Hello
I'm an electrical engineer with 4yrs Exp.
target: International MBA, just General MBA!
I have a little knowledge of these programs, so my questions will be a beginner's questions.

I'm looking for an affordable MBA that holds a value (accredited), an MBA that i can show to others with "pride", an MBA that enables me to continue PhD. in other universities if the same university does not have the option to continuing PhD.

Sounds like a "Magical MBA"?

I was searching, searching, and searching. Until I finally found this "Magical MBA", but still, i'm unsure.. really.. It is ESB Reutlingen

I found some old topics in this forums and elsewhere, many people are recommending it, even before the accreditation.

I have got 4 questions to ask..

1- It seems that people believe that the only bad thing about it, is the fact that its a Hochschule. But, wait.. what is the meaning of this word? and why is it considered a disgrace? I really don't understand!

2- if we are comparing this business school with one of the US universities, say: University of Dallas (Texas), which is better? and why? isn't it the same degree anyways? could i possibly lose anything by any chance?

3- Comparing ESB Reutlingen to the Best Business school in Germany (#1), what am i going to lose for choosing ESB Reutlingen over #1 School ? (note: I don't intend to work in Germany, i just want an MBA degree that i can use anywhere in the world and would be accepted, that's all, i don't want to end up with a paper "certificate" that holds no value)

4- I can see that they don't require GMAT, nor Recommendation Letters. Is that a bad sign or a good one? if it means anything anyways..

thanks :)

[Edited by alplayer01 on Aug 18, 2019]

1. Hochschule is the German word for an institute of higher education. There are two basic forms of Hochschule: Universitaet (traditional research-led universities) and Fachhochschule (Teaching-led vocational institutes focussed on the professional application of the sciences). One difference is that the Fachhochschule does not normally offer doctoral degrees; and the other is that admission is easier. They don't have the same elite perception. Fachhochschule graduates find it harder to enter doctoral programmes and, traditionally, you had to put (FH) after the post-nominal letters of your degree if it came from a Fachhochschule. Recently many Fachhochschule have dropped that word, and many renamed themselves as Hochschule. In comparison to the former polytechnics in the UK, the Fachhochschulen have been less able to narrow the gap. ESB is recognised as a good place to study business, but they have few staff who are producing internationally-notable research.

2. ESB and UD have different strengths and weaknesses. Those extra fees make a huge difference. The UD faculty will be on a much higher level as teachers and as researchers. UD's facilities and student support will be incomparable. The MBA there will be deeper, more team-oriented, have a greater range of electives and much more prestigious. UD's reputation is broader. For example, I took an MBA elective at an Ivy League school taught by someone who was then a UD professor.

3. With an ESB degree you get a real degree. Any AACSB school will find it acceptable for PhD applicants, especially since it includes a major thesis. However, ESB may not be able to provide the sort of supervision that would produce a thesis that is really making a contribution to the sort of debates that PhD students should be engaging with. Obviously modest resources mean that it doesn't have the sort of extensive support for students and alumni. You would get a solid education, but not the very high earnings of a top MBA. If you asked a recruiter to compare the pre-MBA roles of students in the top 50 MBAs with the post-MBA roles of ESB students, they would probably conclude that the former were more desirable.

4. It is, obviously, a bad sign if the selection for the MBA is based only on a Skype assessment. They will select the people who give the best impression on Skype. However, it's not an acting course but an MBA.

The quality of the school really matters. I was in a top university for my MSc and when I mentioned I will continue for PhD, they made sure I did two publications during my MSc. It helped me get into a great university for PhD. The difference is huge.

Getting into a great school offers great opportunities. It is almost always worth the cost. Even the M7 schools that cost 200.000 and it seems too high and people think "you must be crazy to pay 200.000 for a degree" ... they usually worth it!

The higher the requirements of the school, the better the quality of the cohort. A school that does not need gmat, has low english requirements, does not need work experience, or similar, those are warning signs about the quality of the program

If you asked a recruiter to compare the pre-MBA roles of students in the top 50 MBAs with the post-MBA roles of ESB students, they would probably conclude that the former were more desirable.

4. It is, obviously, a bad sign if the selection for the MBA is based only on a Skype assessment. They will select the people who give the best impression on Skype. However, it's not an acting course but an MBA.

There is a big difference between GMAT optional, when most candidates will be selected with GMAT as the main indicator and only above average candidates are admitted with it, and what you see at ESB.

4. I agree, but many ranked and accredited universities do the same. for example UD does not require GMAT (its optional), nor recommendation letters aswell, actually not even an interview!
yet still, they are considered a strong MBA program.