Top 10 Budget MBAs in Germany

Hochschule Pforzheim offers an MBA in International Management. Tuition is a bargain and paid on a per-semester basis. Those with business undergraduate degrees can do an accelerated version of the MBA, making it even cheaper. Non-business graduates have to study for four semesters. The school has been accredited by AACSB since 2011, and its location in Baden-Württemberg puts graduates close to German industrial giants such as Porsche, Daimler and Bosch.  

The HWR Berlin School of Economics and Law runs a budget, 15-month, AMBA accredited full-time MBA program in English. Students can study abroad in London, Hong Kong, France, the UK and elsewhere in Europe. Its location in Berlin puts MBA students in the heart of one of Europe’s commercial and cultural capitals. And speaking of European capitals, cost of living in Berlin can be comparatively lower than in Paris, London, and others.

The University of Cologne Executive School has received “triple crown” accreditation from the AACSB, AMBA and EFMD’s EQUIS awarding bodies. The Executive MBA program is run in partnership with the Rotterdam School of Management in the Netherlands. Being located in the Ruhr Valley, amid large cities in northwestern Germany’s industrial heartland, is good for career opportunities. 

WHU is without a doubt one of Germany’s top business schools, having been ranked among the best in the world by The Economist magazine and the Financial Times publications. So it is surprising that tuition for the MBA, which is based in both Vallendar and Düsseldorf, is so cheap. 

This top business school’s MBA program is ranked by The Economist and is one of the oldest in Germany. The 21 month course can be completed in 15 months, and those who apply before January 31 receive a €3,000 tuition fee reduction. Excellent value for a highly regarded program. 

ESCP Europe is spread across the world, and MBA students have the option of doing a portion of their MBA in the German capital city. Spending each of two years at different campuses — in London, Paris, Madrid, Berlin et al — gives the program a truly multicultural feel. The school itself is also triple-accredited. 

The Frankfurt School of Finance and Management is extremely good value for money. The school is triple-accredited and considered by the Financial Times as one of Europe’s best business schools. The location in Germany’s financial heart, Frankfurt, means MBA students have consistently gone on to careers at many of the world’s most important and prestigious financial institutions, like the European Central Bank and the German Stock Exchange.

The TUM School of Management runs a triple-accredited Executive MBA taught part-time in both Munich and Beijing with China’s prestigious Tsinghua University. That provides excellent international exposure. In addition, the degree is very customizable, with electives on offer in subjects such as innovation, entrepreneurship and digital transformation. Students learn from well-regarded faculty as well as senior-level practitioners, giving the program a real-world cache. For such a well-regarded EMBA, tuition is a steal. 

The Mannheim Business School full-time MBA is ranked as among the world’s best by the FT — an impressive feat that few other German programs have pulled off. It’s also triple-accredited. The tuition fee is far below schools of a similar caliber in Europe, and there’s an early bird discount of €2,000 if MBA aspirants apply by 31 March 2019. 

The University of Applied Sciences Bremen runs an International MBA that is taught in English. The tuition fees are exceedingly cheap, about a quarter of the cost of other accredited programs in Germany. The program is offered through the auspices of the International Business School Alliance, a growing network of globally minded business schools, so the MBA experience truly is “international”. At least one of the schools in the network is accredited by AACSB International, a prestigious awarding body.