Interesting - thanks, Lee. 50% is higher than I expected, but makes sense.

The more I look into doing an MBA in Europe, the more it's clear that post-study visas are getting harder and harder to come by, so it's good to know that Denmark has such a system.

CBS isn't the only full-time MBA in Denmark. Aarhus University also has an English-language full-time MBA http://www.asb.dk/videreuddannelse/mba/thesustainablemba/ alongside its two Danish-language MBA programmes.

Apologies. As Duncan earlier noted "Copenhagen Business School is the only serious Full-time MBA in the region".

;-)

CBS isn't the only full-time MBA in Denmark. Aarhus University also has an English-language full-time MBA http://www.asb.dk/videreuddannelse/mba/thesustainablemba/ alongside its two Danish-language MBA programmes.

But, but since the person who started this thread was interested in free courses then we should remember that the CBS MBA is twice the price of the programme at Aarhus. Living expenses average 9000 in Aarhus rather than 14,700 euro in Copenhagen. The Aarhus programme is focussed on sustainability though a 5 credit project, but it also allows 15 credits of electives, plus an internship and an international exchange (http://www.asb.dk/samarbejde/universitetspartnerskaber/partneruniversities/).

For a lower price than CBS you could pay for Ashridge, Cambridge, Cass, Cranfield, ESMT, EM Lyon or RSM.

And for free, there are a handful of MBAs in Finland with no tuition. So if budget is really an issue, that's worth looking at

I believe the title of this thread is "MBA in Scandinavian Countries". Points regarding Aarhus and Finland are relevant and could of course be debated regarding quality and cost etc. Bringing in courses from countries outside Scandinavia is simply not relevant at all.

When making any investment decision, you need to look at the alternatives. If you want to get an MBA to get into work in, say, Denmark, then it's worth understand that:
- An MBA in Denmark does not guarantee work in Denmark and
- An MBA outside Denmark can lead to work inside Denmark.

In an earlier post, Lee [who works for Copenhagen Business School] explains that 50% of their students stay in Copenhagen. Richard commented that this was a higher percentage that he had expected. Indeed, CBS's own statistics for the three most recent years published are that 60% in 2007, 40% in 2009 and 30% in 2010 found work in Denmark (not only Copenhagen, but the whole country).That is not a great trend in the numbers, but n my opinion even 30% is a good percentage, since the demand for MBAs is limited in Denmark.

If CBS graduates 50 MBAs a year and on average 43% of them find work in Denmark, then that's 22 a year.

On the other hand, I think Henley Management College has more than 700 MBAs who are alumni in Denmark, and more than 200 each in Sweden and Finland. It offers teaching in Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm (http://www.henleynordic.com/dk/) and many places outside Scandinavia.

Aarhus, INSEAD and IMD also have many more MBA alumni in Denmark than CBS does. INSEAD and Heriot-Watt alumni are more numerous in Norway than are CBS alumni, So, I think other schools can also be considered as routes to working and living in Scandinavia.

I do indeed proudly work for Copenhagen Business School as I stated earlier. Of course taking an MBA in any country does not guarantee employment there for anyone. In the current economic and visa climate there are advantages to studying in Denmark, with of course no guarantees.

Henley Management College is a part-time program, with mainly very experienced Danish students (taking the MBA in the Danish section of the program) who are already based in Denmark. If you are a Dane or are already working in Denmark and are looking for a good part-time option then of course this would be worth considering.

One of the main reasons Insead and IMD have more alumni working in Denmark because a relatively high percentage Danes join those particular programs and return to Denmark to work. Danes get sponsored to study abroad but not at home. Those programs have also been running a lot longer than CBS'.

I believe this thread is manily designed for non-Scandinavian students looking at the possibility of studying an MBA in Scandinavia. In that case CBS's Full-time MBA is a very strong option.

Gentlemen, thank you for all the suggestions and advices. It has indeed been very helpful. I would like to extend my gratitude towards Mr. Duncan for all the help he has given me by providing me with a set of alternatives and their respective pros and cons, rather than advocating/defending a particular University/College/Business School.

I also wish to extend my gratitude towards Mr. LeeMilligan for his suggestions.

Thank you all.

I am a graduate from Scandinavian system myself so i knew a little bit of things there.

Now students can still find free tuition courses at Norway and Finland. Scandinavia is such a tight community so when you graduate from a well-known university in this country it will be accepted likewise in the remaining.

