Hi there, I am admitted to the Mannheim, HHL and Goethe full time MBA program, now I have a week to decide which program to enroll, it is really a tough choice and I think you comment will help me a lot. Which program you think has the best prospect and reputation?
Also, the tutition fee is quite high, Mannheim and HHL are both asking for 27000 euro while Goethe is only asking for 16000 euro. I know Goethe is not as famous as the others, but education wise, it shouldn't be a huge difference, right? Should I pick the one that is less expensive? Your advice will mean a lot to me. Thanks in advance. Vielen vielen dank

I would choose Mannheim as it is by far the best school in Germany (#26 in the Economist ranking, triple-accredited, #1 in German rankings).

HHL is a smaller private school and has the disadvantage of being located in East Germany, which is not known as a business hub in Germany.

Goethe's program is young and small. As far as I am informed they just announced that they will concentrate on Non-MBA-programs focusing on finance in the future.

Thanks la Brujita
Do you think ranking is that important, that's something I am really not sure, lots of people said don't let the ranking fool you in forum.

I would need some comment from German, which school you find the best in terms of networks? Anyone can shed some light on this?

Thanks in advance

Hi,

I would take a look at this article from the website about rankings:
http://www.find-mba.com/article/176/rankings-what-they-can-and-cant-tell-you-about-a-business-school

I think your budget is important, and there is a considerable difference between 27,000 and 16,000 euros. Although Goethe is small and new, it can still provide a really decent education. Judging by their website too, I think they're definitely MBA focused. Also, according to FIND MBA's rankings, Goethe ranks above Mannheim, and it's also in Frankfurt, which is the financial center of Germany.

I've also heard from other Alumni that say it's an advantage to attend new, smaller schools because they're quite close-knit and very focused, which also means good relations between students and faculty.

@Angie Two short comments on your post:

1. When you read the news in Germany (e.g. www.schwertfeger-mba-channel.com) you can see that Goethe seems to turn to a school of finance. They do not offer their EMBA and their open courses any more and the MBA is very small with less than 20 students.

2. The list on FIND MBA is not a ranking and may only be based on the number of clicks on this page. Frankfurt cannot be found in any international ranking in contrast to Mannheim.

3. Mannheim's network seems to be by far the largest one. They are part of a more than 100 year old University focused on business and economics. HHL was re-established after Germany's reunification in 1990 and Goethe is part of the University of Frankfurt, but seems to be younger than Mannheim BS.

La Brujita, I kind of have the impression that you try to promote the website www.schwertfeger-mba-channel.com on this message board.

It's a strange coincidence that in every post on this board you say that the best business school in Germany is Mannheim, which at the same time is the main (only?) advertiser on that website.

I have no doubt that Mannheim is a good school, but I think you should disclose your affiliations if you advise about German MBA programs (in case there are any).

Thanks La Brujita, Angie and ArunS.
Are you guys German?
coz I think local knowledge is very important to me in this stage? Btw, I am from China.

Well, frankly, I am in favour of MBS and HHL in this stage, and Goethe is tempting to me because of the relatively lower tutition fee. It also comes from the interview process. Let me share this in case someone will do the interview with these schools.

MBS, is very organised and professional, they provide me all the necessary information in a very structured manner. Feedbacks are given positively during assessment. The school provides you different program to finance the course.

HHL, is the most traditional business school. I have been there in person, people are really friendly. The most amazing part is the Dean of the school interviews the candidate directly. Some German will prefer this school since it is a independent one. However, fee reduction, scholarship are very hard to get, and they do not offer any loan.

I do not know the prospect after graduated from these schools, you think that a graduate from which school (HHL, MBS or Goethe) will be easier to find a job in Germany afterwards?

Thanks again for your comments.

ArunS, I am - like many other users of this forum - looking for an MBA program in Germany at the moment. I have visited the most interesting of them (Goethe, WHU, EBS, HHL, Mannheim, ESMT, Gisma, St. Gallen) personally or on fairs and what I am doing is sharing my experience on this board.

I have nearly the same impression of the organizations as liluvbleby and that is what I have communicated here:

- Mannheim very professional and the school with longest tradition in MBA and business education,
- HHL very young and dedicated, but struggling with its location,
- Goethe very young, also dedicated, but still in the process of shaping its profile.
- Besides, I can recommend St. Gallen (Switzerland) and WHU, both very professional and with a pretty good company network.

