How to choose your MBA: a checklist

There is no universal way to decide what is the best MBA programme. But is that necessarily a bad thing? Certainly not, as there is not something as a nr. 1 MBA programme.

But the absence of a universal standard to assess the best MBA doesn't mean there are no ways at all to decide what is the best programme for you. So how do you choose the MBA that connects to your individual educational and career needs and wishes? Let's mention a few important points to pay attention to when you are looking around for an MBA.

Is the teaching staff sufficiently qualified?

A good teaching staff has academic teaching abilities. In this way they are able to embed case studies in their theoretical frames. Be sceptical when a school's teaching staff originates in main part from non-educational disciplines.

How internationally oriented is the programme?

Today's world is one of globalization. And a good MBA programme is attuned to that. Is this mirrored in the programme? Are the teaching staff and the students varied in nationality, language and life experience? And is the programme in English? This is especially to non native English speakers very valuable.

Do you have to make exams to earn your degree?

A good business school, or any university, awards it's degrees only after its students have made an exam. If a school awards a degree when the only requirement is attendance of classes you have to be sceptical about the quality of its programmes.

Does your time schedule connect to the sort of program you want to choose?

How much time can you afford to spend on an MBA? An MBA programme is very intensive, especially the full-time variant. Decide what sort of programme suits you best: a full-time MBA, part-time, modular or distance learning. Consider also if you want to study at home, abroad or at a campus.

Is the school accredited?

There is a lot of fuss about accreditation. Leading magazines like for example Business Week, The Financial Times, and The Economist all publish their own ranking lists. But are they really so valuable?

When you decide to use ranking lists in your choice of an MBA consider that every list works with its own set of standards and values, which will determine the results. Ranking lists tend to neglect the enormous diversity between schools and programmes. So don't let them narrow down your choices and remember that your own standards and wishes can be very different to those of the ranking lists.

Do your educational needs connect to the programme content and goals?

Content and compulsory subjects differ considerably from programme to programme. Ask yourself: What do you want to learn during your studies? Are you looking for management skills on specific areas, like human resources or logistics? Or are you looking for a more general management programme?

Does the school or programme pay sufficient attention to innovation?

Is the programme curriculum being updated regularly and is it flexible? Does it pay attention to modern developments like corporate and social responsibility? And does it value skills like management of human resources? This will gain you a competitive advantage over students of schools who solely try to keep up with the ever faster going development of new technologies.