MBA is still a suspicious concept in Scandinavia and so jobs and routes for MBA grads are not as well-recognized and opportunities are not as plentiful as in England or US. But the economy in UK/US now is damn pathetic.

I would think that going for a Master degree with a concentration in IT or Finance or whatever roles you want to concentrate on later would help equally if not more as going into an MBA many times without concentration in Europe.

I am not so sure about cost of studying at this school. You gotta take into account living expenses and opportunity costs. Probably the figures still fair better than a Master that is twice as long in the middle of nowhere in the North of Norway???

Also knowing the local language is a good plus, for technical roles English is OK but for more business-oriented or customers-facing, to be honest, speaking decent one of the Scandinavian languages will help a lot

Interesting commentary, Duncan. I think people do understand, that wherever you do end up doing an MBA, it doesn't necessarily guarantee you a job in the country you're in (especially if you're a foreign national.)

And your point about Henley placing more students in Scandinavian countries is also well taken. Of course, CBS would be less expensive than a degree from Henley (or most other comparably-ranked UK program,) so that should be weighed as well.

However, I would think that the experience of going to one of the few accredited English-language MBA programs in Copenhagen is a very exciting aspect of CBS. Even if the stats say that placements there are more complicated - there is still something to be said for building a network there as you are going to school.

Not sure what I'll be doing, but I'm weighing all these pieces in my decision.

When making any investment decision, you need to look at the alternatives. If you want to get an MBA to get into work in, say, Denmark, then it's worth understand that:
- An MBA in Denmark does not guarantee work in Denmark and
- An MBA outside Denmark can lead to work inside Denmark.

In an earlier post, Lee [who works for Copenhagen Business School] explains that 50% of their students stay in Copenhagen. Richard commented that this was a higher percentage that he had expected. Indeed, CBS's own statistics for the three most recent years published are that 60% in 2007, 40% in 2009 and 30% in 2010 found work in Denmark (not only Copenhagen, but the whole country).That is not a great trend in the numbers, but n my opinion even 30% is a good percentage, since the demand for MBAs is limited in Denmark.

If CBS graduates 50 MBAs a year and on average 43% of them find work in Denmark, then that's 22 a year.

On the other hand, I think Henley Management College has more than 700 MBAs who are alumni in Denmark, and more than 200 each in Sweden and Finland. It offers teaching in Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm (http://www.henleynordic.com/dk/) and many places outside Scandinavia.

Aarhus, INSEAD and IMD also have many more MBA alumni in Denmark than CBS does. INSEAD and Heriot-Watt alumni are more numerous in Norway than are CBS alumni, So, I think other schools can also be considered as routes to working and living in Scandinavia.

I totally agree that the CBS MBA is interesting. It has some uniqure features and the 30% rate of placement into Danish firms is, as I've said, relatively impressive (although I don't know the figures for Aarhus). However, I'm trying to make the point that there are other options.

I think the choice really depends on the student. The Henley Nordic executive MBA is more expensive than the full-time MBA at CBS, but both variants of it are less costly than the executive MBA at CBS. I think CBS is a little overpriced.

If you're the sort of person who can bring your work to Denmark, then a part-time MBA with Henley or CBS will perhaps be a better way of integrating since you'll be networking with people are are hiring managers.

But I also think the earlier point about the immaturity of the demand for MBAs in Scandinavia has to be taken seriously. That 30% figure reflects it. Maybe an MSc and a language course would lead to similar outcomes?

The three full time english MBA options in scandinavia i have come across are CBS, Aarhus,Oulu .

First hand details about the relative quality and pricing of these programs would help prospective international students make a decision.

hope someone makes the effort in this thread.

PS- i still listen to ABBA !

Oulu? Scandinavians don't include Finland in Scandinavia. But there are seven MBAs in Finland: http://www.find-mba.com/finland influding full time MBAs at Jyväskylä and Oulu.

The three full time english MBA options in scandinavia i have come across are CBS, Aarhus,Oulu .

First hand details about the relative quality and pricing of these programs would help prospective international students make a decision.

hope someone makes the effort in this thread.

PS- i still listen to ABBA !

Thanks for your input.

its clear that aarhus has lower living costs and tuition but the program may not be as mature as CBS .

Hello,

I am a newbee here and not sure if my post will be relevant here, but I was excited to see this discussion going on and couldn't help but share my research & 2 cents.

PS: I will be applying to CBS this year, hence my views may sound baised.

1) When we say MBA in Scandinavian countries, Copenhagen Business Schools really stands tall, and it is not only on the basis of rankings.

