Hey there,

I was wondering if anybody could help me in deciding between a Masters program in Management at LBS and at WHU.

For Bach. level I studied Business Administration and now I am admitted for both MSc programs.

I found that LBS is a strong brand name and ranked as #1 Business School in the World. Their MiM programme, however, is ranked #10 and it takes just one year and therefore I am afraid that this is too short to gain real insight. I read that a lot of the material is very general and I might see content of my BA studies again.

On the other hand, WHU's MiM is ranked #4 and takes 2 full years, including one internship and and a study abroad (possibly at an Ivy league school in the US such as Columbia). Also it is ranked #1 for both the business network and starting salary.
The only con is, that the brand might not be that well known.

I was thinking that it would be smart to choose WHU to start a substantial career and then pursue an MBA at LBS, for which they are best known.

Suggestions?

Kind regards and thanks for replies!

If you want to work in German-speaking roles then go to WHU. If you don't speak German, go to LBS.

Actually I am native Austrian, so German is my mother tongue. Additionally, the studies at WHU are fully taught in English.
So does that mean that you would recommend the programme of WHU, except for students who do not speak German?

Recommendations depend on the person's goals and options. If someone wants to work in the German-speaking region, and they can already speak German, then WHU is one of a handful of very strong options. But if someone did not want to work in the DACHs, then it would be totally eccentric to not attend one of the world's best business schools. Indeed, lower taxation in the UK means that gross salaries don't need to be as high as in Germany but that does not mean that LBS alumni do not have faster growth in their careers. At WHU the vast majority of the students will be from DACHs so the additional international experience of an exchange semester is great, but at LBS the world comes into the same classroom: students, faculty and recruiters are internationally-oriented. The three-term structure at MBS is certainly more intensive than WHU's two semesters plus a thesis. I don't think there will be more learning.

Obviously the odds are hugely against you being selected to go to Columbia. Since Columbia does not have a MiM, students from WHU will have to be at the level of Columbia's MBA students to get a seat. That will be both demanding and competitive. More realistically, pick a few schools at random from WHU's 200 partner schools. Is this experience really better than the third term at LBS, where you would be studying alongside LBS MBAs and Sloan Fellows?

Personally, I think that if you are Austrian that you'll get a much richer experience studying outside the DACHs region, but if that's where you want to work then WHU is one of the obvious choices, along with ESMT, HHL, HSG, Mannheim and the WU.

[Edited by Duncan on Jun 24, 2015]

Thanks for the reply.
It is a though decision, but maybe as I do not have that much work experience, and also I studied International Business Administration at WU with a focus on Russian, I think WHU is the better choice. There is a strong economic connection between Germany and Russia, it might pay out tremendously going in that direction.
Concerning international experience, I already spent 2 semesters abroad in the US, and worked in London. Its just that LBS is such a good name that it feels strange to let that study spot slip... On the other hand I dont want to work in London..

[Edited by Value_Invest on Jun 25, 2015]

LBS is not a provincial school. Most alumni are outside the UK. I guess most WHU alumni are within 100 miles the school's campuses. Very different outcomes.

Thanks for you input, I surely will consider that. You said that there wont be more learning at WHU, so the theoretical content is in your view the equal? In another thread you said that the MSc at WHU is "bigger", so does that only refer to the additional internship and semester abroad?.

Also I really can not find any resources on the academic calendar of LBS. It would be awesome if you could provide me with information on the three term structure and also if there will be a Masters Thesis. I cant find anything about that on their website or brochure.

Again, thanks for your help.

No, to be honest I think the WHU is clearly more theoretical and academic, as is reflected by half-year thesis. The taught elements of the two degrees are more or less the same. The LBS programme is more intensive and aims to develop managerial capacity and soft skills, since those are more needed among young managers in the Anglo-Saxon economies.

British universities *traditionally* have three terms of ten or eleven weeks, as LBS does, and the MSc does not require a thesis here (that would be an MPhil). LBS has an additional summer school, which I assume is available to MiM students through the pool of electives: https://www.london.edu/education-and-development/entrepreneurship-summer-school#.VY0-ze1VhBc

[Edited by Duncan on Jun 26, 2015]

Seems like a choice between gold and platinum..
I understand that WHU is academically more valuable, also because of the full 120 ETCS credits. Moreover, I find that on the long term WHU might be the better basis, also looking at the possibility of founding a business later on.
On the other hand, LBS is among Stanford and Harvard "the" Business School and provides an excellent career kick start.
My goal is to work in a managerial (strategic management) position that allows me to travel the world. On the same time, I do not want to get stuck on a mid level position. But I know that a great career depends a lot on the person and education is just a helper. The London/International job market is huge and competitive, and so I thought that it is a privilege to gain a foothold in the German economy, small enough to meet the right people (also through WHU), yet very powerful.

[Edited by Value_Invest on Jun 26, 2015]