MBA in or around Zurich

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1
I was curious to know if anyone has some good advice for me since I want to do an MBA in or around Zurich? I am looking for an MBA within Supply Chain/Procurement.

I have a budget of app. 18.000 CHF as a starting point for the tuition fee! Is it realistic at all to do a part time MBA that adds any value for that kind of money!

If not does anyone know of some good opportunities for Scholarships? I have 5 years of working experience and top grades from a previous Master Degree in Supply Chain/Engineering.

Hope to hear from you!

Thanks

2
Anybody help??

3
There are only 2 MBA schools that have any standing at all in Switzerland - IMD and St Gallen. Both cost significantly more than your budget. I know Credit Suisse used to offer a low cost loan for St Gallen. Could be an option?

4
Actually ETH has an MBA with focus in SCM , but it is almost 60k.

What do you look for in having an MBA?

5
Being a great science/technology institute doesn't automatically make a school a great business school too!

6

Not so sure about that, surely they are reputable but I think there are other schools that are also well-respected like UZH, Uni Basel or EHL - it all depends on the field of study.

In any case, I have not seen any MBA programmes in Switzerland that are below CHF 50,000. For your sake, I hope someone can prove me wrong though.

7
Thanks for your reply, that one sounds pretty interesting and of course quite above the budget so I would need to work on that part!

To answer your question I was hoping to qualify myself to a more managerial position in my company later on! I am not sure but alone having an MBA could look nice on the CV and of course mostly if it's from a recognized institution! I am not sure if ETH is?

8
ETH is easily one of the best universities in Switzerland (if not the best) and according to rankings worldwide, one of the best in the world

https://www.timeshighereducation.com...cols/rank_only

9
Seriously, just no.

MBAs are all about rankings and reputation with employers. The places you mention have neither. To an extent the St Gallen MBA also trades on the reputation of the school overall, rather than the rankings, although it is improving all the time.

10
See what I wrote above. Great university does not always equal great business school!

11
+1

St Gallen is actually only a semi-decent "business" school, though they're working hard on selling themselves as much more. Their MA/MS degrees are extremely well respected though.

IMD is the only one that can compete internationally. Needless to say that costs 100k+.

You won't find a really well-reputed MBA for 18k of course (yes you're often paying the name rather than the quality of the education, but guess that's how it goes anyway, so why fight it).

That being said, the MBA simply doesn't have the same standing in CH as it does esp. in US/UK. It's not a career accelerator, it's not even particularly relevant, and - American/Anglo and highly American/Anglo-influenced companies aside - is not particularly sought after. It's becoming a tiny bit more well-known around here too, but really not as much as you would think. There's simply no need for Swiss unis to create an affiliated business school - their Masters degrees are perfectly fine as they are, often of very high quality, so there's no need to rip off students for some MBA no one really needs (sorry, harsh, I know, but Swiss reality). An MA/MS degree in Business Admin or Econ from the Uni of St. Gallen or the Uni of ZH will probably get you just as far, unless again, you work in a company completely driven by Anglo style or values.

A surprisingly good MBA is the one at Open Uni in the UK, btw. Triple Crown accredited (same as IMD, for example). And compared to the Harvards, Columbias and Inseads of the world, it comes at a relatively reasonable price (I think some 25k or so). That is an option imo if you actually care about the learning/educating yourself more than about the brand name, cause it's of course not a particularly sexy school.

12

You might even be able to study it here in Switzerland. Have a look, there a technology management MBA available here which might fit the bill.

http://www.openuniversity.edu/

13
Thanks for all your responses I already got some useful information!

Much appreciated!

14
Well, not sure why nobody else picks this up: If you already have a masters in supply chain... what exactly do you expect from an MBA with the same specialization ? The topics will be 70% repetition with the other 30% being basics in economy and business administration. You'd waste your money. These MBAs are for people with mostly technical or science backgrounds who ended up in business roles... and want to add some knowledge to the jobs they are doing.

15
One primary purpose would be to enhance by knowledge within Supply Chain Management and not to repeat! I would have to investigate the particular program and see how it fits to what I already obtained through my previous education/experience. But my impression is also that an MBA provides the management aspect that M Sc. doesnt have to the same extend and that is one key reason for me to focus on the MBA. Perhaps there could also be other MBAs than within supply chain or even other educations/courses that would go well with my supply chain profile I am not sure! I will use the next year to investigate!

Thanks for your comments...

16
Chances are that the SCM element of an MBA will be in less depth than you covered in a specialised Masters, even if you do an MBA with that concentration. Certainly finance and accounting topics at MBA level were covered in much less detail than I had done in professional studies and to an extent in my bachelors. MBAs tend to be more about linking all the specialisms together with a broad level of knowledge and polishing your soft skills, as well as developing your network and job opportunities.