I am planning to pursue a master's in management and was wondering what school has the best reputation in continental Europe? Is HEC lausanne considered to be a good school?

I don't think these schools are well known outside their own country, with the exception of Politecnico. The FT MiM ranking might help you.

What is the reason that polimi is well known outside Italy? Is it a better choice than the schools above? According to the ft rankings nova and lausanne are the best and Switzerland seems to have much better prospects than Portugal so I was aiming for that. I don't speak the local language. However, I know a few people who didn't speak French and worked in Geneva after their masters as product managers in nestle. Their outcomes seemed to have been pretty good. Apart from that, the fee for Lausanne is next to nothing. Is it still a bad choice ?

I don't think these schools are well known outside their own country, with the exception of Politecnico. The FT MiM ranking might help you.

Besides that, I have worked in Italy for quite some time. As a bocconi undergrad, I was in the same role as polimi master graduates. I am surprised at how little firms in Italy pay and how master grads are ready to work for 8 to 9 shifts for only 600 euros. This is the case for the big 4 as well as the top firms in Italy. Full time salaries are a bit higher but still in the 800-1000 euro area. Infact, most Italians from my class got jobs in the UK and Germany and didn't care about staying in Italy. There was not a single Italian guy amongst the interns in my firm. There were people from Iran, Morocco, Senegal, Pakistan and Serbia and I think Italian firms can get away with paying dismal salaries to people from developing countries and make them work as long as they want to without offering any chances of growth.

I don't think these schools are well known outside their own country, with the exception of Politecnico. The FT MiM ranking might help you.

Politecnico is famous as one of Europe's top technical universities. Indeed, these are well ranked schools but Europe has profoundly national labour markets, with the partial exceptions of London and back office roles in financial services and technology. Language is clearly a major barrier.

[Edited by Duncan on May 31, 2019]

What are your goals in pursuing this degree? Knowing your goals will make it easier to give you suggestions.

Well for starters, I'm interested in data analytics and finance. The UC3M course is a master in finance which is highly quantitative and has a lot of programming modules. However, the people I talked to who studied there told me that the program was tough and the job opportunities were below average. Hence, getting an analyst level job in Germany/ Switzerland/ Italy or Canada would also be a priority

What are your goals in pursuing this degree? Knowing your goals will make it easier to give you suggestions.

Language will also be key.

Yes. Can you already speak Spanish, Italian, or German fluently? Not having these skills now would severely limit your options after graduation in these countries (although less so than if you were targeting MBA-level, management jobs).

If you are interested in going to Canada you should study in Canada. This, honestly, would be an easier route (assuming you don't speak any other European languages...)

This year I have only applied to the aforementioned programs. I would have to wait a year to apply to Canadian schools. I do speak italian. However, out of the given schools, what do you think is the best? I was leaning towards hec Lausanne over UC3M , polimi and nova.

Yes. Can you already speak Spanish, Italian, or German fluently? Not having these skills now would severely limit your options after graduation in these countries (although less so than if you were targeting MBA-level, management jobs).

If you are interested in going to Canada you should study in Canada. This, honestly, would be an easier route (assuming you don't speak any other European languages...)

If your priority is finding work, I don't understand why you would want to study in Romandy when you don't speak either of the major business languages of Switzerland. Even a role in the Olympic organizations in Lausanne will tend to go to people who can function in professional French perfectly.

Honestly, with an undergraduate degree from Bocconi you would be better off investing a year in an intensive language programme than in an Anglophone MSc.

Will I have the same opportunities after an MSc from hec Lausanne in comparison to a Bocconi undergrad?

Honestly, with an undergraduate degree from Bocconi you would be better off investing a year in an intensive language programme than in an Anglophone MSc.

Will I have the same opportunities after an MSc from hec Lausanne in comparison to a Bocconi undergrad?

Honestly, with an undergraduate degree from Bocconi you would be better off investing a year in an intensive language programme than in an Anglophone MSc.

You would have fewer opportunities with an HEC MSc degree and no French than with no HEC MSc and fluent French.