Hi guys,

I already did a deep research on b-schools in Germany but still have a few questions to be answered. It would be nice of you who know German market well if you answer my questions.

First here is my situation:

- I have a 6 years experience in Internet Marketing.
- My goal is to continue my career in Germany as a product marketing manager/product manager/marketing director at one of the IT/Internet companies.
- Basically I prefer Munich as it is a hub for big international IT companies.
- Because I?m not from EU I want to study only in German university as it?ll give me an opportunity to get a post study visa for 18 month; therefore I excluded universities from Switzerland and Austria.

Questions:

1) Are international IT companies that are based in Germany care about MBA? Or it is OK to get regular master degree in marketing and expect the same salary increase?

From my research I see that recent graduates from master courses have starting salaries between 40-50K euro, MBAs have 65-80K euro. But most graduates from master programs have 0-2 years of practical experience while MBAs have 5-7 years, so I think these starting salaries are more about previous experience than about the title of the course and it is very likely to get 65-80K after graduation from master program considering 5-7 years of experience and very good knowledge of German. Please correct me if I?m false.

2) What business schools are great for career in marketing in Germany? I selected some programs, please help me to rate them or if I missed some school please add it to the list.

ESMT MBA
HHL MBA
EBS Master in Marketing
ESCP Master in European Business with concentration in Marketing
TU Munchen Master in Consumer Affairs
TU Munchen Executive MBA in Innovation and Technology
WHU MBA
Mannheim Master in Marketing

3) Is LinkedIn research relevant? Most of alumni from TU Munchen and LMU Munchen work in Munich with my target companies and very few from Mannheim, HHL, ESMT and others. As I understood those schools mostly place students into consulting and finance than into marketing. So, do I have to choose TU Munchen for example as a top priority?

4) Does someone know graduating from part-time programs (e.g. Executive MBA in Innovation and Technology) give the eligibility for post study visa in Germany?

5) What do you think about masters or MBA from universities of applied science and career in marketing after?

1, The school matters more than the degree but, other things being equal, MBAs are paid more. You will not get an MBA role from an MSc.
2, All the top MBAs are good. Also look at the FUB and Ohm.
3. Yes. The German labour market is regional. HSG is probably more influential in Munich than any of the German business schools. Also look at the Austrian schools, like MCI and WU.
4. Germany doesn't have a post-study work visa scheme like Canada. Do your own research into that. Part-time programmes won't give you a visa to live in Germany.
5. Outcomes are worse from Fachhochschulen. The CHE rankings are useful.

How good is your German?

Just curious - why aren't you considering the MBA at Mannheim?

Personally, I like both the ESMT and the Mannheim programs - both are ranked in the FT, and both offer really interesting consulting project opportunities during the programs.

But of course, if you're looking to work in Germany post-MBA you're going to need to work on your German skills if you're not already fluent.

Hi guys,

Thank you for your replies.

I decided to apply only to mba programs (WHU,HHL,Mannheim and ESMT). Considering my experience, mba is more relevant, I think.

My German is pretty good; I learn languages very fast, so it won't be a problem to be very fluent.

Duncan, speaking of post study visas. Germany gives every graduate the opportunity to find the work in the next 18 months after graduation.

Guys,

What do you think about newly established mba program in Frankfurt?
http://www.frankfurt-school.de/content/en/education_programmes/mba/mba.html

And new mba program from GISMA?
http://www.gisma.com/courses/mba/

Is it worth to apply to GISMA and Frankfurt?

I would not consider the two new programmes if any of the first four were available to you. GISMA seems very risky now it's owned by LSBF - I see they have no faculty or curriculum on the site, and I don't understand how they can have two entry points a year and not disrupt the educational experience.