COPPEAD - Info about the program and exchange to Wharton / CEIBS ?

Question

Hi guys, I am new in this forum and I am trying to select which schools to apply for a Full-Time MBA program. I got 690 points on the GMAT on my first try (English is not my first language), and I plan to move to Latin America soon, since my girlfriend got a job offer to work in Brazil.

It seems that this program is taught completely in English and has been listed 10 times, since 2001, in the Financial Times Global MBA Ranking. Additionally, it has been accredited by EQUIS (European Quality Improvement System) since 2006. Also, the school seems to offer a really nice exchange program, with spots to go to Wharton and CEIBS (among some other schools listed in the Financial Times).

Does anyone have more info about the quality of the courses, professors and infrastructure? There seems to be some other options in Brazil, in particular FGV, but I do not know much about the reality in the country. What about safety and job opportunities? Is the exchange program very competitive?

Thanks for your assistance and time.

ThiagoR · Answer

Hi RookieMBA, I am currently finishing the second year of the Full-Time MBA program at COPPEAD and I am planning to start the exchange program at CEIBS soon. I was going to Wharton , but the COVID-19 pandemic changed my plans and I think it was for the best. Let me try to give you some info. The school offers several programs: Full-time MBA, EMBA, Post-MBAs, Professional Master in Finance, Corporate Trainings for companies and Training Courses for "Young Professionals" in several areas (Supply Chain, Finance, etc.). The only course taught entirely in English is the first one (but expect varying levels of proficiency from the professors), and this program has been listed often in the FT Global MBA Ranking. Currently, due to the lower exchange rate of the Brazilian real in relation to the American dollar, the school is not listed since this is one of the criteria to discriminate against B-Schools. The Full-Time MBA course is completely free, subsidized by the Brazilian government, and you may be eligible for a scholarship. There are two routes for the enrollment process: taking the GMAT (only verbal + quant section matters) or ANPAD (the Brazilian equivalent of GMAT) + TOEFL. In both cases, your previous professional experience may add points to your final score. Unlike many other B-schools, the process is very transparent, since the school is part of the federal system of the country. The value of the scholarship is not much, but at least pays for food, transportation and some beer during weekends

The cohorts tend to be small (around 30-40), and this makes the class truly participative, since everyone has a chance to speak. Additionally, everyone is extremely close and friendly. The experience is truly international, and my cohort had students coming from U.S., China, Germany, France and Norway (besides Brazilians, of course). During the second semester, we received exchange students from all around the world and the cohort doubled in size, with many people coming from different countries (Belgium, Denmark, Italy, India, Russia, Kazakhstan, Morocco, etc.). The quality of the classes are really good, especially the mandatory ones during the first and second term (February to July). The professors are very strict with late arrivals, and it's not uncommon for students to fail classes for this reason. Also, besides cold calls, you can expect surprise tests every now and then. The rhythm is super intense during the second term, and you probably would have to reduce your social life in order to cope with all the work. Almost all the disciplines use the case method as the pedagogical strategy, and students are generally well prepared before going to class to discuss cases, theory and practice. The quality of the materials is quite good and we often use international materials (Harvard, Wharton, Stanford, Kellogg, etc.), besides the one created by the COPPEAD's professors. There is a rotation scheme of groups during the first two terms in order to bring diversity to the work groups. Therefore, expect a mix of professional experience, international students and gender balance among all groups. The school is small and located in the university city called 'Fundão Island'. The infrastructure is quite good, with a silent library with free coffee

