As a new member I wanted to say that your discussion and insights are very useful. And I thank you for that.

I am looking for a short MBA (1 year) and I came across CEU fulltime program and wanted to know if it is a good quality program or not? I went through the core courses and it seems to me that the students will receive the basic hard science necessary to an MBA program in line with other schools. The program has also specialization in 5 streams which is also great. The price is also unusual considering an MBA program. However, I was not able to find anything about the placement or working opportunity after graduation. I guess what I am trying to find out is: if the program is as good as it sounds? What about the work opportunity? I have no problem regarding the work permit in the EU countries, so is it possible to find a job in Western Europe with an MBA from CEU?
I really appreciate your insight and comments.
Thanks in advance guys.

Hi JD,

I was planning to apply to apply at CEU and did some research about the school. The placement statistics look promising - 83% in three months. But unfortunately the alumnus I spoke with was still unemployed. However, he was a non-EU citizen and case might be different for you. If you wish you can speak with the admission committee and the placement department of CEU. They are really helpful and would provide you all the statistics.

BG

Thanks for your comment!
But what about the quality of the program? I mean in terms o teaching and the method used?

I can understand that replacement or those outside EU will be diicult. But at the same time i think the quality of the program will in the end be able to make a difference? Maybe i am wrong?

Hi JD (BTW I like your name),

Honestly I don't know much about the school. There aren't many CEU alumni in this forum. Your best shot would be to find them on linkedin or facebook. I received the following reply from an alumnus.

"1) The school is good and quality of professors, not everyone, is also up to the mark. As the class strength was very less, I had a lot of chances to interact with different personalities and nationalities which I believe that improved my skills a lot. You will get a lot of extra time even though some times you feel like its tight schedule.

2) Career service was not upto the standard as they dont have much opportunities with them. Its our responsibility to find a job. But of course you can ask their help and they are ready to help you.

3) I am an IT guy and I tried looking for a job for almost 6-7 months which didnt happen finally. Its not easy to get a job in Europe for non European countries due to visa and language problems. As you are already experienced in finance sector, the case can be different. From my perspective, its not that easy as we think."

But from what I have gathered
- Its probably the best B school in Central Europe.
- The school has been improving. The new dean from MIT is really good.
- Its executive MBA is highly ranked.

Hope that helps.

BG

You will get a good education there but you more or less get what you pay for. Without a well resourced alumni and careers organisation, and scholarships targeted at building an alumni bridgehead in western Europe, CEU will never build real profile in the West. Study where you want to work.

Thanks for your comment.

This goes for Duncan: What is your overal estimate of the CEU program? I understand the importance of Alumni and the network. But i have many friends who have an MBA from ESADE and other good schools and the Alumni didn't help at all in landing a position. My friend who is from Norway found his current job through head hunting firm. But i guess ESADE has much better reputation then CEU and therefore the head hunting firms gives more attention to such schools?.

Overall, I think it's a totally average accredited MBA and the outstanding one in central Europe.

Your friends might be an unrepresentative sample. Esade has a powerful network, but perhaps not where your friends where looking.

Thank you Duncan,

What about Warwick? Is the Full time MBA at Warwick also an average program compared to other programes and considering the competition amongst the good schools in both UK and Western Europe? For example in countries such as France, Spain,...?

I think each school is unique in its own way. CEU is unique because its cheap and has good value for money. Warwich is unique because they have different entry requirements (3 years min managerial experience). ESADE is unique because it has a flexible program. and these are just a few reasons there are a lot more. It all depends on where you are and what you want to do. I read in a book that the best B schools are those that have the longest entry queue. If you are at the initial stage of your MBA application process, I would suggest that you read some books. It would help you decide what to look for in a Business School according to what you want to achieve.

Each school is unique, but you can use the rankings and placement data to make a solid comparison. Warwick is clearly in a much higher level, as one of the top 20 European business school. http://rankings.ft.com/businessschoolrankings/european-business-school-rankings-2011

Hi Duncan ,

I am from India and new to this forum. I have got final call for MBA from HHL-Germany and CEU- Hungry. Please suggest me where I should go and which is the better school in terms of repu in market for getting job?

Thanks in adv.

They are strong schools. HHL is better, better known and the students have better outcomes. The Hungarian economy is very weak right now. German is easier to learn than Hungarian as well, but start now to work hard on your German language skills.

Ok..thanks for your reply.

If I have to choose between EDHEC and HLL, then what would you say which is better?

Of course it is EDHEC

I'm not so sure. EDHEC certainly has the edge for finance. I think it depends on the person's goals.

Thanks guys for ur feedback.