I'm from the US with 3 (will be 4) years of corporate management experience in Finance at Walmart's corporate headquarters. Looking to get an MBA in France for a vatiety of reasons. I have a desire to work internationally, I already speak French, my wife is from there, and it's a great business country. I'm looking at ÍESEG and Grenoble. ÍESEG for their IMBA, and Grenoble for their general MBA. I've been out of school for a while and would rather not take the GMAT unless I have to, which neither school requires it. Which school is better recognized in Europe? That's where I would love to work, and my research has led me to believe they are both great schools. Any thoughts?

If you are thinking of working in France but have not worked in the French language you should give serious thought to an MS taught in French. It's really important to assimilate in every day. Indeed, those are good Grandes Écoles but their MBAs are weak.

If you are thinking of working in France but have not worked in the French language you should give serious thought to an MS taught in French. It's really important to assimilate in every day. Indeed, those are good Grandes Écoles but their MBAs are weak. [/quote

Duncan I was hoping you would respond. Clarify what you mean by weak. In most rankings I have seen, both of these programs are usually in the top 20 in France. Are those rankings the school as a whole and not just the MBA? Thanks for the advice. I feel strongly about getting an MBA due to my current career. Any other recommendations?

Which ranking are you referring to?

The rankings published in French are also all of the flagship Grandes Écoles MSc. There is one MACI ranking. As far as I know there is no French ranking of full time MBAs, since the demand for full time MBAs is driven by international students rather than by employers. At almost every school, it is easier to get in to the MBA than the Grand École MSc.

But being 20th in a ranking of Grandes Écoles MBAs is not so great. Are there 20 with MBAs?

Most of the rankings I've seen are 3rd party. These were the first two results from a Google search

http://touchmba.com/best-mba-programs-france/

https://find-mba.com/lists/top-business-schools-by-location/top-10-mba-programs-in-france

Most of the lists I see are similar to this where they are always in the top 20, and oftentimes top 10. That's interesting about it being easier to get into the MBA. I will research some MSC's. It's been difficult to find good info on my end. the schools that do the best job advertising are the ones that aren't accredited (PSB, INSEEC). I just want to make sure I'm rearching good reputable schools - which both of these seem to be. Anyway, I'll keep looking around. Thanks!

There are a lot more than 20. I believe there are close to 86 accredited MBA's in France. I just don't want to include schools that aren't atleast AACSB accredited (such INSEEC, Paris Business School, etc.). Both these lists from a quick Google search have them both very high and this is what I'm seeing across the board.

http://touchmba.com/best-mba-programs-france/

https://find-mba.com/lists/top-business-schools-by-location/top-10-mba-programs-in-france

It's definitely something to consider though if the MSc's are more competitive. What MBA's do you recommend outside of HEC, EMLYON, and INSEAD?

Yes there are quite a bit more than 20, but I'm excluding anything that isn't AACSB accredited. Such as Paris school of business

Which ranking are you thinking of?

If you don't have the kind of background that means you would be hired without an MBA, and if you are targeting traditional volume-hiring MBA destinations then you are really limited to Insead and the five top grandes écoles. If you speak and write business French excellent, then the flagship grande école programmes are strong options. I struggle to see the options after the Rennes MBA, for example.

I posted 2 of the rankings in the thread above. Grenoble ranks in the top 5 in one

There are 31 schools in France with international accreditation. Not all are Grandes écoles https://find-mba.com/schools/europe/france?accredition=true#list-school

Unless I am mistaken, Touch MBA is a list, not a ranking. I dont know the site, but it doesn't seem to be collecting any direct data.

Obviously I don't really know your background, language skills or quality as a candidate so it is hard to make recommendations. If you have not already worked in France and can't get into Insead then I would totally recommend a course in French at HEC, ESSEC or ESCP. That will help you assimilate the functional vocabulary and the working cultures.

[Edited by Duncan on Sep 30, 2018]

I studied at EDHEC, and I am a big fan of their school. But it is a big leap into a general management role there without being really well integrated. You won't get that in a room of foreigners. So for a path into functional management take a master's specialised in that function.

Are better schools like HEC completely out of the question?

Definitely not out of the question, but the 690 GMAT average is probably higher than I can get. I have great grades, fortune 1 experience, 2 years being an international volunteer, but am not a good standardized test taker