Hi All,

I am currently interested in joining an MBA program in 2014 that focuses on Energy Management or Technology. I am 28 years and have a BS in Mechanical Engineering and a MS in Engineering Management with 4 years of experience in an alternative energy company (project management, engineering). I am looking to further my career in the management area of green energies/technologies in Europe since I believe globalization is a huge aspect of future energy and economics.

Also, when I applied for my MS masters I took the GRE (not GMAT) and got a score of 710 and 480 in math and verbal retrospectively. I know that some MBAs now accept GREs, for which my score is ok (530 equivalent in GMAT), but since I plan on applying for several scholarships, would anybody recommend preparing for the GMAT and taking it?

In terms of paying for tuition, I am Peruvian and US citizen so I could apply for scholarships that meet this criteria, but my girlfriend is also an Italian citizen so I could obtain the EU passport if I need to. Would this cheapen or give me better possibilities at obtaining scholarships?

Being this said,
1. Could you recommend good MBAs for my background?
2. Should I plan on taking the GMAT?
3. Would becoming a EU member make the scholarships more accessible?

Thanks in advanced!

1. Yes. Read http://www.find-mba.com/specializations/9/energy-and-natural-resources
2. Yes. Very few MBAs accept the GMAT.
3. There are very few scholarships for scholarships which are specific to nationalities, but it can't hurt. However, if I was your Italian girlfriend and thought that a scholarship swung the decision for you to marry me.....

What programs are you looking at, in particular?

St. Gallen has some interesting electives in the clean energy area, and I was just reading about a student who landed a job in a clean energy consulting firm (mid-way down this article):

http://www.find-mba.com/article/596/cool-mba-electives-beyond-the-core-curriculum

The average GMAT at St. Gallen is around 640 but they take the GRE too.

Also, I know that WU Executive Academy has an energy concentration that touches on renewables, but they only offer a part-time program.

But really the best clean energy programs are in the US (Haas, McCombs, etc.)

It might be better to do a general MBA at the best EU-based business school you can get into, rather than look for a specialization.

Hi there,

have a look here http://www.find-mba.com/university/540/esmt-european-school-of-management-and-technology

Looks like what you are looking for, it is profile for European School of Management and Technology.

Plus, as far as I remember this school was accepting GRE as well, if not they have GMAT preparation sessions in their schedule.

Anyway, everything depends on your background and GRE/GMAT score is not the main criteria.

You should have a deeper look into their site.

What does ESMT have to do with an MBA in energy management?

I have been looking at the Warwick SB and the MIP (Politecnico di Milano) programs, which both have energy/technology related MBA programs.
Since I plan on doing it next year and applyin for lots of scholarships, I will concentrate in getting the best score possible in the GMAT. I believe my background would play well for my acceptance into a program, so I have to get a really good GMAT score to complete the package.


My plan is to apply to other good MBAs in the US (like Cass) and making a decision based on school reputation, cost and ROI.

One thing that I have seen is that the average salary of an MBA in europe is a lot less than one here in the US. Anybody have any input regarding this?

Thanks for the posts!

Read http://www.expatica.co.uk/hr/story/why-us-based-executives-get-paid-more-10840.html

What does ESMT have to do with an MBA in energy management?

Read http://www.expatica.co.uk/hr/story/why-us-based-executives-get-paid-more-10840.html

Thanks Natalia, that program does actually match what I am looking for (especially the technology track). The only question I have is how reputable this school is compared to other big names.

My friend,

you can go to this lovely school in Switzerland http://master.epfl.ch/MES where education and research quality is on par with the very best universities anywhere in the world.

The cost of education is very cheap 2 or 3 US grand per year. Getting in difficult but manageable.

The living cost is pretty stiff but for the future try to live within your means. Quality of life is spot on, the scenery is just like in a romantic movie.

On the plus side, look out for opportunity to study in the Gulf where you can network right at the heart of the world' largest energy centre.

These are great courses. How about students visas for those part-time MAS courses?

Good choice with EPFL. If you can think of technology management, generaly, you can also have a look on ETH MTEC

http://www.ethz.ch/prospectives/programmes/mtec/master/index_EN

These two Swiss schools are top notch in terms of technology and, as mentioned above, they are competing with best universities in the world. You cannot go wrong with any of them regarding the education.

I'm not sure how they are in terms of career, job prospects, etc compared to a MBA alternative.

Regards,

Thanks Natalia, that program does actually match what I am looking for (especially the technology track). The only question I have is how reputable this school is compared to other big names.

Thanks for the tip cvm. I did actually looked into one of the two swiss universities you recommended (EPFL) and found a MS in Energy Management and Sustainability that really got my attention. I plan on applying soon, since it is a top european school and they offer full scholarships for those admitted into the program.
Even though my background matches the program very well, I am unsure on wheather I should present my old GRE score, take it again or just do not present it. They say that it is not required but I don't know if it it would hurt me or help me.

What do you recommend?

I just posted something similar about this. I am interested in an MBA in entrepreneurship and I think the Start-uP MBA in Israel in English from the Technion would be a good place for me to earn my MBA. The program focuses on technology, entrepreneurship and innovation. What I really liked about the program is their emphasis on internships and practical skills. I think i'm going to apply there and I was wondering if anyone else is interested. check it out at www.technionMBA.com and let me know your thoughts.

Thanks for the tip cvm. I did actually looked into one of the two swiss universities you recommended (EPFL) and found a MS in Energy Management and Sustainability that really got my attention. I plan on applying soon, since it is a top european school and they offer full scholarships for those admitted into the program.
Even though my background matches the program very well, I am unsure on wheather I should present my old GRE score, take it again or just do not present it. They say that it is not required but I don't know if it it would hurt me or help me.

What do you recommend?

I just posted something similar about this. I am interested in an MBA in entrepreneurship and I think the Start-uP MBA in Israel in English from the Technion would be a good place for me to earn my MBA. The program focuses on technology, entrepreneurship and innovation. What I really liked about the program is their emphasis on internships and practical skills. I think i'm going to apply there and I was wondering if anyone else is interested. check it out at www.technionMBA.com and let me know your thoughts.