Besides, I try to gather as many information as possible about the German MBA market which is not easy. Only a few newspapers regularly report on MBA topics. The best source is Handelsblatt/karriere.de. Another independent source seems to be the website mentioned in my last posts. I used to read mba-channel.com too, but their website does not seem to be updated any more.

I can appreciate everyone's feedback on this matter. As for your decision, liluvbleby, it might be a personal choice based on budget. But I would advise on location, and both Mannheim and Frankfurt are stronger centers for business than Leipzig. I would not also consider the older school to always be the better choice. Good luck!

I think you have to choose schools and not cities. Germany has a national labour market and employers are open to candidates to other cities.

I visited and applied to various schools in German-speaking regions, including GISMA, HHL and HSG. Goethe didn't exist.

I really liked HHL. It's a great learning experience and a fun student city. The school is seen by employers as being in the top tier, with WHU and GISMA. Frankfurt is a public university, and that does and will weigh things down a little.

Mannheim looks good. If someone is pushing Mannheim only, then that has to be discounted. Loyalty isn't useful here, because different schools are good for different people. But ESSEC partners with Mannheim so it cannot be bad.

For those looking for an MBA in Germany, the Wirtschaftswoche ranking released this week and based on recommendations of HR directors may be a guideline.

http://www.wiwo.de/management-erfolg/die-besten-unis-fuer-die-karriere-463360/3/

It is a university ranking, but some of the schools listed offer international fulltime MBA programs: Mannheim, WHU, EBS, Frankfurt am Main and HHL.

Timmy, that's an interesting ranking but it's about HR managers of schools rather than a look at graduate programmes in business specifically or MBAs in general. Most of those schools don't even have MBAs.

Duncan, as I already mentioned, the ranking should just be guideline. It ranks schools/universities in general with their full range of programs (undergraduate level, graduate level, MBA). You are right that not all universities in Germany offer an MBA, but because not all HR mangers in Germany are familiar with the MBA yet, they look more on the overall reuptation of a school than on the specific program. So this ranking may give orientation to those who are looking for a job in Germany after the MBA.

Yes, I agree. Thanks for posting it.

Going back to the original topic of this conversation, I just spoke with an alumni of Goethe and he had some really great things to say. He said the workload was intense, but he landed a job one month after the MBA.

Hi all, sorry to bother you guys again. Finally I have rejected Goethe. Now I have to make a decision btw HHL and Mannheim, HHL is really kind to offer me a scholarship and lowered the tuition to around 20K, while Mannheim remained at around 27K. Besides of economic consideration, I can see the style of both schools are quite different. HHL is a private school (you know German value independence a lot), school is smaller and more ready to help. Leipzig is a city that very open to foreigners. On the other hand, Mannheim enjoys better reputation, ranking and acceditation, also it is very systematic and organised. I am looking for landing a markeing job or e-business job after the mba program in Germany. I really appreciate your advice and insight on this. Thanks in advance.

Some people in this forum may call me a Mannheim supporter again, but please consider the following:

- I have the impression that schools which grant high scholarships often have problems in getting a sufficient number of participants. On the other hand, 7k is a fair amount of money.
- When comparing Mannheim and HHL in terms of academic excellence, I would clearly prefer Mannheim. For example, they have 4 chairs for marketing, including Homburg, one the world's leading marketing experts. HHL has only one chair for marketing and I have never read the name of the professor in any newspaper, magazine or scientific journal.

All in all, both schools are good choices in Germany; Mannheim is the market leader, HHL is a challenger. In the end, you have to follow your heart and your instinct which school is best for you.

"I have the impression that schools which grant high scholarships often have problems in getting a sufficient number of participants."

I think that's silly. But point taken. I think I'd generally prefer Mannheim, too.

I would like to add that German schools in general are underestimated on the international MBA market. I do not speak about all the commercial colleges (Fachhochschulen/Hochschulen), but schools like Mannheim, WHU or Goethe offer excellent management education at a reasonable price and comparatively low living expenses. It is perfectly ok that WHU is ranked #14 in the FT EMBA ranking and that Mannheim is ranked #26 in the Economist MBA ranking. Both even have the potential to improve in the future.

Hi All !!

I am from India and I am planning to do an MBA from Germany . Currently I have more than two years of work experience in the middle east. I wanted to know about the job prospects in Germany for international students after MBA . I know a lot depends on me and my qualifications but i would still like to know the overall job scenario for an average student. As all of us know that we can stay up to one year minimum after MBA in Germany to look for jobs but is that time period sufficient enough to get a job ??
Any answer would be thoroughly appreciated .