ESB Business School

The AACSB accredited ESB MBA provides a platform for international professionals wishing to leverage and advance their careers in Germany or Europe. It offers a well-rounded, international and industry-relevant experience, helping students to learn and reach their career aspirations with greater confidence in their abilities.

Full-time or part-time: 

We offer our MBA full-time or part-time. The language of instruction is 100% English in our full-time MBA and 50% German/ 50% English in our part-time MBA.

Small-scale, interactive classes

Small class sizes underpin our program’s success. This intimate learning environment allows students to interact fully with fellow students and peers - maximizing learning potential and fostering a sense of investment and inclusion.

International with diverse backgrounds

Students learn from both instructors with in-depth industry experience and a world-class academic reputation and from international and motivated classmates- all with highly diversified industry backgrounds.

Core program

The MBA core program consists of 8 clusters evolving around key management subjects, research and practical implementation in a 3-month company placement:

1. Finance & Accounting
2. Managing Demand and Supply
3. Strategizing the Future
4. Understanding Markets and Environments
5. Legal Frameworks of Management
6. German 1 / Business Language 1
7. German 2 / Business Language 2
8. Business Research Methods
9. Company Placement/ Project and Colloquium
10. Master's Thesis

Together these areas address the key challenges for future leaders in business and society.

Specialization subjects and courses

In the second semester, MBA students choose 4 of 10 elective subjects, carefully selected from relevant and contemporary management issues and taught by industry experts:  

1. Lean Enterprise Management
2. Negotiating across Borders
3. International Sales Management
4. Data-Driven Marketing
5. Leveraging Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) as Organizational Drivers
6. Data Analytics and Decision Making
7. Sustainability Dynamics
8. Organizational and Business Transformation
9. Business Models for a Circular Economy
10. Strategy Creation and Execution

Workshops, support and guidance will be given to our students in academic writing and business research methods to help them prepare for their company reports and theses.

In-company project

In the in-company project students apply their acquired knowledge to real-world business challenges, developing their MBA and professional skills in a company of choice that could range from start-ups to multi-national enterprises including any of ESB’s 50 corporate partners.

Alumni and faculty members can also be helpful in finding a project. The organization may even be located outside of Germany.

Learning German

Intensive German classes are mandatory for all of our MBA international students and run parallel to MBA classes. Students should reach a level that will help them to assimilate in Germany and their respective corporate culture, should they decide to further their careers in Germany.

Reutlingen University in the heart of Baden-Württemberg offers international programmes with close ties to industry and commerce. On our campus we have around 6,000 students spread across 5 different schools; ESB Business School, Applied Chemistry, Engineering, Computer Science and Textiles and Design.

Here in Reutlingen's suburb of Hohbuch on the edge of town, we are near to beautiful countryside but still very close to the action: Stuttgart, Tübingen and the hills of the Swabian Alps are within easy reach.

ESB in 360

Truly International: ESB Business School is one of Germany's premier schools for International Business Management with over 40 years of MBA experience. We offer a full-time as well as a part-time variant of our MBA International Management programme. As a part of state-funded Reutlingen University, we are based in one of Germany's most prosperous southern regions full of global players and hidden champions. The AACSB-accredited ESB Business School has a strong network of corporate partners, 120 partner universities all over the world and is ranked the most international business school in Germany, embracing one of the most diverse alumni networks. Boost your international career and get to know more about our MBA programmes!

• Total number of students at ESB Business School: 2,400
• Percentage of international students at ESB Business School: 30

Requirements for enrolment: Bachelor’s degree, 2 years professional experience after completion of bachelor’s degree, C1 fluent business English, GMAT (score 550+) or GRE equivalent, successfully passed online selection interview.

* Bachelors‘ degrees from outside of Germany must obtain verification from Studienkolleg Konstanz. Applicants  will then be informed whether their bachelor‘s degree entitles them to study at a university in Baden-Württemberg. For verification of a bachelor‘s degree at Studienkolleg Konstanz, certified copies transcripts/ certificates must be submitted. See website for further details: https://www.htwg-konstanz.de/en/academics/center-for-international-students-konstanz/recognition-of-certificates/procedure/ ;

The required English language level can be proven by one of the following certification bodies: 

• IELTS: minimum band 7.0
• TOEFL iBT: minimum 95 points
• TOEIC: listening minimum 490, reading minimum 455, speaking 180, writing 180 points or 
• Pearson Test of English (Academic) (PTEA): minimum 65 points
• Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English (CAE) or Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE)
• Unicert III 

The level is also considered to have been achieved if a bachelor’s degree was conducted in English- English-language assessment and coursework with a workload of at least 180 ECTS credit points or equivalent was obtained, or a higher education degree with at least 50% in English from an English-speaking country is documented.

Application possible every year between January and mid-August. The earlier the better if you are applying for an international visa. Application deadline: 15 August 

We will be accepting applications for October 2024 from January 2024. Please apply via our application portal https://www.esb-business-school.de/en/studying-at-esb/mba/international-management-full-time#c7559 with all the relevant documents:

1. CV
2. 1 page motivation letter
3. A copy of your undergraduate degree certificate
4. GMAT 550+, GMAT Fokus 510, GMAC Executive Assessment or GRE equivalent score (NO WAIVERS)
5. Verification of minimum two years professional experience post bachelor’s degree
6. If your bachelor’s was not conducted in English, then proof of IELTS 7.0 English or equivalent

If your bachelor’s degree was undertaken outside of Germany, there are certain authentication processes that you will need to go through depending on which country your bachelor’s degree was issued in.

• ALL applicants with a first degree issued outside of Germany, must apply to Studienkolleg Konstanz. for recognition of their bachelor's degree. https://www.htwg-konstanz.de/en/academics/center-for-international-students-konstanz/recognition-of-certificates/procedure ;
• Indian https://aps-india.de/, Vietnamese https://vietnam.diplo.de/vn-vi and Chinese https://www.aps.org.cn// applicants must apply for recognition of their first degree with the respective APS authority in their country.

We will also need these verifications by latest 15th August!

Tuition fee: €10.400 (plus semester contribution -167.30 EUROS per semester) 

Opening a Blocked Account in Germany – Complete Guide https://blockedaccountgermany.com/ ;

DAAd Scholarship

The Deutsche Akademische Austauschdienst (DAAD) offers scholarships to a limited number of highly-qualified students. For Information or any questions on DAAD scholarships, please visit the DAAD website.