Opleiding: Master of Business Administration (MBA)

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Learning purpose

You have been working for a few years now and you have the ambition and drive to move ahead. You want to acquire further qualifications and deepen your knowledge. Give your career a boost with the English Master of Business Administration (MBA) programme at the Academy for Masters & Professional Courses. You learn to inspire and motivate colleagues and tackle management problems based on an extensive knowledge of business processes, economics and finance. In one (full-time) or two years (part-time), you acquire the skills to strategically work in any and all facets of business.

Emphasis on Practical Application

The Master of Business Administration programme is historically focused on the practical application of theoretical business techniques. During the course, you develop several case studies and act as a business consultant to assist organisations with their business problems. Business knowledge and management skills are of central importance. Subjects such as economics, finance, accounting, human resources, marketing, strategy and entrepreneurship are covered extensively. The MBA programme at The Hague University of Applied Sciences is the oldest recognised MBA course provided in English in the Netherlands. And it has consistently received high ratings by NVAO . You are therefore assured of education of the highest quality.

Intercultural and international

Companies are increasingly operating across borders. Experience in international business has now become indispensable for managers and business experts. The Master of Business Administration programme offers an intercultural environment: more than 40 percent of the students are from abroad. You learn about other cultures and customs and get the opportunity to develop an international network during the course.

Target audience

You are a manager or a specialist (e.g. an accountant) with at least a higher educational degree and one year of relevant work experience. You are completely dedicated to your career, but you notice that you lack certain skills and/or knowledge. The Master of Business Administration programme enhances your career opportunities, increases your salary and ensures further development and growth, at a professional and personal level.

Work environment, organisation and employees

You want to provide positive leadership, improve your management skills and increase your business knowledge. For this, you look beyond the standard management models. You are interested in the interaction between the work environment, organisation and employees, and you always keep the long-term perspective in mind. The MBA qualifies you to work together with specialists, exchange knowledge and take strategic decisions. You are able to analyse, research and implement. Thanks to the varied and multidisciplinary curriculum, you have greater employability.

Motivation, ambition and entrepreneurship

Within a short period of time, the MBA prepares you to function at a strategic level. Motivation, drive, ambition and an entrepreneurial spirit are essential for successfully completing this intensive Master's programme. In addition, it is important to have ample insight into human nature and good communication skills. The average age for the full-time version is 29 years and for the part-time version, it is 35 years.

Programme

The Master of Business Administration programme consists of four phases. Each of these phases covers the key building blocks of the MBA course: economics, finance, accountancy, human resources, marketing, strategy and entrepreneurship. You receive a broad-based education and go increasingly deeper into the subject matter.

Study load

The full-time version lasts one year, with a minimum of two or three days of lessons per week. In total, you spend forty to sixty hours a week on the MBA. In the part-time version, you attend lectures a minimum of two evenings a week and must take into account a time investment of fifteen to twenty hours. You work in groups, attend lectures and prepare individual assignments.

Entry Requirements

In order to enrol for the Master of Business Administration programme, you must have a Bachelor's degree (from an institute for higher vocational educational or university) preferably in the area of business administration, economics or management. You must also have a minimum of one year of relevant work experience. In some cases, exceptional academic performance is sufficient and work experience is not necessary. An interview may be part of the admission procedure.

MBA Foundation Course

Depending on your bachelor degree and work experience, you may need to first complete the MBA Foundation Course before proceeding to the MBA Main Phase. The Course Leader will inform you during the application process if that is necessary.

English test

All students must establish their level of English for entry into the program. You may establish your level by either: (1) achieving an overall IELTS score of 6,0, an internet TOEFL score of 79, a paper TOEFL score of 550, or a TOEFL computer score of 213; or (2) showing that you completed your previous education in English.

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Opleiding kerngegevens

Name institute

De Haagse Hogeschool

Course location(s)

The Hague

Duration

12 months

Diploma

Diploma

Open enrollment

Yes

In Company/ Tailor-made possible

No

How many better ways are there of helping a student become a Master of Business Administration than asking her to create a complete business plan, from product conception to long-term profitability prognosis?

Career switch
After completing high school, Maria Valbuena (29), who was born and bred in Berlin, Germany spent four years in the hotel business in several countries including Scotland and the United Arab Emirates. In 2007 she attained a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in the Netherlands, after which she worked in the events and wholesale business. With a switch of career in mind, she's now on the final straight, heading towards the finishing line of THU's one-year MBA programme

Real situation

What Maria enjoys the most about the MBA are its many practical and real-time cases and projects. She just spent three days, for example, at an off-campus workshop discussing the solar panel industry; how China is trying to dominate the export market, how the US is trying to ban their import and how Africa is now also trying to get in on the act. "Reflecting on all sides of a real situation like this, including the cultural and financial issues, makes it easier to grasp," she says.

Fascinating

In another practical case study she recently analysed the HR structure of Microsoft. She was given details about the company and its HR policies. Then she had to do additional research and write an essay on the subject. "It was fascinating to learn about this company from A to Z, particularly as I'm interested in HR and organisational behaviour."

Business plan

But one of the most absorbing of her practical projects was navigating her way through the creation of a business plan. Firstly she had to conceive a product or service that was not yet available and establish whether there was a market for it. Then she had to carry out a feasibility study. And only then could she get down to defining the actual business plan, with all the financial issues that entailed. "In addition to dealing with the financial statements, it included conducting a break-even analysis to forecast when the business would attain profitability."

Educational

It took Maria three months to complete her business plan but she enjoyed it and found it very educational. "It felt just like a real-life project because it dealt with all the aspects of developing a business plan. We would have to convince a bank to extend the necessary credit, for example, register the company with the local chamber of commerce, consider where and how we'd sell the product, and define a marketing and promotion plan too, which was the part I enjoyed the most."

Something from nothing

For Maria the whole project was an exercise in reality, made all the more challenging and absorbing because it was also an individual assignment. Creating a business plan and taking into account all the aspects that have to be considered is something that is handled in the classroom, she explains. "In this assignment we had to create something from nothing: from product conception to making a five-year financial analysis and ensuring it was all as realistic as possible."

Enthusiastic

Maria's actual product idea was based on the notion of an ageing population with money to spend. They cannot spend it, she reasons, if they have trouble reading the labels on products in the shops. "I hit upon the idea of producing a necklace with decorative magnifying glasses. Useful, and handy too, you cannot really forget them because you're wearing them around your neck. As part of my market research I canvassed many elderly people and they were very enthusiastic."

Tempting

Although it was a hypothetical exercise, going through the whole process of creating a business plan was so realistic it might make Maria consider doing it for real one day. "Yes, it might be tempting," she admits. "The idea was good and my market research showed it was feasible and had the potential for long-term profitability. But I'm too busy concentrating on my MBA at the moment. Although later on, who knows?"

"The reason I started doing the MBA was, first and foremost, to widen my horizons. Besides all the banking-related trainings and courses, I wanted to do something that is useful for me outside the bank. And possibly for a next move abroad. I have previously worked and lived in London and on an American cruise ship and this made me realise that a higher vocational education degree alone is not sufficient. Also, I am not part of the 'forty-years-with-one-employer- generation' and that is also why I have paid for the course myself. Although my employer is also benefiting from it. Specifically, I have developed a strategic model within my department to translate the bank's new core values with respect to our department, a special target group within ABN AMRO."