Full-time MBA FAQs

General

What is the best way to learn about the ESMT MBA?

The most current information about our MBA program is available online. The ESMT Admission Team is also available to assist you with the application process. Should you have any questions or require assistance concerning your application, please contact us by e-mail at mba@esmt.org or call the MBA hotline +49 (0)30 21231 1400.

ESMT will be in many major cities worldwide to answer your questions directly. Please check our website or contact us to find out when you can attend an information session at the ESMT campus or an event hosted together with partner companies around the world.

You might also be interested in visiting us. Campus visits are an informal opportunity to meet with one of our Admissions Officers and to get a feel for the campus. You will be able to sit in on an MBA class session, meet faculty, MBA participants, and have a short tour of the ESMT campus.

We recommend that you contact ESMT’s Admissions Office at mba@esmt.org in advance if you would like to schedule a visit and/or attend a class. Due to the program structure, class participation is not always possible. To keep our campus visits personalized, we welcome a limited number of people for each session.

Program Information

How long does it take to complete the MBA program?

The ESMT MBA is a full-time one-year program starting in January and ending in December each year.

What is the structure of the MBA Program?

It is composed of two core phases: Mastering Management and Taking the Lead. During the highly intensive first phase of the program you will be exposed to the foundations of management and develop indispensable managerial competences. The faculty will take you through functional skills, cross-functional management, business and corporate strategy, personal leadership, team building and organizational capabilities, as well as underlying disciplines, such as economics, statistics and political science. The general management and international perspectives define ESMT’s approach to the acquisition of core management competences from beginning to end. Then you will be ready to start the second phase of the ESMT MBA and continue your journey of leadership transition.

With this platform firmly in place, the subsequent four-and-a-half months of the program are devoted to governance, innovation management, entrepreneurship and integrative leadership, and to building bridges between cultures that future leaders must be able to cross easily. The most important bridges are between East and West, between technology and management and between public and private sectors.

The curriculum of the program is enriched with a unique set of integrative assignments (Integrative Leadership Exercises) taking place at the end of each module. The Practice Project, the Master's Thesis and the Field Project, in which students learn about selected companies in a foreign country, round up the program.

What makes the ESMT MBA different from other programs?

We are a young, innovative, creative and dynamic school with:

An ambitious agenda for growth
A faculty built from top global PhD programs such as Harvard, London Business School, INSEAD, Chicago, etc.
A highly integrated approach to the MBA curriculum – all faculty work across disciplines
Strong links with an influential corporate network, particularly among the 25 founding companies
A focus on the role of technology in delivering a more sustainable future for business
A commitment to innovation and creativity in the classroom and in our research
A strong research orientation, with more A+ journal publications per faculty than any other school in Germany
A commitment to individual mentorship from corporates and faculty
Significant scholarship funding for exceptional candidates
An inspiring setting in the heart of Berlin with exceptional facilities. Books and meals on campus are included in the fees.

What are the faculty profiles?

As of January 2010, ESMT’s permanent faculty consisted of 29 members from 18 different countries. The faculty is complemented by 30 members of the visiting faculty; a group of professors and senior executives who support the faculty with their professional expertise. Our permanent faculty comprises full, associate, assistant and affiliate professors as well as faculty professionals. This division reflects the growing convergence between the management education profession and the consulting profession and the importance of practice-based learning.

What teaching methods are used in the ESMT MBA Program?

ESMT uses a variety of teaching methods, but fundamentally, the ESMT MBA program relies on the use of interactive discussion-based learning, including the case method and action learning. As an indication of the importance of the case method at ESMT, you might want to take a closer look at the list of case studies published by ESMT faculty.

Are there industry mentor programs for tutors or students, and what can participants expect of them?

Each student will be assigned two mentors - one ESMT faculty member and one industry professional. Mentoring by faculty and corporate executives at regular intervals throughout the whole program provides you with a highly individualized and supportive learning experience.

