

1903 - First donation and contribution to a business school in Stockholm
Bank Director K A Wallenberg donates SEK 100,000 as an initial contribution to a business school in Stockholm.  

1905 - Benchmark of the best-reputed institutes of higher eduaction
On K A Wallenberg's initiative, Sweden's National Board of Trade asks the King to commission Rector Å W:son Munthe of the Frans Schartau practical business institute, and grammar school governor A Nordfelt, to travel Europe and the United States ‘to study the newest and best-reputed institutes of higher education in business studies’. 

1906 - The Stockholm School of Economics Association is formed and constituted in the Main Hall of the Stockholm Stock Exchange.
The founding member was the person who agreed to make an annual donation of SEK 400 for the next five years.  

1907 - The SSE Association has 250 members.
With members' contributions, the initial contribution of SEK 100,000 and a donation of SEK 200,000 from Stockholms Enskilda Bank, the Association has a total of SEK 800,000.
 
1909 - The school opens at Brunkebergstorg 2
Officially opening on May 27, SSE started its journey at Brunkeberg’s Hotel. Leasing the entire third floor of the hotel, 110 students were admitted the first year. The two-year curriculum at the time consisted of economics, commerce, economic geography and a combination of political science and law.

1909 - The Student Association is founded
The purpose of the Student Association is fundamentally to care for the joint interests of the students.

1911 - First students graduate
The initial 110 students graduate from SSE, earning an ekonomisk examen, as it was called at the time.

1912 - The first female student graduates
As one of very few women admitted during SSE’s early years, Märta Sigrid Löfdahl broke new ground when she became the School’s first female graduate. Moving on to work for Stockholm’s Enskilda Bank and Inteckningsbanken, Märta braved an industry where women had been basically non-existent.

1926 - SSE moves to Sveavägen 65
Realizing the risk of outgrowing the accommodations at Brunkeberg’s Hotel, SSE commissioned renowned architect Ivar Tengbom with the task of designing the new facilities that were inaugurated in 1926.

1929 - SSE’s first research institute
Founded with the mission to conduct research within the fields of economics and commerce, the Economic Research Institute was SSE’s first research institute. Furthermore, it was also the first research institute in Sweden dedicated to economics. The institute remained active until 2010.

1939 - The education was prolonged from two to three years and the name of the degree was changed to ekonomexamen and the name of the title was changed to civilekonom.

1940 - Substantial increase of applicants
In the early 1940s, SSE experienced a massive growth in the number of applicants, with the number of undergraduates seeking admission jumping from around 250 annually to almost 600 in a few years.

1946 - Sweden’s first Doctoral Degree in Economics
In the early years of SSE, there was no such thing as a Doctoral Degree in Economics. However, this did not stop students and faculty of SSE from conducting their research, and in 1946 Folke Kristensson presented SSE’s first doctoral dissertation “Studier i svenska textila industriers struktur”. Setting a precedent in the world of Swedish academia, other higher education institutions in Sweden would soon follow their example.

1968 - IFL (InsTitutet för Företagsledning)
An Institute which was partly affiliated with SSE providing executive education programs tailored to business, management, and leadership. Following their success in national and international markets, IFL continued their cooperation with SSE, ultimately becoming associated solely with the School.

1972 - SSE starts Sweden's first Master program based on the American model.

1974 - First female PhD
After presenting her dissertation “Osäkerhetsfaktorer i företaget och i dess miljö”, Gisèle Asplund became SSE’s first female Doctor of Philosophy. Following her dissertation, she continued her work on identifying and combating male and female inequities within the world of organizational leadership, whilst remaining active in the fields of organizational development and strategic planning.

1975 - SSE begins internationalization process with first student exchanges with NYU/Stern

1977 - Bertil Ohlin receives Nobel Prize
Originally an SSE alum, Bertil Ohlin returned to SSE as a professor in 1929. In 1977 he was, along with James Meade, awarded the Alfred Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, for their contribution to the theory of international trade and international capital movements.

1980 - SSE joins PIM

1982 - Kamratföreningen
Kamratföreningen, now namned the SSE Alumni Club, is a network for relationship building between alumni. The non-profit organization currently has over 3000 members and continues to foster networking between alumni of SSE.

