Hello Big Fam,



Hello all, from past 2.5 years I was working in Germany and faced a job loss recently.I was working as a Project Manager. I have 10 years of experience in Banking and Fintech across different demographic locations (India, Dubai, Germany) So I am planning to go for FT MBA now. My budget is around max 20K EUR. I am also open for public Universties in Germany. My language level is close to B1,I could say top of A2 infact.

Is it possible to guide me which colleges wouldbe better for me for full time MBA:

1. HWR berlin

2. Bremen Uni

3. Or any other quivalent to frankfurt school?
4. ESB Reutlingen
5. hs-pforzheim
 Or any other best schools considering my experience in banking, and I am planning to continue in my current domian only.



Please note my first choice was Frankfurt School, but due to out of budget, I have to look for alternatives.



I am really looking for help and valuable suggestions from experts here:-) Thanks a lot in advance.

[Edited by Sreejeshnair on Sep 13, 2020]

An intensive course at a state university in the DACH region leading to the DSH or another high-level German-language qualification will probably be a better asset for you.  
You don't mention your career goals but, since project managers in German banks don't generally have MBAs, I assume you want to move into another role. If you are aiming at an MBA-type role you should exclude Bremen and focus on schools with meaningful international accreditation.    

An intensive course at a state university in the DACH region leading to the DSH or another high-level German-language qualification will probably be a better asset for you.  
You don't mention your career goals but, since project managers in German banks don't generally have MBAs, I assume you want to move into another role. If you are aiming at an MBA-type role you should exclude Bremen and focus on schools with meaningful international accreditation.    

[Edited by Sreejeshnair on Sep 17, 2020]

ESB is obviously the best, and best-resourced, school on the list. I would not consider HWR. But its crazy to start from criteria other than career goals. You could take free of cheap MOOCs and get similar knowledge, and gain much more from a personal development point of view by learning German and thus acculturating into Europe's most important economy. 

Work on your German language skills and then do a degree in German. Many more opportunities / more potential for career advancement. 

Hey B1 already is wonderful! I joined Hochschule Pforzheim with the same German level. I'm currently in my 3rd semester.

Like already mentioned, it makes sense to go for an accredited program if you have decided to invest in an MBA degree. In my opinion, the longer the program, the better when it comes to working on your German. These two were my main deciding factors for picking Pforzheim and I do not regret it one bit. If you are a hard worker, you can even work as a working student (super common here to do it) to gain some experience and money. Sometimes it helps fund the future semesters as well! I did that this semester :)

The German classes are inclusive in the fees you pay and they are quite good. However, to be honest, you have to find more ways of learning and integrating the language in your daily life beyond a few hours of German classes each week.

Also, location matters when it comes to company and working student jobs. Due to its proximity to Karlsruhe and Stuttgart, opportunities for working students and for networking are plenty.

Last but not the least, if you are interested in Finance, you can specialize in that in the 3rd semester :)

[Edited by 00578 on Oct 14, 2020]

Given the alternatives in Germany, I would not suggest Pforzheim as an option for somebody who wants to go into finance. 

Honestly, none of these Fachhochschule MBAs being considered by the poster would be better than an MSc in finance at a traditional university. 

Given the alternatives in Germany, I would not suggest Pforzheim as an option for somebody who wants to go into finance. 

Honestly, none of these Fachhochschule MBAs being considered by the poster would be better than an MSc in finance at a traditional university. 

I can only repeat points made above. If you want to work in banking in Germany, then learning German is more important than taking an MBA. Did you speak to the DAAD office that covers your country? Surely it makes more sense to join an intensive German programme and then take an MSc in a relevant field, ideally one taught in German.  

I can only repeat points made above. If you want to work in banking in Germany, then learning German is more important than taking an MBA. Did you speak to the DAAD office that covers your country? Surely it makes more sense to join an intensive German programme and then take an MSc in a relevant field, ideally one taught in German.  

Look these four, and especially Bamberg and the LMU. 

Finance • Chemnitz University of Technology • Chemnitz

Finance & Accounting • Bamberg University • Bamberg

Finance and Insurance Mathematics • Ludwig Maximilians University Munich • München

Financial Mathematics • University of Konstanz • Konstanz

Look these four, and especially Bamberg and the LMU. 

Finance • Chemnitz University of Technology • Chemnitz

Finance & Accounting • Bamberg University • Bamberg

Finance and Insurance Mathematics • Ludwig Maximilians University Munich • München

Financial Mathematics • University of Konstanz • Konstanz

[Edited by Sreejeshnair on Oct 23, 2020]

The University of Konstanz looks especially good because you can take the courses in German but do the exams in English. 

I would say rather than narrowing down to finance its more about Banking domain which I am keen. Any suggestions there if not pforzheim. COnsidering the constraints which I hav mentioned

I would say rather than narrowing down to finance its more about Banking domain which I am keen. Any suggestions there if not pforzheim. COnsidering the constraints which I hav mentioned

You mentioned that you excluded FSFM due to budget constraints. This would be my go-to suggestion, given its location and its connections with the finance industry in Germany. What is your budget? 

I think you'll get best value by spending that on an intensive Ge course and then taking one of the four MFin options that offered above. Almost all universities are connected to, or own, low-cost and high-quality institutes offering academic-year long full-time language programmes. 

I would tend to agree. I think there are also more affordable options out there, but in the German language.