Hi all,

I am planning to do an MBA Part-Time (probably starting 2023) and I would like to hear your opinion regarding the schools and opportunities that I am considering.

Let's start with my profile:
- 30 Years Old
- Italian
- Living in Munich
- M.Sc. Engineering
- 4 years experience in Technical Roles in Automotive sector

Reasons for MBA:
- Change role --> Managerial role with technical know-how (Project Manager, Operations Manager,...)
- Sectors of interest: 1.Consulting, 2.Tech, 3.Automotive
- Countries of interest: 1.Germany, 2.Italy, 3.Spain

I am looking mainly at following MBAs (not in order of preference):
1. ESMT Berlin - Part-Time MBA (75% Online, 25% On Campus)
Pros: Campus in Munich, Good school ranking
Cons: Do companies evaluate Online education less valuable than in-person education?

2. Frankfurt School of Finance and Management - Part-Time MBA
Pros: Campus in Munich, Well known school in Germany
Cons: Is the school (and opportunities) too much related to Finance?

3. WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management - Part-Time MBA
Pros: Good reputation for consulting sector
Cons: Need to commute every weekend to Dusseldorf

4. IE Business School - Global Online MBA (Part-Time)
Pros: Top-ranked MBA
Cons: More expensive compared to others, completely Online, poor reputation in Germany?

I have not considered Mannheim Part-Time as it would require too much leaves from work.

Please share your experience and opinion, as well as Pros and Cons.

Thank you all!

Do ESMT or FSFM have a campus in Munich, or do they just rent a lecture theatre when it need one? 

Did you consider IESE, since that the top MBA in Bavaria?

ESMT and FSFM give the possibility to attend lessons in Munich.
I think they have rented some offices in the city center.
IESE is too expensive, but even if I had the money, I think it is for more experienced professionals (average 10 years working experience)

From the schools you have listed I would hands-down pick WHU (as you have ruled out Mannheim) followed by FSFM/ESMT.

I am not the biggest fan of IE as I feel that there are (much) better Spanish optiones (namely IESE and ESADE).

With regards to Munich:
FSFM has no real campus in Munich but merely a "study center" in the central tower so I am not sure if this is really a plus in my books. Same seems to be true for ESMT or at least I have never stumpled upon it / have not found it via Google.

In terms of global brand recognition IESE is definitely the leading MBA program in Munich and one of the big3 in Europe however I do not see your profile working here (yet) as i) it is an EMBA ii) you lack leadership experience and iii) are a bit on the young side thus I would rule it out.

If I would be in your shoes, I would try to get into WHU and forget about the idea of a Munich campus. Especially if you target consulting WHU (although it is their 2nd tier MBA - especially considering part time) will prove indefinitely more valuable than the other choices as the glamour of the MiM will give you at least a bit of brand cachet. Will this be enough for Tier1 consulting? Nope - but your profile is not polished enough for that anyways. Could this open the door to Tier 2 / B4 / Boutiques? Yes, I could see this happen.

[Edited by DACHMBA on Jun 03, 2022]

From the schools you have listed I would hands-down pick WHU (as you have ruled out Mannheim) followed by FSFM/ESMT.

I am not the biggest fan of IE as I feel that there are (much) better Spanish optiones (namely IESE and ESADE).

With regards to Munich:
FSFM has no real campus in Munich but merely a "study center" in the central tower so I am not sure if this is really a plus in my books. Same seems to be true for ESMT or at least I have never stumpled upon it / have not found it via Google.

In terms of global brand recognition IESE is definitely the leading MBA program in Munich and one of the big3 in Europe however I do not see your profile working here (yet) as i) it is an EMBA ii) you lack leadership experience and iii) are a bit on the young side thus I would rule it out.

If I would be in your shoes, I would try to get into WHU and forget about the idea of a Munich campus. Especially if you target consulting WHU (although it is their 2nd tier MBA - especially considering part time) will prove indefinitely more valuable than the other choices as the glamour of the MiM will give you at least a bit of brand cachet. Will this be enough for Tier1 consulting? Nope - but your profile is not polished enough for that anyways. Could this open the door to Tier 2 / B4 / Boutiques? Yes, I could see this happen.

[Edited by Salvatore on Jun 03, 2022]

If you were able to run the numbers you'll see that the extra investment on the IESE EMBA delivers a higher NPV than the WHU part-time MBA. Given your age, you would not be the youngest person on the EMBA. I had a client recently enter the Munich cohort and I suspect that in these first stages admissions to the newer campuses in Munich and Madrid will be easier than in Barcelona. 

If you were able to run the numbers you'll see that the extra investment on the IESE EMBA delivers a higher NPV than the WHU part-time MBA. Given your age, you would not be the youngest person on the EMBA. I had a client recently enter the Munich cohort and I suspect that in these first stages admissions to the newer campuses in Munich and Madrid will be easier than in Barcelona. 

