Dear all,

I am deciding between several bschools within the German region for my Part-time MBA and would very much appreciate your opinions.
As I will continue working full-time I am only looking for part-time programs therefore greatly reducing the available programmes.

About me:

- 30 yrs old // German native (DACH region inhabitant)
- Previous experience as an (engagement) manager within deloitte focusing on financial services
- Current experience as a manager within a multinational Fortune500 financial services firm
- Non-target school business Master already achieved
- Clear focus on financial services strategy / corp dev / business dev

The motivation:

- Getting the MBA under my belt, at a prestigious school within Europe that offers a part-time program and leverage network/brand prestige for the future
- Not primarily thinking about switching industries – I have built my career on financial services /consulting and will continue to do so, however would not rule out Fintech/big tech
- My main motivation is mitigating my sub-par degree from a sub-par school (read: non ranked school)

The programs:

Currently I favour Frankfurt School but would like to confirm/spar whether there would be a better opportunity somehwhere else across EU/DACH considering the limiting factor of Part-time.

- Frankfurt School Part time MBA: Good location / flexibility, located at the heart of German banking/finance, good reputation, good rankings
- St. Gallen: Good reputation/brand value, good rankings however compared to the others significantly more expensive and I feel there is no upside to justify that
- ESMT: Ranked quite highly however I did not stumble across any Alumni during my professional career (unlike the others)
- WHU: Also great school however the schedule of the PT programme is not ideal for me
- Mannheim: Same as WHU
- HHL: For HHL I´d only consider the MiM PT as the MBA seems to be not ranked
Any insights appreciated!

If you look at the EMBA salary data you will see that the NPV of the salary increase of better schools is much, much better than the additional investment. If HSG was the best school for your goals, the additional investment would be trivial compared to the gain. So, ignore the cost and focus on the value.

You mention Europe but your focus is on local schools. If the LBS or Insead EMBA or Harvard ALM was the best choice for you, would you consider it? 

Your professional goal is not clear, either in terms of sector or role. Financial applications of big tech and fintechs, for example, are a much bigger market than German financial service providers. Consulting to them is even wider than developing corporate strategy within banks. 

TLDR: The more general your goals are the more you need a school that covers a wide base [which WHU and Mannheim do] while the Frankfurt School gears you around the banks and Landesbanken.

[Edited by StuartHE on Dec 19, 2020]

Hi Stuart!

I greatly appreciate your post!

Some comments from my side:
- I am not targeting an EMBA as I feel to young for the topshot programmes and frankly do see considerably less "programme value" in an EMBA content wise. However for what it´s worth I have an admit to the WU/Carlson Global Executive MBA so could go down this route as well.
- I target only part-time MBAs because I have a very good job at a reputable company that I do not want to give up for 1-2 yrs FT programmes.
- To further specify my goals: I want to be able to extend/continue my career within the broader financial services field whether it be a corporate strategy role within a bank, financial services management consulting (= "my old job") or disruption of traditional FS via big techs / fintechs. Does this make more sense for you?

I honestly believe that Frankfurt School would be currently the "best choice" amongst the Euro PT programmes due to the clear FS focus and the clear development path of the school in terms of rankings.  Mannheim is simply not feasible due to schedule and unfortunately WHU would make it very cumbersome as well.

Having said that: What would be your recommendation when it comes to a specific part time programme that you´d consider?

There is less of a difference between part time and executive MBAs than there is within them. Some are intensive and integrated, while others are extensive and functional. The value of FS-specific content and cohorts can be overstated. I would suggest you focus on the value of the alumni networks and the average outcomes. 

There are no best and worst schools. There are only better and worse fits with your goals. 

Update:
i have decided for Frankfurt School as I was able to secure a scholarship bringing cost down to 10k total.
this - in addition to the much better structure / timings compared to WHU + the positive upwards trajectory of FSFM  - made it an easy Choice.

For future questions:
after careful die diligence there are in my opinion only 3 reasonable MBA Programmes in Germany: Frankfurt school, WHU and Mannheim
I would not count ESMT for example as it is a non-target for most tier1/2 employer 

To be honest, almost no EMBA programmes are 'targets' for employers. At that level, jobs are found through the personal job search, not by on-campus recruitment. 

PS Being in Berlin, a long way from the financial centres in West Germany, ESMT is placing MBAs into tier-one employers in IT, manufacturing and automotive, consulting etc. 

[Edited by Duncan on Apr 04, 2021]

Frankfurt is a great location / has a solid network in Germany's financial industry. I'd say it's a good choice, congrats!