, IT resources with proper software, and many rooms to study all day. The staff is friendly and generally gets things done quickly. Rio de Janeiro is a very beautiful city and is pretty vibrant all year, but especially during Carnaval (around February or March). It offers a relaxed vibe and people are very friendly with "gringos" (slang for foreigners). Also, Rio de Janeiro is close to many touristic places and relatively close to São Paulo (50 min by flight), which is the financial center of Latin America and one of the biggest cities in the world. Diversity in one of the most important traits in Brazil since the country has strong influences from Portugal, Spain, African countries, Italy, Germany and Japan. For instance, Brazil is home to the largest Japanese population outside Japan and there are cities in the south of the country that speak German. But there is also the other side of the coin. Social inequality is huge in Brazil, and this provokes urban violence. It's not uncommon to hear that someone has been mugged, especially in areas such as the bohemian neighborhood called Lapa. But if you get to learn the city better and avoid those areas (or at least be accompanied by a group), you will be fine. If you want to work in Brazil, probably São Paulo has much more to offer than Rio, which is particularly true if you want to work in finance. But it is not impossible to find a nice opportunity in Rio as well. Regarding the exchange, COPPEAD offers the program during the second semester of the second year. Generally, there are more spots than students, since the school has more than 40 partner universities all around the world. Some schools offer only one spot (like Wharton), but some offer two (CEIBS). However, this changes every year. The selection criteria is your GPA of the first semester of the first year (mandatory classes). But there are many other schools to choose from the list provided by the FT. Here are some examples from 2020: Wharton (#2), CEIBS (#5), Bocconi (#29), ANTAI (#37), WHU (#64), Rotterdam (#66), EMLYON (#79), CLSBE (#84), EDHEC (#88), ESSEC (#88), SMURFIT (#99). A final information is that you don't need to be in Brazil during the second year of the course. Depending on your supervisor, you may work on your MBA thesis remotely during the first semester of the second year prior going to the exchange program (this is optional). Let me know if you need any additional information. I will share your post with some friends that moved to Brazil to start this course, so you can have other perspectives as well. See ya. T.

ChristophBecker · Answer

Hi RookieMBA,

I was in a very similar situation: 
My girlfriend also found a job in Brazil which led to my application at COPPEAD. I moved to Brazil in the end of 2018 and enrolled in the Full-Time MBA program at COPPEAD starting in February 2019. Currently I am finishing my master thesis and preparing the exchange program at CEIBS for which I have been accepted. 
I am very happy with my decision for COPPEAD: 
First of all, your research on the program is absolutely acurate (completely in English, FT rankings etc...). I can also confirm all points in ThiagoR's response and want to add the following from my personal perspective:
It is an amazing opportunity to take part in an MBA program with no tuition fee whatsoever. On top of not paying any fees, there is also a small "bolsa" that MBA students receive from the government. This also applies to foreign nationals. It's not much, but it's free money on top of a free program...
The classes are small in comparison to other programs. This leads to a productive atmosphere in the classroom and a very positive collective experience. The program is organized in 4 terms of 10 weeks. The first 2 terms are quite time demanding. This changes drastically in the 3rd and 4th term where typically lots of foreign exchange students arrive. 
Rio is an amazingly beautiful city and the people are super friendly and open to foreigners. I have made great friends and had a really good time (although the COVID pandemic of course did not help the last months...).
Your question about security is of course a complex one. But I can tell you that I did not experience anything negative in this regard. Of course, you shouldn't be careless and listen to the advice of locals, but if you do, you can have quite an amazing experience in this city.
All in all, I can wholeheartedly recommend COPPEAD as a business school and Rio de Janeiro as a fantastic place to live for a while.

I hope this helps. 
If you have more specific questions, feel free to reach out. All the best for your decision,

Christoph

thiagod · Answer

Hi RookieMBA,
I'm a 1st year student at COPPEAD. Briefly addressing your specific questions:

Does anyone have more info about the quality of the courses, professors and infrastructure?
Professors are top-notch, with extensive academic and professional experience, all of them PhDs or Post-Doc level. Most of courses are case-based, and 90% of cases used are those from top schools (mainly HBS), with a few COPPEAD-written Brazilian cases. Infrastructure is also excellent, facilities are not much different from major international business schools. The only negative side is the distance - COPPEAD campus is a little bit far from downtown, which makes mobility an issue. However, those who don't have a car organize among themselves for pooling or spliting Uber rides, and it works perfectly.

There seems to be some other options in Brazil, in particular FGV, but I do not know much about the reality in the country. What about safety and job opportunities?
Safety in Brazil is always an issue, but honestly nothing to be too concerned about - it's not as dangerous as major newspapers use to claim. As I'm Brazilian and my perception may be biased, I strongly recommend you to reach out to foreign alumni on Linkedin to get a better perspective. However, as far as I'm concerned and based on fellow's experiences, don't worry too much about it.
As for the job opportunities, COPPEAD alumni are in a quite good position. Apart from the brand recognition, the school has a strong network in Brazil, which helps you to get employed after you finished the course. We also organize recruiting events (both for summer job and for full-time positions) and have excellent rapport with large Brazilian companies. For instance, a colleague of mine from Chile managed to get a part-time job yet on 3rd term. Speak Portuguese is probably a good differentiation factor if you're foreign.

Is the exchange program very competitive?
Since spot allocation is based on GPA for mandatory courses, it can change considerably from year to year. Among the mandatory courses both quantitative and qualitative aspects will be tested, so the more balanced are your skills, the better are your chances to get the spot you want.

