Hi everyone,


I would like to hear your opinions about the two (part-time) MBAs. I was admitted to both schools, and I have now to decide which one is the best fit for me.


The schools are both well ranked (WHU has a higher rank in FT but much lower in the Economist and QS if I am not mistaken). The MBA programs have similar content, but a pretty different structure (full week every other month Mannheim and 2 weekend days every other week WHU).


They both seem to have a fair amount of international students (around 50% Mannheim and around 40% WHU). The Alumni network seems to be well spread in different industries, even though WHU seems to have a bit of a higher variety of industries (especially Tech industries, and multinationals which I am mainly interested in), but Mannheim has a good alumni network in my current company.


Overall Mannheim seems to be a more established institution and a better-ranked one (besides the financial times ranking), but WHU has interesting international modules (Columbia Business school, plus China and India) which would be also an interesting plus on the CV, especially in terms of international experience.

Both schools have pretty bad career services especially for part-time students, as per alumni feedback, so from this point of view they're equally bad :D :D

The fee would be 3k more at WHU, which after-tax would make it not even 2k, so that can't be the decision-maker either. So long story short, I am not sure which would be the best option.


Any experiences with these 2 MBAs and any opinion on this?

[Edited by JL85 on Jun 08, 2021]

Because you don't say much about your goals, it's hard to know which is the better fit.

Because you don't say much about your goals, it's hard to know which is the better fit.

Are you looking at the Mannheim-ESSEC and WHU-Kellogg programmes? I think you won't find many alumni here, sadly. 

Are you looking at the Mannheim-ESSEC and WHU-Kellogg programmes? I think you won't find many alumni here, sadly. 

Very similar. Mannheim's cohort slightly older, more international and more female than WHU. WHU seems to have much more of a focus on personal growth and leadership approach, while Mannheim focusses on building teamwork skills. 

Very similar. Mannheim's cohort slightly older, more international and more female than WHU. WHU seems to have much more of a focus on personal growth and leadership approach, while Mannheim focusses on building teamwork skills. 

I would pick WHU: much more effective timing;  more personal growth; and the international partners are very good. 

I would pick WHU: much more effective timing;  more personal growth; and the international partners are very good. 

Yes, if you are viewing timing in terms of being work and travel friendly, then Mannheim is more convenient. However for learning more, and more regular, meetings is better. 

WHU has been the leading Germany business school for almost all of the last 40 years. Mannheim has a younger MBA, but the famous business school at Mannheim is the faculty of BWL https://www.bwl.uni-mannheim.de/ rather than the English-language business school which span out from it in 2005. 

[Edited by Duncan on Jun 10, 2021]

Yes, if you are viewing timing in terms of being work and travel friendly, then Mannheim is more convenient. However for learning more, and more regular, meetings is better. 

WHU has been the leading Germany business school for almost all of the last 40 years. Mannheim has a younger MBA, but the famous business school at Mannheim is the faculty of BWL https://www.bwl.uni-mannheim.de/ rather than the English-language business school which span out from it in 2005. 

The WHU MBA is much older than the Frankfurt and Mannheim MBAs (but, indeed, every German MBA is relatively young: none has been around as long as the oldest UK/French/Spanish etc MBAs). But, by German standards, WHU is much older than MBS. The Frankfurt school's roots, as the Bankakademie, are older than WHUs, but as a degree-awarding school WHU is older than both the Hochschule für Bankwirtschaft (the forerunner of the Frankfurt school) and Mannheim Business School. Mannheim, as a university, certainly has much wider recognition in the general public and Mannheim BWL has some of Germany's highest admissions standards because it is essentially free. 

At the end of the day, however, you need to compare these as part-time MBAs, not abstractly as brands. Which of them best addresses the gap in capacities and resources you are facing? 

[Edited by Duncan on Jun 10, 2021]

The WHU MBA is much older than the Frankfurt and Mannheim MBAs (but, indeed, every German MBA is relatively young: none has been around as long as the oldest UK/French/Spanish etc MBAs). But, by German standards, WHU is much older than MBS. The Frankfurt school's roots, as the Bankakademie, are older than WHUs, but as a degree-awarding school WHU is older than both the Hochschule für Bankwirtschaft (the forerunner of the Frankfurt school) and Mannheim Business School. Mannheim, as a university, certainly has much wider recognition in the general public and Mannheim BWL has some of Germany's highest admissions standards because it is essentially free. 

At the end of the day, however, you need to compare these as part-time MBAs, not abstractly as brands. Which of them best addresses the gap in capacities and resources you are facing? 

The difference is really the personal versus team focus: For people who are perhaps individual contributors and need more soft skills training, or the people with soft skills who need to develop a personal- and organisational-leadership capacity. 

The difference is really the personal versus team focus: For people who are perhaps individual contributors and need more soft skills training, or the people with soft skills who need to develop a personal- and organisational-leadership capacity. 

No, I must sadly say that my experience as an MBA interviewer and admissions coach is that some people have narrow functional roles that mean their opportunities for developing soft skills can be very limited. In particular, organisations with high power distance, high barriers to entry and deep technical specialization can produce talented managers with modest soft skills and even limited supervisory experience. 

There are very few things that can be learned only through a masters degree; however, a degree provides a safe and structured way to get people out of their comfort zone without making them panic.  

And if you think of those factors -- high power distance, high barriers to entry and deep technical specialization -- that is much of the Mittelstand, and of stable family business all around western Europe. 

And if you think of those factors -- high power distance, high barriers to entry and deep technical specialization -- that is much of the Mittelstand, and of stable family business all around western Europe. 

ALDI, BMW, Bosch, Lidl, and Volkswagen are family businesses which seem to hire a lot of MBAs. 

ALDI, BMW, Bosch, Lidl, and Volkswagen are family businesses which seem to hire a lot of MBAs.