1991 - SSE joins CEMS
The Global Alliance in Management Education (CEMS) was established in 1988 by leading European business schools. CEMS has become a symbol of excellence within the world of management education.

1993 - The education program leading to ekonomexamen was prolonged to four years and the name of the degree changed to civilekonomexamen.

1994 - Corporate Partnership Program
A close collaboration with the business community has always been one of SSE’s points of focus, and in 1994 this point was further reinforced. The Corporate Partnership Program offers companies a strong network, broad brand exposure and top recruitment opportunities, while giving students a chance to interact with top people of the industry.

1994 - SSE Riga
Starting as a collaboration between SSE and the Latvian Government, SSE Riga has grown into an international business school of great renown, striving to promote knowledge building in the Baltic states.

1997 - Gunnar Hedlund Award in International Business
In 1997, the Institute of International Business (IIB) established an award in memory of Professor Gunnar Hedlund. The idea was to stimulate PhD candidates around the world in the field of International Business.

1997 - SSE Russia*
SSE Russia, located in the heart of St Petersburg, aims at promoting the development of sustainable and responsible business in Russia. EMBA programs and executive education are offered.
*Activities within SSE Russia were paused in March 2022 since the uncertain situation into which Europe and the world have been thrown made it difficult to continue with our operations there. We stand with Ukraine and to continue as usual in this extreme situation was unsustainable. Therefore, the Executive Education activities of SSE Russia have now been handed over to the Russian management team in St. Petersburg.

1999 - SSE accredited by EQUIS
Since 1999, SSE has been accredited by the European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS), which means that all activities – all programs and research – have demonstrated excellence at an international level.

2001 - First female professor
Carin Holmquist is an international authority on women’s business and entrepreneurship. As of 2001, she became the first female professor at SSE.

2001 - SSE Business lab
SSE has long supported students with an entrepreneurial spirit, and SSE Business Lab is the culmination of these efforts. The startup incubator acts as a launching pad for aspiring companies. Supported by a range of specialized professionals, companies such as Klarna, Quinyx and Budbee all got started through SSE Business Lab.

2007 - SSE implements European program structure
SSE launches a new program structure according to the Bologna Process agreement. The goal is to ensure comparability in quality and standards across all of Europe. The four-year program leading to a Civilekonomexamen was replaced by a three-year bachelor program, and a new level of international two-year master programs was added. A major step towards increased internationalization of SSE.

2008 - Major expansions and reconstruction of the atrium
With the increase in teaching brought about by the Bologna Process, SSE saw a need for major expansion. Thanks to generous donations from primarily the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, additional lecture halls and seminar rooms were constructed. In addition, the courtyard was transformed into the glassed-in Atrium.

2008 - Bachelor Program in Retail Management
SSE took over the management of a program in retailing from Nordiska Detaljhandelshögskolan in Norrtälje. The program remained at Campus Norrtälje and was renamed the BSc Program in Retail Management. The Program is entirely funded by retail companies and companies selling to the retail industry, which makes this program unique in the Swedish and probably also the European academic landscapes.

2009 - 100th Anniversary for SSE
A year of celebrating an accomplished past and a promising future, 2009 marked a milestone in the history of SSE. In conjunction with the anniversary, the Ragnar Söderberg Foundation made a generous donation to enable further advancements and projects at the School.

2010 - SSE Institute for Research (SIR)
Taking over operations from the 1929 Economic Research Institute, the goal of SSE Institute for Research is to contribute to the advancement of the economic sciences. Often acting as a node for project collaborations between Swedish universities or companies, SIR aims to create strong and viable research groups within the SSE sphere.

2011 - Swedish House of Finance
The Swedish House of Finance is Sweden’s national research center in financial economics. A joint venture between SSE and the Institute for Financial Research (SIFR), with the goal to strengthen financial research in Sweden and share the beneficial results with the country’s private, public and academic sectors.

2013 - SSE becomes a signatory to UN’s Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME)

2015 - MISUM (Mistra Center for Sustainable Markets)
Misum is a cross-disciplinary research and education center, focused on understanding and creating research-based and business-relevant solutions for sustainable markets. Collaborating both nationally and internationally, Misum’s research is largely supported by Mistra, the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Environmental Research. The center is constantly seeking to educate and prepare students for managing some of our times most pressing challenges.