Some additional information:
- COPPEAD mixes an academic M.Sc and a typical international MBA, which is great because you get the best of two worlds. A not-so-bright side is that you're expected to deliver a final academic research dissertation + article, which is different from most of world-class MBA programs out there.
- Since 2020 they have moved all the classes to the morning period, allowing people to work part-time if they want (unless you really need, I wouldn't recommend working up to the 3rd term, because the academic workload can be quite intensive in the 1st and 2nd terms and you want to get good grades to ensure a spot in the best exchange programs).
- It's not clear in the website, but there are government-funded scholarships available to nearly all the students. They are awarded based on entrance ranking and are available on a monthly basis. The amount it not huge (BRL 1,500), but covers roughly 30-40% of your living costs (in my personal example). Brazilian exchange rates have been quite low, so it's a good moment to be a foreign in Brazil

I'll be happy to help (https://www.linkedin.com/in/thiagopsilveira/) should you have any additional questions.

gwienerb · Answer

Hey RookieMBA,

First, congrats on your GMAT score. Your application should be highly competitive for COPPEAD. TOEFL scores for non-native English-speaking COPPEAD candidates are in the 95-100 range, with some people scoring over 100.

You are correct in your observation that the program is taught entirely in English, with some elective courses taught in Portuguese as well. COPPEAD´s Full-Time MBA program has indeed been listed 10 times since 2001 by the Financial Times and accredited by EQUIS. We have partnerships with many top business schools around the world, such as Wharton and CEIBS, as you mentioned, as well as IE in Spain, Bocconi in Italy and many others.

I am from the US and I actually came to Brazil originally in 2014 to participate in a semester abroad program at PUC, a private Catholic university in Rio. One thing led to another and I ended up back in Brazil for the MBA, which seemed like an obvious choice to me due to my interest in working in LatAm and the local prestige of COPPEAD, besides of course the cost considerations (100% tuition free, plus the possibility of receiving a monthly stipend of 1500 Brazilian reais from the Brazilian federal government, available to Brazilians and foreigners alike). The professors are all extremely highly qualified both in academia and in industry, with all of them holding PhDs and most of them having substantial industry experience as well, which translates into the school having a lot of industry partnerships (international companies among them include LÓreal, Halliburton, Coca-Cola and many others). In the first two terms, the courseload is quite challenging, but it tends to get lighter in the 3rd and 4th terms. The second year is dedicated exclusively to writing an academic thesis paper, as in Brazil the program is technically classified as an academic degree despite its industry orientation. This means that it is a way of pivoting into academia (by continuing on to a PhD program) or into the job market. The infrastructure is also quite good, considering the size of the business school (usually about 40 students participate in the Full-Time MBA program yearly, but COPPEAD also offers an executive MBA program, and a few short-term extension courses for professional development).

The school is located on Ilha do Fundão, close to Rio´s international airport and admittedly a little far from downtown and other áreas where you´d be likely to hang out, but that distance never really posed a major problem. You can access the campus by car (Uber or carpooling with fellow students with cars), or, if you´re adventurous you can take a local city bus, which I took many times and it is generally safe, and commonly used primarily by students and staff at the university.

You are correct in that FGV also does have a similar master´s program (both in Rio and in São Paulo), which also rank highly in many academic circles. The key difference between COPPEAD´s Full-Time MBA program and FGV´s "mestrado" is that FGV is really aimed at people interested in getting into academia, and continuing on to a PhD afterward, while mostly COPPEAD´s program is aimed at people looking to get into industry, though there are some exceptions of course. I applied and was accepted to FGV´s program as well, but my assessment was that FGV didn´t exactly have the industry connections through its master´s program that COPPEAD has.

Regarding safety, it´s no secret that many Brazilian cities, including Rio, appear on many lists of the world´s most dangerous cities. Generally, if you stick to áreas where you know where you´re going and where there are other people around, you shouldn´t have any issues. Just don´t be obvious about carrying around anything of value (jewelry, an expensive-looking watch, walking on the street while holding Money or your cell phone in plain sight) and you´ll be fine. Rio has a public transportation system of subways, buses, light rail, BRTs and a few other modes and even there it´s really uncommon to have any safety issues as long as you try your best to blend in.