How many MBA participants are in a class?

The full-time MBA Class of 2010 has 40 participants.

What percentage of ESMT MBA students is international?

The Class of 2010, made up of 14 women and 26 men, is internationally diverse. Participants come from 21 different countries.

Do students have to buy and pay for the books needed in MBA class?

No, students will be provided with the necessary standard reference literature selected by faculty and the MBA director.

Admissions

What is the cost of the MBA Program? Is financial aid available?

ESMT’s corporate founders are offering a large number of scholarships to fulfill ESMT’s mission to develop future executives with Integrative Leadership skills. Please visit the scholarship section of our website or contact the Admissions Office for the latest information on merit-based scholarships. ESMT offers scholarships exclusively in conjunction with a successful application to its MBA program.

ESMT’s MBA Admissions Committee does not review students' ability to pay for the program as part of the admission process. Each applicant is reviewed individually for who he or she is, not whether he or she can afford the program. If you are interested in competing for an ESMT scholarship, we ask you, as a part of our admission application, to explain why you feel that you would qualify for a scholarship.

The cost of a full-time MBA at ESMT for self-funding applicants is EUR 38,000. This is comprised of the tuition fee of EUR 29,000, with an additional compulsory contribution of EUR 9,000 to includes all learning materials, office supplies, food and drinks on campus on weekdays while the program is running, and the field trip. Not included are meals during vacation periods, accommodations in Berlin, private insurance or personal expenses during the MBA time.

The tuition and fees for the MBA program in 2009 for students sponsored directly by a company are EUR 50,000.

Accommodation and living costs in Berlin may vary between 8,000 EUR and 15,000 EUR for the year, depending upon the type of housing a student chooses. In general, rents range from EUR 300 – EUR 800 per month.

What are the admission criteria?

ESMT will select up to 40 women and men who best fit the ESMT MBA profile. For a successful admission to the ESMT MBA program, you should:

have an outstanding background as a professional with at least 3 years of significant practical experience and a strong first university degree
have led a team of others as part of your experience and have demonstrated the capacity to achieve excellent results
show the potential to take business-wide responsibility within a few years following graduation
have demonstrated flair for independent initiative – either as an entrepreneur or in a corporate setting
show a deep sense of responsibility for building people and enterprise, for others, and for society at large and have a well-developed sense of personal values and ethics
have a strong showing on the GMAT and TOEFL or equivalent English proficiency test, should English not be your native language

What are the application requirements?

completed online application
professional experience of at least 3 years. You have proven yourself capable of leading others.
two letters of recommendation: ESMT requires two letters of recommendation so that we can better understand how others perceive you and get a more concise impression of who you are.
four essays: by requiring essay writing, ESMT gives you the chance to provide us with insight into your ideas about leadership and business management.
strong showing on the GMAT: while not being the sole criteria used for admission, the GMAT score helps us to evaluate candidates in a uniform and standardized way. Please see the GMAT website for more information. ESMT’s GMAT code is 7121.
official transcript or certified copy of grades from each previously attended university, translated into English when applicable: as the ESMT MBA program is an intellectually demanding post-graduate program, you should have received prior academic training and have an undergraduate degree in the form of a bachelor’s or equivalent from a recognized college or university before applying.
TOEFL or equivalent for non-native English speakers: all courses during the ESMT MBA are held in English. Therefore a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or equivalent is required of candidates who received undergraduate degrees at institutions where the primary language of instruction was not English. The TOEFL or equivalent must be taken before submitting your application because you are required to submit your score on the application.
interview: after a first selection, ESMT MBA candidates will be invited for an interview where feasible.

What else do I need to participate?

Immigration documents: international students from countries from which the Federal Republic of Germany requires a visa should contact their local German consulate to apply for the relevant immigration documents or visit the following the website of the German Federal Foreign Office.
Please make sure you have valid health insurance.