My client who was admitted to the Munich campus was 31, with a good masters from an university in another EU country. Most of his work history was as a solo contributor in technology engineering, but he had been promoted to project manager with a handful of staff. Since IESE takes the GMAC Executive Assessment or its own test, I don't think scores are a serious obstacle. If this person wants a management role rather than a consulting or functional specialist role, IESE is a strong option. 

My client who was admitted to the Munich campus was 31, with a good masters from an university in another EU country. Most of his work history was as a solo contributor in technology engineering, but he had been promoted to project manager with a handful of staff. Since IESE takes the GMAC Executive Assessment or its own test, I don't think scores are a serious obstacle. If this person wants a management role rather than a consulting or functional specialist role, IESE is a strong option. 

[Edited by Salvatore on Jun 05, 2022]

It's not the case that *hiring managers* value PhDs more than MBAs in Germany. That's easy to validate, because MBAs earn more than PhDs in Germany. But certainly the *general public* valued doctorates more than masters degrees: not only is a doctorate more work, but the masters degree (not only the MBA) is relatively new in Germany because of the Bologna process.

Indeed, I don't think many schools break out their results by campus and comparability is also troublesome because of PPP. That's especially challenging with EMBAs because they are so likely to have multinational cohorts. That's equally an reality with international programmes with cohorts in Germany like ESCP, ESSEC, and Henley.   

It's not the case that *hiring managers* value PhDs more than MBAs in Germany. That's easy to validate, because MBAs earn more than PhDs in Germany. But certainly the *general public* valued doctorates more than masters degrees: not only is a doctorate more work, but the masters degree (not only the MBA) is relatively new in Germany because of the Bologna process.

Indeed, I don't think many schools break out their results by campus and comparability is also troublesome because of PPP. That's especially challenging with EMBAs because they are so likely to have multinational cohorts. That's equally an reality with international programmes with cohorts in Germany like ESCP, ESSEC, and Henley.   

[Edited by Salvatore on Jun 07, 2022]

It's not the case that *hiring managers* value PhDs more than MBAs in Germany. That's easy to validate, because MBAs earn more than PhDs in Germany. But certainly the *general public* valued doctorates more than masters degrees: not only is a doctorate more work, but the masters degree (not only the MBA) is relatively new in Germany because of the Bologna process.

Indeed, I don't think many schools break out their results by campus and comparability is also troublesome because of PPP. That's especially challenging with EMBAs because they are so likely to have multinational cohorts. That's equally an reality with international programmes with cohorts in Germany like ESCP, ESSEC, and Henley.   

I completely agree with you that:


- Masters degree is still relatively new in Germany (Dipl.-Ing. is somehow better evaluated than M.Sc.)

- EMBA outcome evaluation is challenging due to multinational campus locations and PPP.


Let's also consider that MBAs earn more than PhDs and IESE shows better numbers than WHU in the general rankings (i.e. international cohort with executive profiles).

Still my question remains: Why IESE EMBA is better than WHU PTMBA, for me, for the German Market?

My main concern actually is:
- Giving my limited experience, EMBA will give me same result of MBA 
(from this follows that the high post-EMBA salaries shown by rankings are out of reach for me).

I din;t think you should be looking for people here to convince you between IESE and WHU. These are different programs with different goals. The IESE cohort is more senior and more Catholic, more focussed on the internationalization of the Mittlestand. The WHU cohort is more transatlantic, more junior/functional, more personally aspirational. 



PS Why not ask to visit classes and speak to alumni?

[Edited by StuartHE on Jun 08, 2022]

I din;t think you should be looking for people here to convince you between IESE and WHU. These are different programs with different goals. The IESE cohort is more senior and more Catholic, more focussed on the internationalization of the Mittlestand. The WHU cohort is more transatlantic, more junior/functional, more personally aspirational. 



PS Why not ask to visit classes and speak to alumni?

[Edited by Salvatore on Jun 08, 2022]

 let me try it again:

WHU is a good school but their flagship degree is the Master’s and the Bachelor’s degree NOT the MBA which is more regarded as an additional income stream especially for internationals. The companies recruiting on campus are therefore not here because of you (MBA) but because of the MiMs and the PT MBA is even “weaker” regarded.

i have friends from WHU and they always regarded the MBAs as the “second class” degree within WHU.

 
If I would be in your shoes, I would try to get into WHU and forget about the idea of a Munich campus 

[Edited by Salvatore on Jun 08, 2022]

The challenge with "best outcome with the lowest economic effort" is that the effort is the product of the opportunity cost, the value of the likely outcome and the risk of the outcome. If you are borrowing to get a better outcome, there can actually be less effort than in spending less by funding with savings. 

The challenge with "best outcome with the lowest economic effort" is that the effort is the product of the opportunity cost, the value of the likely outcome and the risk of the outcome. If you are borrowing to get a better outcome, there can actually be less effort than in spending less by funding with savings.