The MBA in Europe - report reveals emerging trends and key facts

Citation

(1999), "The MBA in Europe - report reveals emerging trends and key facts", Journal of European Industrial Training, Vol. 23 No. 8. https://doi.org/10.1108/jeit.1999.00323hab.002

The MBA in Europe - report reveals emerging trends and key facts

The MBA in Europe - report reveals emerging trends and key facts

Keywords: Masters of Business Administration, Flexibility, Executives

What is the specific "personality" of the European Master of Business Administration (MBA)? How many diplomas are awarded yearly? Who are the participants and what is the preferred length of a typical programme? A new report issued by the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) reveals emerging trends and key facts.

In many European countries, the MBA degree is still a relatively new qualification, lying outside the main national academic system. For many years, several European countries have been awarding business administration degrees such as the Diplom-Kaufmann in Germany, the Laurea in Italy or the MaÑtrise de Sciences et de Gestion in France.

Today, there are more MBA providers than ever before. Business schools throughout Europe offer full-time, part-time, distance learning and modular versions of the MBA degree. Across Europe, some 550 schools offer MBA programmes. The wide range of formulas makes gathering figures on the European MBA a difficult task, but it is estimated that some 20,000 people graduate annually.

The strongest trend in the MBA arena is towards flexibility. An increased flexibility in delivery is supported by advances in technology and more and more expected by learners.

In Europe, two-year MBA programmes are the exception rather than the rule. Most full-time MBAs last for one year or for up to 18 months. Managers and companies are increasingly reluctant to allow for a two-year break. Full-time day programmes are in decline, in favour of more flexible delivery methods.

Most providers in Europe have introduced an international dimension into their programmes. This has been brought about partly by the increasing mobility of students, but there is also a rise in the hiring of faculty members from other countries. Increasingly, providers establish alliances with schools abroad, allowing for student and faculty exchanges and for modules to be offered at the partner's premises abroad.

Specialized MBAs are offered by many providers throughout Europe, but this growing trend is often criticized on the grounds that the MBA should be a general business qualification. Specialist MBAs exist in almost all business areas, ranging from health service management to luxury brand management or sports management.

In-company MBAs are often a partnership between a sponsoring company and a business school, either a single company or a consortium of enterprises. The programme is usually customized - for example, students cover the core subjects in an open programme and have modules specifically geared to the company's culture and issues. One drawback of this approach is that students miss out on the peer learning experiences.

A major development is the continued growth of executive MBA programmes. The requests frequently come from companies that want to develop an executive programme for their senior managers, often by forming an alliance.

The most striking difference between the US and European MBAs is that the latter tend to be shorter. Versatility is another European strength. The leading European schools offer a far more multicultural context and European schools are increasingly developing alumni networks. The US counts some 93,000 graduates, while Europe registers some 20,000.

Across Europe, tuition fees for a full-time MBA course range from about 6,000 euro at the lower end up to about 37,000 euro. Additional costs include living expenses, course materials and forgone earnings. Recent research from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) reveals that, in Europe, 78 per cent of MBA students are self-financed with 25 per cent of them funding their studies from bank loans.

Further information from the European Foundation for Management Development, 88 rue Gachard, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium. Tel: +32 2 648 03 85. Fax: +23 2 646 07 68. Web site: http://www.efmd.be