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Before you start your search for the right master programme, it is worth getting updated on a few key definitions. This will help you in your search.

Here you will find information on:

Degree descriptions – What type of programme is right for you?
School accreditations – Which quality assurances do you need to know about?
The Bologna process – Same academic system all over Europe – how does it affect you?

Degree Descriptions


Master of Science (M.Sc.)/Master of Arts (M.A.)

Students usually enter the M.Sc./M.A. programmes directly after their bachelor’s degrees. Normally the programmes are specialised, but some are taught in general management, which can be very useful for students that do not hold degrees in business and/or economics. Students often finish their programmes with a dissertation, and the orientation of an M.Sc./M.A. programme is generally considered more academic than an MBA programme.

The more specialised programmes usually require an undergraduate degree in business and/or economics. Even though work experience is not a formal requirement for M.Sc./M.A. programmes, many schools consider a few years of professional experience an advantage.

Master (M.Sc./M.A. in Business)

MBA

Often specialised

General Curriculum

Academic orientation

More practical orientation

No work experience required

Work experience required (>2-3 years)

Business degree often required

All degrees accepted

Relatively low tuition fees

Relatively high tuition fees


Master of Letters (M.Litt.) - Master of Philosophy (M.Phil.) - Master of Research (M.Res.)

The M.Phil./M.Litt./M.Res programmes listed on MasterGuide.org have similar structures as the MSc/MA programmes. The main difference is that M.Phil./M.Litt./M.Res. programmes are more focused on research training, and often provide entry routes to PhD programmes.

Advanced master's

An advanced master's is normally taught atMBA-level but is usually more specialised. An example is the Master’sin Finance at the London Business School.


MBA

The Master of Business Administration is a general management programme open for experienced young professionals. Normal entry requirements are a university degree in any subject, a minimum of three years of relevant work experience and a satisfactory GMAT score. The MBA programmes vary in length from approximately nine to 24 months. An MBA programme is normally composed of core courses and electives. The longer programmes usually offer specialisations.

 

MBA

 

Master (M.Sc./M.A. in Business)

General Curriculum

Often specialised

More practical orientation

Academic orientation

Work experience required (>2-3 years)

No work experience required

All degrees accepted

Business degree often required

Relatively high tuition fees

Relatively low tuition fees

The most well-reputed MBA programmes in Europe are taught at the following institutions:


 

GMAT

 

Length

 

Tuition Fees

Cambridge (Judge)

665

12 m

£ 24 000

Cranfield

660

12 m

£ 26 500

ESADE

640

18 m or 12 m

€ 35 500 (12m)

HEC

650

16 m

€ 38 000

IE Business School

675

13 m

€ 38 000

IESE

687

19 m

€ 58 900

IMD

670

10 m

Swfr 75 000

INSEAD

703

10 m

€ 43 500

Lancaster University Management School

635

13 m

£ 16 500

London Business School

680

15-21 m

£ 41 970

Oxford (Saïd)

675

12 m

£ 26 000

RSM - Erasmus University

630

15 m

€ 34 000

SDA Bocconi

670

14 m

€ 32 000

Theseus-EDHEC MBA

N/A

10 m

€ 27 800

Warwick

610

12 m

£ 24 400

Vlerick Leuven Gent

634

12 m

€ 15 000

The most well-reputed MBA programmes in the U.S. are taught at the following institutions:

 


 

GMAT

 

Length

 

Tuition Fees

Chicago

699

21 m

US$ 38 800 /year

Columbia

709

20 m or 16 m

US$ 36 296 /year

Cornell (Johnson)*

674

21 m**

US$ 36 350 /year

Dartmouth (Tuck)*

704

21 m

US$ 38 400 /year

Duke (Fuqua)

705

22 m

US$ 34 450 /year

Harvard*

707

2 ac. years

US$ 39 600 /year

M.I.T (Sloan)

697

2 ac. years

US$ 37 050 /year

Michigan

690

16 m

US$ 38 688 /year

Northwestern (Kellogg)

700

2 ac. years**

US$ 38 844 /year

NYU (Stern)

700

2 ac. years

US$ 34 000 /year

Pennsylvania (Wharton)*

714

2 ac. years

US$ 42 180 /year

Stanford

714

22 m

US$ 41 340 /year

UC Berkeley (Haas)

702

2 ac. years

US$ 25 661 /year

UCLA (Anderson)

705

18 m

US$ 23 516 /year

Virginia (Darden)

680

21 m

US$ 37 400 /year

Yale*

701

2 ac. years

US$ 36 800 /year

*Ivy League university
**Twelve-month option exists

The leading Canadian MBA programmes are taught at:

 


 

GMAT

 

Length

 

Tuition Fees

McGill

644

16 m

C$ 20 000 /year

Queen's

663

12 m

C$ 55 000

Toronto (Rotman)

642

20 m

C$ 77 906

Western Ontario (Ivey)

n/a

11 m

C$ 66 000

York (Schulich)

660

8-16 m

C$ 50 000

The best American one-year MBA programmes:*

Cornell (Johnson)
Emory (Goizueta)
Northwestern (Kellogg)
Notre Dame (Mendoza)
Pittsburgh(Katz)
Thunderbird

*According to Business Week and Financial Times rankings

Executive MBA (EMBA)

An EMBA is a part-time MBA programme aimed at working professionals. EMBA programmes typically run over two years' time and require more work experience from applicants than regular MBA programmes do. Sceptics argue that most EMBA programmes are merely executive education courses labelled "MBA" for commercial reasons. However, while a large number of EMBA programmes can be referred to as "MBA light", others, such as the Wharton MBA for Executives, do correspond to full-time programmes.

PLEASE NOTE: The MBA degree is not a protected title, which means that any institution, regardless of quality, is free to create aprogramme in business studies and label it "MBA".

For more information about MBA programmes:

www.mba2u.org - A cooperation between McKinsey and Belgacom.
www.mba.org.uk - The Association of MBAs (AMBA), the site includes a list of accredited MBA programmes and accreditation criteria.
www.businessweek.com/bschools
The excellent MBA guide "Which MBA?" can be purchased at http://mba.eiu.com
MBA Ranking Financial Times 2006 -international
MBA Ranking Business Week 2004 - US and non-USschools
MBA Ranking U.S. News & World Report 2007 -US


The Ivy League

Today, the term "Ivy League" is often used when generally referring to leading American universities. Actually, only eight American universities belong to the "Ivy League"; a group that over the years have had common interests in scholarship as well as in athletics. The IvyLeague universities are:

Brown University

Harvard University

Columbia University

University of Pennsylvania

Cornell University

Princeton University

Dartmouth College

Yale University

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