Top 7 MBA Programs in the Netherlands

The Rotterdam School of Management flies the flag for Dutch business education. RSM is the only Dutch school with a full-time MBA program that is ranked in the Global MBA Ranking from the Financial Times, one of the most prestigious rankings publications. RSM is also among the one percent of business schools worldwide to have achieved the “triple crown” of accreditation from the AMBA, AACSB and EQUIS awarding bodies. 

Amsterdam Business School is another of the Dutch set to have achieved triple crown accreditation. Its full-time MBA is team-oriented, with small class sizes that foster peer learning and networking — the mantra of the MBA. Students also mix with the wider University of Amsterdam community, providing a cross-disciplinary perspective on business. The small class sizes mean there’s more time for one-on-one career guidance, with each student assigned a designated careers officer. 

Also triple-accredited, Maastricht is highly international in terms of students and staff, with about 40-50 percent of both coming from abroad. The school is also part of a global network of more than 140 other universities, where students can go on exchange around the world. The Maastricht MBA, a part-time program for executives, was ranked 13th globally by CEO Magazine’s Executive MBA Ranking 2019.  

AMBA-accredited MSM runs a full-time, one-year MBA program based in the eponymous university city on the southern tip of the Netherlands. What makes the course stand out is that it’s customizable: students can choose one from several “specializations”, tailoring the MBA to their personal tastes and professional goals. The options include entrepreneurship, supply chain management, international business and sustainable development, the digital economy, and sports, healthcare or public sector management. 

Nyenrode runs a full-time MBA that is focused on European business and personal leadership. The business school itself, accredited by EQUIS, is based in a historic castle, fully equipped with its own moat, in the town of Breukelen, near Amsterdam. MBA students attend lectures in the heart of Amsterdam, however, and also visit companies in six European cities: London, Frankfurt, Valencia, Zurich, Brussels and Copenhagen. They meet with CEOs of Dutch and international companies, presenting their solutions to the firms’ corporate challenges. 

Tias, in Tilburg, is accredited by AACSB and AMBA. It offers a full-time MBA, which focuses on making students accomplished leaders, both professionally and socially. Students are encouraged to consider the “bigger picture” and understand the wider social ramifications of their decisions. The tuition fees are relatively cheap compared with others in the Netherlands and the rest of western Europe for that matter. The return on investment appears rather large: more than 80 percent of MBA students are in employment within three months of graduation. 

This digital university runs a two-year MBA that is delivered online. Students study from anywhere and on any digital device. That means they do not need to exit the workforce and give up their salary to earn the prestigious business qualification. Students study core modules in the first year before choosing their own modules in the second year, such as data science, organizational change and development, procurement and supply chain management, or implementing business marketing.