2015 - SSE Art Initiative
By exploring the provoking and inspiring aspects, art helps us improve our critical thinking and helps convey a deeper understanding of ourselves. The Art Initiative acknowledges art as a valid knowledge base in its own right, and by actively integrating art and humanities into the academic context of SSE and the public debate, aims at making SSE and society richer in knowledge.

2015 - Global Challenges track
The Global Challenges track represents the School’s effort to incorporate a sustainability mindset into its traditional curriculum. The goal is to educate students about the urgent and large-scale problems of modern times, such as climate change, accelerating environmental damages and the risks related to political instabilities. The track is funded by the Global Challenges foundation.

2016 - Rapid Acceleration Program (RAMP)
RAMP is a management program geared towards accelerating integration of university graduates who have recently arrived in Sweden. Consisting of ten weeks of management training combined with a seven-month internship at a Sweden-based company, the program is designed to provide a fast track into the Swedish job market.

2016 - First Female Professor in Economics
Anna Dreber Almenberg became SSE’s first female professor in economics in 2016. A member of the Young Academy of Sweden as well as a Wallenberg Academy Fellow, her research features frequently in international scientific publications.

2016 - SSE hosts the 28th CEMS Annual Event
In November 2016, SSE had the honor to host the 28th CEMS Annual Event here in Stockholm. The event gathered students, academics, alumni and partners for five days of inspiration, networking and the CEMS MIM graduation ceremony. Surpassing the previous CEMS record, the graduation ceremony held at the Ericsson Globe Arena celebrated 1281 graduates from 65 different countries.

2018 - Retail Management becomes first BSc in English
A large step was taken toward greater internationalization, with the BSc Program in Retail Management now being taught fully in English. The goal is to achieve the same for the BSc Program in Business and Economics.

2018 - House of Innovation (HOI)
The House of Innovation is an inter-disciplinary research and education environment focused on innovation, digitalization and entrepreneurship. Interacting with international scholars as well as corporate and institutional funders, HOI strives to create a research environment that values innovation, entrepreneurialism and pushing boundaries.

2018 - SSE Literary Agenda
The SSE literary agenda is a voluntary, three-year initiative that arranges lectures, book-circles and author’s talks around the school. The SSE literary agenda is supported by the Natur & Kultur Foundation.

2018 - New educational mission – FREE
A successful decision maker of the future will approach the world with curiosity and confidence and, as the philosopher Ingemar Hedenius said: “is free and alive in relation to the unknown”. The core competence of humans is to be human. A successful decision maker in the future will maximize the potential of being human. Hence, SSE has formulated its overarching educational mission through the acronym FREE:
• Fact and science-based mindset
• Reflective and self-aware
• Empathetic and culturally literate
• Entrepreneurial and responsible

2019 - Introduction of the Data Analytics track on the MSc level
The Data Analytics Track was launched in 2019 and is a combination of existing courses at SSE. The track is open to all MSc students. Upon successful completion of the coursework, a note regarding the completion of the Data Analytics Track will be included on the degree certificate. Students interested in this track are required to take a preparatory course in the programming language R and need to pass at least three courses in data analytics. 

2019 & 2020 - SSE joins CIVICA & GNAM
SSE joins two new networks - CIVICA (uniting ten leading European higher education institutions in the social sciences, humanities, business management and public policy) and GNAM (the Global Network for Advanced Management).

2020 - SSE opens BSc in Business & Economics for international enrollment, thus creating a fully international program portfolio

2022 - SSE expands campus by acquiring a new building

2022 - SSE launches House of Governance & Public Policy

2022 – The F1RST initative is started
The F1RST initiative started in 2022 and became a foundation in 2024. It is co-owned by SSE and the Daniel Sachs Foundation. F1RST connects ambitious students from underrepresented backgrounds with leading universities in Sweden and corporate partners. F1RST supports these students from the 8th grade through their first step into working life after university. The goal is to diversify the student population at SSE and in higher education generally, with the long-term objective of also diversifying the Swedish business community.

2023 - Introduction of the Sustainability track on the MSc level
The Sustainability Track is a combination of existing courses at SSE and is open to all MSc students. Upon successful completion of the coursework, a note regarding the completion of the Sustainability Track will be included on the degree certificate. Students interested in this track are required to study two courses in sustainability and need to write the MSc thesis on the topic of sustainability.