2) I come from India, and have worked with Danish, Swedish and Finnish guys, The problem solving methodology followed in India is different from the approach to problem solving in the Scandinavia / Nordics. Although the Indian way is faster, the Scandinavian way is more detailed.

3) CBS boasts of teaching the Scandinavian way of management, Knowing the Indian way of management, I wish to know the Scandinavian way of management, and hence I am naturally tilted towards CBS. (The Teaching methodology & the Scandinavian way of management may not suit everyone, and will actually depend on case to case basis)

4) Another important feature of the CBS MBA is the "Integrated Strategy Project" that gives you hands-on work experience dealing with real clients on real-world problem. Thats real world education folks - As real as a college education can get, In my Humble Opinion of course !

5) I have talked to atleast 3 Alumni of CBS, and all agree that the focus on Leadership is great at CBS, and it has helped them in a personal transformation! (I am not sure if any other Business school comes close to CBS in this regard)

6) The way I see it, the location of Copenhagen is of great strategic advantage. CBS is the only renowned and globaly acknowledged Full Time MBA program in the region. If you may, you can virtually tap Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Denmark markets, and more importantly Germany (Europian driving force).

7) MBA degree is percieved differently in different job markets (part of the world). In India most MBA students are career switchers from Technical domain and have less than 2 years of work experience. In US, average class work experience is 5 years, and career switchers are well accepted by the job market.
In Europe the average class work experience is on the higher side 7 years or so, at CBS it stands at 8+ years.

8) A person with lesser work experience, after graduating from any Europian B school may find it difficult in getting accepted by the job market. Most Europian MBAs are 1 year program, career switchers may have a problem doing so with a 1 year program.

9) Work permit: Getting job post MBA largly depends upon the current economic conditions and getting work permit (for Non- EU citizens). While Denmark's economy is strong, it is not growing at the rate Asian countries' economy are climbing , even in recession. Let's not forget the high tax rates in Denmark. If lucky to get a job in Denmark (& a work permit/ green card), the idea of working in the beautiful green city of Copenhagen is just wonderful ! I have meet several Danes and my Project Manager being one, Dannish People are very friendly and happy (as entitiled World's happiest people).

10) I was in Lithuania, and people as far as Lithuania are aware of Copenhagen Business School, and consider it very highly. They were largly unaware of prominent Spanish & French schools.

So Depending upon your career aspirations, personal fit factor, and work permit issues. Make an informed decision & chose wisely !

Best Regards
Ayon

The three full time english MBA options in scandinavia i have come across are CBS, Aarhus,Oulu .

First hand details about the relative quality and pricing of these programs would help prospective international students make a decision.

hope someone makes the effort in this thread.

PS- i still listen to ABBA !

I am Swedish, have taken an MBA myself here in Scandinavia and have a number of Scandinavian and foreign friends myself who have done the same. In terms of Full-time MBA's in Scandinavia, at the moment only one really stands out, that of Copenhagen Business School - CBS. I have just read on Find MBA that the school recently became triple accredited, which does not surprise me given the strong reputation it has throughout Scandinavia. I have a friend who took the Full-time program at CBS and only had positive things to say. Small (50 students) and experienced class, lots of interaction with industry, great leadership program, very international and a good number who wanted to work in Scandinavia afterwards where able to do so. In many of our companies English is the business language and there are great visa systems.

Oslo and Stockholm shut their programs down, seemingly not being able to take the competition. Aarhus started a program a year ago and manged to attract only around 15 students looking at their CV book. In my personal opinion there is no competition between living in a vibrant capital like Copenhagen and a provincial town like Aarhus. The same must go for local job opportunities afterwards.

Hi Ayon

Firstly, there are more English speaking companies in Scandianvia (or companies where your colleagues are happy to communicate in English) than most non-English speaking countries in the world and you are talking about countries with consistenly strong economies and comparativley open visa systems.

In my opinion the more work experience you have the more you will get out of your MBA, pure and simple. You can contribute more to class discussions with real examples and reflect on your past decisions and the situations you have been in. Taking a Full-time MBA enables you to focus on the program for a year instead of having to balance the program, work and family. This is purely positive and in my experience, and the experience of those I know, seen as advantageous. Because of your experience your will be on a higher salary than most Full-time MBA's when you leave and pay off any debts you have much quicker than most Full-time MBA's, simple. Do not forget, and many people do, that the MBA is about learning and educating yourself, not just money (which of course is important).