Hi,

I had a vivid set of questions for the experts, but maybe a quick look at my profile would give you a better idea before I ask for your help -

+ Undergraduate: 8.8 GPA (10 Point GPA) in B.Tech. (Mechanical) from a reputed private university

+ Work Experience: 3 years of Work-experience (Consultancy firm and otherwise projects), primarily focused around Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Industry (I could provide more details if that would be helpful)

+ GMAT Score: 720 is my target score

+ What I want to pursue MBA? My intentions are to gain global exposure and learn the intricacies of running/expanding a successful business. I would like to focus my career in expanding already established Healthcare and Pharma Business (within family) and would like to learn the leadership and management virtues required to pursue my ambition.

I decided against joining (family) business early, and instead look for exposure and learn my traits elsewhere - and feel that MBA would be the right next step. But I had a few (major) questions -

1. Which set of courses/specialization should I be targeting? I seem to be lost in the wide variety of courses being offered across various top B-schools in US and around the world. Would 'Business Strategy' be a better suit for me? Or should I be looking at other courses?

2. Which set of schools should I be targeting? I have been profiling few schools (from Duncan's list) - and so far NYU Stern has stood out for me. Which other schools should I be targeting?

3. Should I be targeting schools in Europe? Since placements is NOT a defining criteria - should I also look at some of the schools in Europe? If yes, which?

Hope that I have painted a detailed profile of myself to ask for your help!

Thanks in advance!

I would think that, in terms of content, most accredited MBA programs will help you along the path to growing your family's business. There are some certain peculiarities about family businesses - such as governance - but in a general business sense they're no different from any other businesses.

So I would say don't look for any particular specialization but think about how you could best make use of your time at b-school. Are there schools that would help you grow your network and connect with potential colleagues/clients? Are there certain specifics about the healthcare industry that you'd like to better understand? If that's the case look for a school with strong healthcare MBAs - Johns Hopkins, Vanderbilt, Questrom, etc.

European schools could also be an option but my opinion on not necessarily needing something specifically tailored to family businesses stands. That said, IMD offers a specialized program in this area.