European MBA

MBA was traditionally born in the States, but it is now studied across the world. European MBA, in particular, has become extremely fascinating owing to benefits that it brings. Some of the bschools in Europe have excellent reputation across the globe, and international MBA aspirants are therefore attracted towards the enriching business studies here.

World class European bschools are mainly in Spain, France and Germany. The MBA degree is becoming a standard of education for all managers in Europe who want to improve their knowledge, gain new experiences and stretch their limits. Moreover, an MBA is recognised and appreciated by most companies as a valid qualification for business centric positions. The importance of MBA can be measured by the boost it gives to a career. Owing to these factors, Europe has witnessed an increase in demand of high quality MBA graduates.

Typically, European MBA programs are shorter than the US MBA programs and run for a year or a year and a half. The size and culture of a Bschool in Europe are different too. Bchools in the US are larger, with an average intake of full-time MBA students of approx 300, compared with around 120 in Europe. Also, most of the European Bschools enrol students who have at least three years of prior work experience. American Bschools on the other hand do not get much bothered by enrolling students with lesser or no work experience, i.e. simply hitting a market of ineligible MBA students. An international MBA without a work experience, according to me, is fatal and doesn't help in understanding business from a cross-functional point of view.

Merits of a European MBA over an American MBA:
1. Students end up learning another important language. Spanish, French and German are three very important business languages. E.g. learn Spanish and you can do business in almost whole of South America; Spanish is also the fourth most spoken language after Mandarin, English and Hindi. Learn French and it gives you an edge in doing business in Africa and Canada.
2. The MBA students body is usually a good international mixture, which makes the curriculum enriching. E.g. IMD & INSEAD enroll around 90% international students. Spanish bschools ESADE, IESE & IE enroll around 85% international students. Towards the end of the course every student has a close acquaintance in say 50 different countries.
3. Europe is an exotic place and every country/ city is deeply cultured, has its own tradition, food, drinks, clothes, festivals, etc. MBA programs give a nice break to the experienced participants to learn about European culture. Students travel across countries for leisure and for business networking. The best part is, travelling is cheap and hassle free. European MBA indeed gives a great lifetime experience in terms of getting acquainted with different cultures along with the business education.

European MBA is different, is out of the league, and hence is steadily gaining popularity.
Think about it!!