subject: A Good Time To Study An Mba In Europe? [print this page] With continuing economic difficulties across the Eurozone, is now a good time to do an MBA in Europe?
Many would say no, but even in the current climate there are still plenty of good reasons to study in Europe, the home to some of the world's oldest universities and top business schools. Here are a few of them!
Post-graduation employment is the top concern of most people applying for an MBA abroad. It's worth considering that there's a lot of variation in unemployment rates between European countries. In Spain it's painfully high at 23.6%; in France, 10%; the UK, 8.3%; Germany, 6.7% and Switzerland, only 3.1%. Take a look at local employment figures if you're keen to get a job after your MBA - you'll find that some economies are still fairly buoyant.
A major challenge if you want to break into European job markets is often the language barrier. While English is the global language of business, in practice you need a decent knowledge of the local language to land a job in France, Germany, Spain or other European countries. All good business schools offer language training - becoming fluent in another language is an additional benefit of choosing Europe for your MBA!
Another consideration is that there's a shortage of people with an engineering background in Europe in general, and the UK in particular. If you have a first degree in engineering, supplemented with an MBA, it's a strong combination to land a job in project management, analysis or operations. If you're an engineer by background Europe may be an attractive option versus another region such as Asia for your studies.
And of course there's the charm and culture of Europe to entice you for an MBA! For the history lovers what better than to be able to walk round one of the oldest university cities in the world, Oxford, at Said Business School - teaching at Oxford is said to date back to the year 1096. Or sample the delights of a Roman spa town at the University of Bath School of Management. Ecole Superieure de Commerce of Paris (ESCP Europe) was founded in 1819 and claims to be the oldest business school in the world!
If you have an artistic streak how about studying at HEC Paris where you can visit the Louvre as often as you like, or an MBA in UK for contemporary galleries such as the Tate Modern and Hayward Gallery. If modernism is what you're after how about ESADE in Barcelona, the city of Gaudi charm? If you're into your fashion you could browse the shops and mingle with Italian designers at Milan's SDA Bocconi or MIP Politecnico di Milano!
Despite the economic woes, the region is still steeped in history and can offer a wonderful experience and lifestyle whilst at business schools.
