I am from the U.S. and work for a large manufacturing company but I would like to do my MBA in Europe.

My goals include building a European network and gaining some international experience, preferably in the form of an internship. I would like to stay in manufacturing or another industry of some sort but move more into the supply chain side of things. I have shortlisted the following business schools:

ESMT (Germany)
St. Gallen (Switzerland)
Católica - Lisbon (Lisbon MBA - Portugal)
RSM (Netherlands)
Vlerick (Belgium)

I was hoping that somebody here could help me in terms of which of these schools would best match my goals.

What are your language skills? I struggle to see what sort of manufacturing business in those countries would have English as a working language. See Do you need to speak the local language? www.find-mba.com/board/34713

Are you planning on trying to stay in Europe after you graduate? St. Gallen looks like it might be a good choice, given that it seems to place well in industry:

http://www.find-mba.com/specializations/17/industrial-management-manufacturing

HHL and ESADE are the other two European schools on that list, and also seem to place well into local manufacturing companies.

Also, ETH in Zurich offers an EMBA in supply chain, but that's a part time program.

No, I don't plan on staying in Europe after I graduate. I would like, however, to do an internship while I'm abroad. My main goal is to start building a European network, because my company may be looking into expanding internationally at some point in the future.

I will look into HHL and ESADE, as well as ETH. Thank you so much for these suggestions.

I am from the U.S. and work for a large manufacturing company but I would like to do my MBA in Europe.

My goals include building a European network and gaining some international experience, preferably in the form of an internship. I would like to stay in manufacturing or another industry of some sort but move more into the supply chain side of things. I have shortlisted the following business schools:

ESMT (Germany)
St. Gallen (Switzerland)
Católica - Lisbon (Lisbon MBA - Portugal)
RSM (Netherlands)
Vlerick (Belgium)

I was hoping that somebody here could help me in terms of which of these schools would best match my goals.

Hi Patricia & Yasuko. Could someone from the US take the ETH MBA? Can they get a visa for a part-time programme?

Hi Duncan

American and other internation students can definitely get a visa to study at our University. It might take 2-5 months, so it's wise to start the process early in advance.

if you have any question, please let us know.

Kind regards, Patricia & Yasuko

Hello PhilJ12

Just to add on the on-going conversation. (I am bit biased I have admit:) Rotterdam School of Management could be a great option for you considering your interest in Supply Chain / Logistics.

Having the one of the biggest ports in the world and serving the hinterland of Europe you will find a strong corporate network with RSM and the Erasmus University and your nationality will make is considerably easier to settle down in The Netherlands (you will get a visa upon arrival). Typically we will have a 10 - 13% North American student body in our FTMBA programme

You might want to have a look at the following links:

http://www.rsm.nl/research/departments/strategic-management-entrepreneurship/news/detail/3258-alumni-strengthen-rotterdam-supply-chain-links/

http://www.rsm.nl/rsm-leadership-summit-2014/about-the-summit/2013/port-of-rotterdam-presentation/

You are of course welcome to reach out directly in order to arrange for a Skype of phone conversation.

Kind regards,

Bart Scheenaard (RSM MBA)
[email protected]

Phil,

Any updates? I'm interested in doing an MBA from a German speaking country like ESMT and St. Gallen as you mentioned. I am curious about whether you bit the bullet or not. Let us know!

I am very surprised that the folk from the ETH imply that part-time students can get visas for their executive MBA. If so, I think that's a very interesting opportunity since it would also give them the chance to study German during the day (and learn Swiss German in the evenings).

Hey dude,
Well what are your goals? And where do you want to work? And what is your GPA, GMAT and work experience?

I'd say that unless you are targeting a SPECIFIC country (and you just want Europe) the school selection works no different than for the US i.e. - you go to the best school you can get into, which in Europe means INSEAD or LBS if you have the GMAT.

Best,
Yaron

----

Premier Admissions Consulting

[Edited by Admissionado on Nov 26, 2015]

I think the idea that you should get into the best school you can is a little too abstract to be helpful, especially in an international setting. You need to work to identify the best schools *for your goals* rather than follow the rankings alone.

IE, for example, ranks higher than Cambridge almost always and in terms of MBA salary is notably higher. The Lisbon MBA ranks much higher than Warwick. However these schools place people into different industries and into countries with different working languages and with different alumni networks. The mainland European schools typically have much more focused opportunities than the UK schools, and the language barriers can reduce outcomes for students who arrive without professional fluency in the national language.

So, it's very different from the United States which is essentially one labour market and where mainstream MBA recruiters hire on a continental level for roles across the continent. That is not the case for European schools.

Hey,

Well, I would still venture to say that when we are talking about top schools i.e. INSEAD, LBS, Oxbridge, it matters far less where you want to work as they can place you anywhere. Of course you are right when in comes to schools outside of the top schools, or markets in which you need to speak the language (France let's say but not Germany or the other northern countries).

Nonetheless, going to the best school you can get into may seem simple, but works for Europe as well as single countries within Europe.

Cheerio,

Yaron

You've missed my point. I gave one of the Oxbridge universities, Cambridge, as an example to show that sometimes it might be better to go to a less well-ranked school. If you want to work in Spain, it would be less effective to go to Cambridge than to IE. Conversely, if you wanted to work in the UK then IE would be a less effective choice than a school which is inferior by most other measures but is in the target country.

Language skills are important. You and I have both spent a lot of time in Germany. There are certainly some roles which are open to people who don't speak German, but most are not. Business schools in the region tend to teach German, and often have German language requirements. Just as important are the soft skills and networks that you build up in a German school. It's notable, for example, that the full-time MBA has failed to get acceptance in the Nordic countries (CBS's placement for international students has fallen greatly) because in order to really supervise and grow people, and to be able to work optimally in the business culture, international talent needs to adapt to the realities of most organisations: that the heavy lifting in the workplace is done in the national language. Functional specialists can get junior managerial roles, but progression is very limited.

I'm an LBS graduate. The idea that LBS can place you anywhere seems mistaken to me. It has great placement, and it benefits from strong links in some countries and organisations, but that reach is not ubiqutious.