Hello Guys,

I am planning for an MBA next year and need some information about ESB Reutlingen business school. Let me tell you that I know how things work in Germany as I have studied and worked in Germany. I have also read all the posts related to ESB Reutlingen.

The reason I want to purse MBA is to get a better understanding and knowledge of business side as later down the line I plan to start my own business.

My specific questions are:

1) What is the current job market for an MBA graduate from ESB Reutlingen in Germany?
2) I am a computer science graduate having 3.5 years of experience as a software developer role and have little knowledge of business side. Would that be a problem for me to find a job after MBA graduate from ESB Reutlingen?
3) Is it worth considering ESB Reutlingen or shoul I give GMAT and consider Mannheim/ESMT/WHU/HHL?

I am considering ESB Reutlingen because I have don't have time to write GMAT and don't have enough money to spend on Mannheim/ESMT/WHU/HHL. ESB Reutlingen is cheaper in terms of money and course duration which is only 1 year.

Any advice and suggestion would be highly appreciable.

How good is your German?

Of course one of the schools you mentioned would be an excellent investment, and it's well worth borrowing more because of the far higher salaries.

If your budget is limited to the state Fachhochschulen, then Pforzheim and Esslingen are perhaps better investments than ESB.

My German is A2 level only. I currently live in London with my wife. I was working with German exchange in Frankfurt but had to leave and move to London for my wife. In UK doing MBA is very expensive though there are good business schools. Germany is cheaper in terms of education this is the reason I am thinking going back to Germany for an MBA. Esslingen requires GMAT/GRE. I have read a lot of posts but I can't differentiate between ESB and Pforzheim . Can you elaborate the major differences between these two universities?

I think the differences are really between their full-time MBA programmes, rather than between the universities (which are broadly similar). The Pforzheim MBA, however, has the most prestigious accreditation worldwide (AACSB) and that gives it better international recognition: http://www.faz.net/aktuell/beruf-chance/campus/hochschule-pforzheim-ein-bisschen-wie-harvard-11491799.html You will be well advised to take an intensive German course before the MBA if you want wider opportunities to work in Germany.

Alright Duncan...thanks mate for your responses.

hey ducan: I was going through ESB reutlingen and found this under Accreditations section: AACSB accreditation in process, link: http://www.esb-business-school.de/en/school/facts-figures/

What do you think about it..soon it will get accreditation. How do you compare this school with hs-pforzheim?

hs-pforzheim course is very long I don't want to study again for years..:P I just finished my MS last year which was 2 years course. Can you give me some insight between these two schools?

In process does not means guaranteed to get accreditation, and probably not before you start your MBA. There's so much about these schools on the board. I really have nothing to add.

You haven't mentioned this or not, but if you're a business graduate you can complete the Pforzheim MBA in three semesters rather than four. Even with four semesters Pforzheim would probably be the better option, for most international students, if only because of its accreditation status.

@maury: I have done MS in computer science. I can only say people are giving much important to Pforzheim just because of accreditation. There are many universities which are triple accredited but they are not ranked very well not even top 50-100 and there are many which are not at all accredited but ranked well and doing well. This accreditation thing is very ambiguous. In UK (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triple_accreditation#UK) all these are triple accredited but some of them are not worth to study in.

It's not only a question of Pforzheim's accreditation. The course also includes three or four semesters of compulsory German courses as well as a requirement that students have years of work experience. That means that, compared to other Fachhochschulen without accreditation, the students get much higher salaries and better work outcomes.

Indeed, not all triple-accredited schools are equal but accredited schools are better than those without accreditation. Accreditation is a strong sign of quality and, other things being equal, there is a clear tendency that additional accreditations produce additional premiums in salary. See Why international accreditation matters http://www.find-mba.com/board/41224

@Duncan: Thanks for the information.

You are mistaken. Few McKinsey staff come from Reutlingen, and very few of those come from its MBA programme. McKinsey staff in Germany with MBAs are five, ten or even 20 times more likely to have studied at Insead or WHU than at Reutlingen.

The issue with esb reutlingen seem to be that it is termed hochschule and it does not have the aacsb accreditation.
my question is, does that make it unfit to offer a qualitative mba?
how well do graduates of esb reutlingen mba fare in the job market?

Most locals in the region are of the opinion that its mba is quite reputable but others seem to disagree, what is the true situation then?

It is reputable but not world class. The rankings reliably compare the business schools on the criteria that matter to most students.

I think overall the university is good and has reputation. I don't care much about accreditation. I sent email to the university asking when they are suppose to get AACSB accreditation. They said by 2017 they will get it.

I sincerely think the initial question by the poster is yet to be answered.
what is the job placement potential of the esb reutlingen mba? Any input would be greatly appreciated.
specific question for duncan and anyone else with info.....any idea about the mba from university of north carolina, wilmington, it offers a joint degree with hochshule bremen under the ibsa platform....is it worth considering?
Thanks.

The potential is well shown by the outcomes for alumni: Just compare their roles using LinkedIn and Xing, focussing on MBA graduates if that is your focus, and those from other schools. Obviously it is not at the level of the ranked schools.

The Bremen degree is not accredited by AACSB. Only the finance track at UNC is accredited. It has no notable alumni base in Germany or careers services.

[Edited by Duncan on Jan 27, 2016]

Would the uncw finance track be better than say esb reutlingen mba at
landin a job?

Well if you had the right to work in the US I think it would be helpful in NC. But it's not a nationally-known school. It's really a commuter school for part-time students. I think ESB is a much better brand for finding work in Germany, but the outcomes will be inferior to MSc students from better business schools.

I am not saying Reutlingen is on the same par with WHU. It is a very reputable university for business studies in Germany, it is a target school of McKinsey, considering that there are only a handful of target schools. These are just facts.

Of course McKinsey hires more from WHU. They are private business school, and you pay like 30K Euros for a Bachelors' degree. And if it is not different, why bother going there? And I have nothing against WHU but it is just a fact that the business school at Mannheim University is way more selective than WHU, because not everyone has old money. Plus, Hochschule normally has a very strong focus on industry, not consulting.

It was ranked no.1 Hochschule for Business Studies by WirtschaftsWoche for a reason. And this is really a ranking of valuable reference as the survey is done by German HR managers.

And, for the record, McKinsey does not recruit Mannheim or WHU MBA students except you already worked in MBB before. I hate to say this, but I really think there is really no world-class MBA in Germany. Maybe in 20 years or more, it's just like the old saying goes, Rome wasn't built in a day.

All I was saying was, for an MBA program that has been there for almost 2 decades (yes, it has) and only costs no more than 10K Euros, it is a good choice. And it is way less selective as Mannheim or ESMT. Why not?

If you have the choice, I will still recommend Mannheim or ESMT over Reutlingen. MBA is more of a horizontal international learning experience, and at Mannheim or ESMT you can meet great fellow students. I don't really recommend WHU or HHL for an MBA because they can't even pull in a batch of 40 students each year. Their Master programs, however, are great.

[Edited by MBA*Applicant on Jan 28, 2016]