I need help to choose a school

Question

Hi, I am 30 years old and I have professional experience over 6 years. My prior degree was not exactly in business and thus I am considering doing an EMBA in general management. And I need help choosing between two schools: CBS and SSE. In Copenhagen Business School EMBA costs 59,000 euros; however Stockholm School of Economics - around 43,000 euros. CBS has classes twice a month on Fridays and Saturdays, while SSE has a week of courses once a month. I don't mind taking a week off once a month because I think a week of courses really allow one to get in depth in the subject, instead of just two days. On the other hand, the hotel costs would be much higher. The travel distance is almost the same.

Other than that both schools seem to have similar programs and they both have a great reputation in the Nordics (two leading schools). Does anyone have any advice here? Anything that differentiates these two business schools? I would like to study in Scandinavia. I think it's a great region to be right now.

Other than that both schools seem to have similar programs and they both have a great reputation in the Nordics (two leading schools). Does anyone have any advice here? Anything that differentiates these two business schools? I would like to study in Scandinavia. I think it's a great region to be right now.

exec · Answer

Is no one familiar with these schools?

ligett · Answer

Hi, sorry no idea on these two schools. I know SSE is quite popular in my country (Russia) but I don't think this is relevant for you at all. Just two things to mention: - Perhaps you know that, but there is a business school called BI in Oslo, you might want to consider it too. I don't know much about it except that the building looks nice

- Look at the scholarships, especially if you have decent profile and stats. The cost of the program might be substantially lower if you get a good scholarship. In some European schools that can be up to 10-15K EU for the FT MBA at least, not sure about EMBA

exec · Answer

The price is not an issue. It would be hard to get any cheaper EMBA. I am also trying to get my company to sponsor. So my focus is mainly on the quality of the programs rather than the price.

RHB · Answer

Hi exec,

Did you see this press release? https://www.cbs.dk/en/News-Press/Hoejreb ... -the-media

I'm not sure I would be comfortable going to a school that was having problems.

OK So I just looked at the Financial Times World EMBA 2010 Rankings of these two schools.

Overall Rank:
CBS = 47
SSE = 50

These two schools are so close that in terms of education that you'll receive an equally high quality degree from either. However the rank for SSE has been very consistent over the past few years whereas CBS has moved around dramatically. As these ranks are based on student responses to a survey I would value consistency more than the 3 places higher in the rankings that CBS currently occupies.

Salary: (Growth as %, then Current average)

CBS = 40% $116,272
SSE = 52% $119,176

I think that these are important numbers for an EMBA because they make up so much of the logic of attending a program. Also even though the numbers are close the different costs of the two courses make SSE better value for money.

Careers Rank:

CBS = 11
SSE = 45

This could be a deal breaker for you if your intention is to make a significant change in the focus of your career. Having said that I think that it is particularly true of EMBA's that they know perfectly well how to seek and apply for jobs, so perhaps this isn't an important stat for you.

To be honest I think you would be well served by either course. If I were you I would focus on three things:

Curriculum - Go to the school that focuses on the things you are interested in, paying thousands of Euros to learn about finance if you want to work in, for example, not-for-profit is a waste of time.

Career - think about your aims and figure out which school is more likely to get you there. After all you don't complete an EMBA for the experience you do it for the end result. Best result = Best choice.

Classmates - Are you bothered about interacting with your classmates or not? Personally I would favor the week long program as it will give you a much better opportunity to network. Knowing high quality people in other industries could be invaluable for you.

Other than the above I don't know what to suggest. Visit both and get a feeling for how much you like the adcom and the atmosphere.

Personally I would apply for both and go to SSE, but you should choose the one that fits you best.

exec · Answer

Thanks, so much, RHB! That was a great response.

exec · Answer

RHB, by the way where do you find Career Ranks for schools?

I need help to choose a school

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