Hello

I am in need of some advice. My profile

3 years in Human Resources big Multinational
1 year abroad

I hold already a degree in Business Administration. I have three offers, no GMAT due to intensive workload. Last chance to get my Mba.

Durham: I like the programme very much, especially leadership development worried about the schools inconsistency in the rankings. I have a good scholarship from them.

Lancaster: Best of all programmes in my view, good content. I have been told that the school recruits many people from Asia? I have a scholarship from them, but Durham's is almost double

Bath: no scholarship, I know that the programme is great for someone with my background

My target is to get a job in Europe in Hr - I am a native German speaker. I have a budget that covers all schools but want to be able not to take up a loan.

I need your opinions

Take the programme that's best for your goal, regardless of the financing. See:
- The sad facts about scholarships http://www.find-mba.com/board/37055
- How to use LinkedIn to find the best school www.find-mba.com/board/33571

Hi Duncan

Thank you for your reply. I was thinking to take up Durham or Lancaster, the difference if you take under consideration scholarships is actually huge compared to Bath- almost 40% which is not so easy to overcome.

My main concern is how soon I will find a job after MBA. I like Lancaster more as a Programme, but both Durham and Lancaster are General and not so High in the rankings (Lancaster better in FT, Durham in Economist).

Well, I am not sure that a British MBA is a route into a HR role in Germany. I think the LinkedIn route will be useful, even in Germany, if I am right in guessing that your focus will be on multinationals.

Have you considered the EHRM http://www.ehrm.de/ ? ESADE and Cranfield used to take part in it: now EM Lyon and Vlerick are the highest-profile schools. If either of them would let you take the EHRM as an elective, I think it might be interesting... Certainly French HR may be a better reference point than a programme in the UK aimed at non-Europeans.

Duncan

Thank you for your reply, I want a job in MNC but it's not really a must. I have seen the programme you suggested, actually very interesting but I would like to have an Mba.
About French busines schools I really never thought about it, I like the UK very much, I think I will get a better learning experience if I go there. Thinking of my goals as I described them above which one would you go for? Does your opinion change if I will be staying in the Uk? I do not have cipd so I guess I will not be a strong candidate there.

I think the very few HR managers have MBAs. They will tend to have professional qualifications in HR. So I think the options are:
- HR management. Take a specialised masters
- HR consultancy. Take an MBA or specialised masters.

I suggest the EHRM not as an alternative to an MBA, but as a supplement: I imagine that the participating schools will allow MBAs, from their own schools and others, to take it. EM Lyon, I imagine, will accept the credits towards electives for their MBA - but check.

Either way, you'll need language skills.

If you want to work as an HR manager in the UK, a CIPD qualification would be more normal. I don't think you'll find an CIPD-accredited MBA. Few firms will pay a premium salary for an HR manager. If you search this board for CIPD you'll see suggestions. Also look for courses with BPS A and B certificates.

Thank you for your help, I have to make a decision until tomorrow - so no time for second thoughts. I am more than confident that Hr managers get lower salaries, this will not change. Still I want a great learning experience and think all three can provide it. I took a look at the rankings Vlerick and EM are not strong players, I think my options are better.

They are objectively better MBAs, but you're not looking for an MBA-type role. If you want to make the most of an MBA, then start looking for an MBA type role. If you want to be an HR manager, then take an HR course or an MBA with a strong record of placing people in HR management or consulting roles.

Try How to use LinkedIn to find the best school www.find-mba.com/board/33571
In the UK, that certainly means LBS, Henley, Warwick or Oxford -- maybe Manchester or Ashridge. And it means targetting employers that hire a lot of MBAs, like HSBC, BP. RBS...

Duncan

I just red carefully your posts about scholarships. Can you share with us which school your friend finally attended?

I liked this part very much

They use pricing like hotels and airlines: almost no-one pays the full price; almost everyone feels special because they have a time-limited discount. That's smart consumer psychology, but it's also manipulative. I prefer the traditional universities, where you know that the price in the brochure is the real price, and that scholarships really are used to improve the cohort rather than get people to sign over deposit cheques.

I think the Universities I have chosen are in this category - traditional Universities which are using scholarships to strengthen the cohort,

Thank you

Well, I think it varies a lot by geography: Actually, I think most people do pay full price because the most common form of financial aid is loans. The very few schools where most students get scholarships are either rich, well-endowed schools that are exceptional at attracting talent (like the Terry MBA) or they are using artificially high prices to look like a very high quality programme (like Hult).

My PhD friend ended up going to a two-year programme at one of the Ivy League schools. I worked out well for her, regardless of the scholarship.