How does the ESMT MBA Admissions Office communicate the admission decisions to applicants?

Admission decisions are sent out per confidential letter from the MBA Admissions Committee. Admissions may be conditional upon the supply of additional information.

May I speak to an admissions counselor? How do I find out if I am qualified?

The ESMT Admissions Team is more than happy to assist you with the application process. Should you have any questions or require assistance concerning your application please contact us by e-mail mba@esmt.org or call the MBA hotline +49 700 ESMTinfo (3768 4636).

How does the interview process work?

We conduct interviews on an invitation-only basis. The interviews are designed to provide useful information about a candidate that may not be easily captured on paper. They are also a good way for you to learn more about our MBA Program. This does not mean that the application essays and letters of recommendation are of less importance; they remain a critical part of the evaluation process with interviews as a supplementary information source.

If you are invited to an interview, the interview will take place during the application round in which you applied. You will be contacted by the MBA Admissions Office to schedule an interview, and you and your interviewer will set up a mutually convenient date and location to conduct the interview. A typical interview is conducted by one member of faculty and one of the MBA admissions team and lasts about an hour.

Do I need to have an interview on-campus in Berlin?

While interviews can be conducted by telephone or videoconference, applicants who are invited to interview are strongly recommended to attend a personal interview at ESMT in Berlin.

In the event of successful admission and enrollment in the program and payment of program deposit, ESMT will refund the cost of one return economy class flight ticket to travel to the interview (please note that you will need to request approval from the admissions office for this offer prior to making your ticket booking).

Career

Do you offer counselling and job-finding services?

Yes. From the start of the program, professional coaching will help you target careers which closely match your individual abilities and strengths. In addition, there are recruitment fairs on campus where students have the chance to meet with our corporate founders as well as other internationally known companies we are closely linked to. That means that as soon as you start your MBA, you will be part of the ESMT network, having the opportunity to explore every opportunity you like, be it with or without the corporate founders.

How do you promote your MBA participants?

ESMT shares the CV Book with recruiting companies worldwide.

Which companies recruit at ESMT?

Learn more by downloading the Class of 2008 Placement Report here.

Miscellaneous

When and where do you expect accreditation for your MBA?

ESMT has been accredited by the Association of MBAs (AMBA) and FIBAA, the accreditation agency for schools located in Germany. ESMT is in the process of applying for accreditation from AACSB (US). The school will be eligible to apply for accreditation from EQUIS (the Europe-wide accrediting body) in 2012, our 10th birthday.

What is the school’s policy on MBA rankings?

The school’s MBA program was launched in 2006. We expect to appear in all major rankings in the coming years, as we appreciate the visibility that international rankings will provide. In general, schools must have graduated at least three classes before being considered. Our third class graduated in December 2009.

Is there a library and is it accessible online?

Yes, the ESMT Information Center (IC) consists of a reference library and the online Information Center, which is accessible to all ESMT patrons over the ESMT intranet. The IC provides access to a number of research databases, such as the Global Market Information Database, Business Source Premier and Lexis-Nexis Business, as well as to major business and management electronic journals, magazines and newspapers.

Learn more here.

Are there any support services available for spouses and family of MBA students?

The ESMT’s MBA team supports you in finding relocation agencies and provides information on child care and schools in order to make the one-year experience in Berlin for you and your family a truly unforgettable one. Partners and families are welcome at many on-campus events.

Should I apply for the ESMT Full-time MBA or the Executive MBA?

It depends where you are in your career. The Full-time MBA is designed for participants in their late-20s to mid-30s, who are ready to move from specialized management responsibility to broader business-wide leadership responsibility. The Executive MBA targets participants who want to continue thriving in their job and their private life while earning a top degree and preparing to boost their career.

Does ESMT have a PhD program?

ESMT takes part in the Berlin Doctoral Program in Economics & Management Science, which uses researchers and professors from all major educational and research institutions in Berlin. More information here.