Hey guys,

been looking at a few online and part time programmes and have currently narrowed the choice down to either Open University's Online MBA, or MSM (Maastricht School of Management's) Online MBA.

My criteria have been:

- Cost (up to 40k max)
- No GMAT
- Online

Just wondering which one you think is more credible/valuable out of those choices, a triple accredited Open University MBA or a locally-recognised MBA from a bricks and mortar school which is well ranked in Europe?

Am I even barking up the wrong tree with either of those as respectable choices? :)

Also if I'm even missing something about another possible similar MBA please let me know your thoughts.

Merci

Kara

Are you confusing Maastricht School of Management with the University of Maastricht? MSM is an export-oriented brand providing economical MBAs through partners in the developing world. Only a token number of its students are in the Netherlands. The school is not well known in the Dutch market. 

I was surprised to read MSM described as the second-based Dutch MBA. I think the reference is to an Eduniversal ranking which places MSM in the top ten above Oxford, Cambridge, IMD, IE etc. Such a ranking cannot be taken seriously. 

If you don't have 50 hours to prepare for the GMAT, do you really have time for an MBA? 

Hello Duncan,
Indeed I was referring to MSM (Maastricht School of Management) based on my research. There are so many rankings that it can be difficult to see which ones are most trustworthy.

I've also read that GMAT preparation takes over 150 hours from the start and in time for the next financial year starting in a few months I will not have the time to prepare alongside my other commitments.

You can take as long as you want to prepare for your GMAT, but most people take 50 hours or fewer. Certainly if you want to attend a full-time MBA at a top schools you will want a score over 700, maybe over 740. For a distance-learning programme, scores are typically much lower. 

I'm not sure what your goals are. Which school has the best MBA network in the country or market you are focussed on? 

Hello again Duncan,

sorry for the delayed response!

For more background, my goal is to build on practical work experience with formalized business learning, both to expand my knowledge and hopefully unlock doors to better positions within my industry of digital commerce.

I am from an arts background, so despite the BA Hons and 8+ years solid work experience, I think now is a great time to move in the direction of formalized but broad business learning and to invest in my future.

Upon further inspection of the Dutch MBA landscape, the best school according to reputation and standing is Rotterdam School of Management. For their part-time MBA a GMAT is not always an essential requirement to entry. I would be looking at schools either in the Netherlands, where I am based, or potentially in the UK as I have citizenship there, although I have a preference to be able to travel easily to campus as per the requirements of many part-time MBAs.

It seems that the international standing of Rotterdam's MBA is quite good but again, I am comparing a lot of differing sources of information.

Best,

Kat 

Which doors do you want to unlock? If it's outside the Netherlands, then the OneMBA and UK EMBAs are worth looking at.


The GMAT is really at the maths level of a 15 or 16-year old. Don't be scared of it.  

Just a quick update - the MBA I was considering is indeed an EMBA.

Executive MBAs are aimed at people with more experience, who typically need a managerial rather than functional view. 

I'd say RSM and Insead are the best schools for the NL. They are a long way above the unranked Dutch schools like UvA, Nijenrode and TIAS. 

Okay, thank you very much for that info!