Hi. I'm German based and been doing research into MBAs that I could afford. It's come down to these two options:

HHL and ISM Dortmund

Given that they're not really the best ones in the country, would the investment make sense, or is it better to go for a different kind of postgraduate degree which might would be basically free in the end?

I've always worked in the startup scene and would like to up my game and possibly become a consultant.

This depends on your goals. There is a huge difference in standing between HHL and ISM. HHL might not be the best, but it is one of the 30 top MBAs in Europe. The FT ranked it fourth in Germany, just above Frankfurt, for its MBA. https://rankings.ft.com/rankings/2943/european-business-school-rankings-2022 

PS If you want the sort of role that tends to go to people with a top MBA, then a top MBA makes sense. If you don't want that sort of role, then do you need a masters at all? 

[Edited by Duncan on Jul 31, 2023]

Echoing what Duncan says, an MBA might not be the best route to working as a consultant (assuming you are talking about technology startups.)

I can't talk in detail about the German startup scene but I believe Berlin and to a lesser extent Munich, are considered the top two in Germany. if you are based near either then I suggest using your network to research and identify potential consulting opportunities. I don't think an MBA is likely to teach you this sort of thing in any detail.

What kind of consulting are you thinking for startups? As you probably know, startups and scaleups are usually diverting all their cash into product development, hiring and business development. 

What startups typically need is help with raising venture financing and guidance on establishing product market fit.  


There isn't much call for traditional MBA orientated consulting until you get to the larger ones (unicorns for example.)

I was thinking of business strategy / strategic management and such. But I also understand that maybe an MBA is not the most pertinent way to proceed in this scene, as usually experience and having founded and/or run successful start-ups are more highly regarded than degrees.