Regarding job opportunities, I would say it´s difficult but not impossible to get a job here as a foreigner with a student visa. You didn´t mention where you´re from, but citizens of Mercosur countries and of Portugal have a pretty easy time comparatively at getting residency in Brazil that allows for a work authorization. For other nationalities, there is a new process (since 2017) of converting a student visa into a temporary work authorization visa for up to 2 years, but unfortunately in my experience companies haven´t really heard of it. If you have a path to permanent residency somehow, it becomes a lot easier to get a full-time job in Brazil as a foreigner. Of course, there will be limited opportunities for full-time work without a solid grasp of Portuguese as well. I recently started a job as a consultant at an Italian consulting firm, in their Brazil operation, but I have permanent residency (my wife is Brazilian) and I speak Portuguese. With that being said, there are some other ex-COPPEAD students from outside Brazil that have gotten companies to sponsor them for work visas, so there are still a few possibilities. Also, COPPEAD has an internship program at the beginning of the second year which allows students to participate in short-term paid internships through agreements with COPPEAD, which means that foreigners are also eligible as there is no need for any additional work authorization.

Anyway, there is a lot more I could write here. Overall, my experience at COPPEAD has been quite positive. I am finalizing my master´s thesis and I essentially got out of the program what I was looking for in terms of the academic experience, networking and a job opportunity. Please let me know if you have any other questions, and I think I speak for all of us that posted in saying we really look forward to having you join COPPEAD. Best of luck on your decision.

Gabriel

JorgenW · Answer

Hi, RookieMBA

I am happy to se that you are considering studying at COPPEAD. I think the replies above answer your questions well, and I agree with the points made there.

I would like to give you my perspective as a Norwegian student that is about to finish my MBA at COPPEAD. Summed up, I have to say that I have had a great time at COPPEAD as a university and in Rio de Janeiro as a city.

I have to admit that I was surprised by the high level of the cohort when I started. As mentioned above, the two first terms are demanding when it comes to work load, but absolutely doable if you do not mind putting some effort into it. The third and the forth term are more International because of the incoming exchange students. On one side, this is great for the diversity in the classes as COPPEAD has recognized partner schools from a great variety of nations and cultures. On the other side, the level of some courses falls because some of the exchange students are putting more energy into their social life than in studying. Anyways, by receiving incoming exchange student from well recognized universities, COPPEAD can also send its students in the opposite direction. I am very happy to be able to follow courses at BOCCONI in Milano this fall.

The fact that Rio de Janeiro is an amazing city attracts a lot of people, including myself. In addition to outstanding landscapes and white beaches, the city has a very rich culture and the Cariocas are always friendly and easy to get in touch with. My cohort was really outstanding, and did it very easy for foreigners to feel welcome at the university and in Rio de Janeiro. Regarding safety, it is very different from my home country, but like most others I adapt ad take my precautions. During my 15 months stay, I did not feel unsafe once.

In company with most of the other universities in South America, COPPEAD is not very known outside its continent. Some might think that this is a significant disadvantage, but I have a different perspective. By holding a grade from a university in a region that many recruiters do not know, helps the candidate stand out of the crowd of appliers. I received a lot of interest for my choice when I applied for jobs. I am sure the MBA from COPPEAD helped me increasing my attractiveness in the market and made it easy for me to receive interesting job offers even before I had graduated.

I hope you find my perspective interesting and relevant for your decision.

Please let me know if you have any doubts.

- Jørgen

RookieMBA · Answer

Hello everyone,

Sorry for the delay in answering you all. I am honestly impressed with the quality of your answers. It helped me a lot to understand COPPEAD as a suitable option for my stay in Brazil. It seems to be an  amazing cost-benefit opportunity , since the B-school holds a high standard and it's completely free. It is still hard to believe that a school listed so many times on the FT ranking is  free . Additionally, the list of partner schools for the exchange program looks very promising for someone looking for international experiences, as I am.

I hope the COVID-19 pandemic gets controlled soon, so travel restrictions are lifted and we (my girlfriend and I) can move to Brazil.

I wish you all success in your careers and perhaps we will meet in Rio de Janeiro some time in the future.

Kind Regards,

RookieMBA

MBAbot · Answer

Hello from the GMAT Club MBAbot!

Thanks to another GMAT Club member, I have just discovered this valuable topic, yet it had no discussion for over a year. I am now bumping it up - doing my job. I think you may find it valuable (esp those replies with Kudos).

Want to see all other topics I dig out? Follow me (click follow button on profile). You will receive a summary of all topics I bump in your profile area as well as via email.

COPPEAD - Info about the program and exchange to Wharton / CEIBS ?

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards