Hi,

I would like to hear your opinion regarding the following schools that I've been accepted. I have unconditional offers to their DL MBAs. I live and work in Stockholm and even if I move from there, the plan is to stay for work in the Nordics. So, what is really important to me is the reputation of these schools and the value and quality of each programme. Here they are:

Bradford University School of Management: costs 13,500 pounds and I get the chance to study up to 3 modules on-campus (like executive-style learning) in Bradford, AUDENCIA Nantes, EADA, TiasNimbas, University of Perugia or Kozminski. They also told me that in some cases I also get a certificate from the university I will also study (depends on each one) but certainly this is visible on the transcripts, the exact location and b-school, which I guess is positive to have. Also, there's a huge list of electives.

Durham University Business School: costs 19,500 pounds and has no abroad options, only two weeks in Durham. Also, there is a very small list of electives and not the most interesting ones.

Aston Business School: costs around 19,000 pounds, more elective options from Durham but again no abroad options.

Henley: Still waiting a reply. Costs again around 19,000 pounds, no abroad options but only between the Henley campuses in England and Helsinki. Also, not that flexible as the minimum years to complete are 3 and generally has some weird limitations and structure, not everything clear.

They are all triple-accredited, while all cost around 19,000 apart from Bradford, which is substantially cheaper at 13,000 plus that is the only one to offer real abroad options and certificates from other respectable schools.

So, what would be your suggestions between these three? Any comments? And in what ranking would you place them?

Thanks in advance!

I think you need to focus on the value and reputation of these MBAs in the Nordic region, rather than globally, since that's your focus. Henley has a huge alumni network in the region, and the other schools have more or less nothing.

Why is study abroad something you're so focussed on? If you want to get an international experience rather than a Nordic one, then look at the Euro*MBA.

Hi Duncan,

Thanks a lot for your reply. Regarding the Euro*MBA the problems are that first it does not have this flexibility compared to the rest (since it has to be completed in two years while the rest up to 6 and this is an issue when working full-time), secondly it has quite a lot of obligatory on-campus time and I don't really know yet if i could skip work for that long and finally is the most expensive by far, especially compared to Bradford, thus I am not sure if it worths this big amount of money for a DL MBA..

Henley is indeed quite known here since they have the Helsinki campus but I don't know if that is always positive, since getting a degree from there might not be anything special as there will be plenty of people having done the same while the rest schools would somehow differentiate and this was my main concern, I don't know if I am right.. Moreover, I don't have an answer yet from them..

As for studying abroad, this comes for two main reasons. Since I have done my basic studies in the area, I wanted to see something new, a different perspective, learning and approach while I would become more international like that. The second reason is that in the area there are no real DL modes, meaning that again I would have to leave my job to attend at any of these, which is not possible for me for various reasons.

So, what do you think of these schools I wrote about? In what ranking would you place them? I don't have the Henley reply yet, so I would be interested in knowing about the rest, as well, taking into consideration the reputation, the costs/value for money, quality and also the potential other options they provide (i.e. Bradford's abroad options)..

Thanks!

These are all fine programmes. Please don't pay attention to the fees, since that will distract you from the best fit. Use this post http://www.find-mba.com/board/33571 to compare the size of the alumni networks in your industries and the countries that matter to you.

Hi Duncan,

Your reply was pretty useful to check the alumni basis between these schools. Henley goes first but I think I am not joining them, since the structure of the programme does not fit at all to my needs and schedule. So, the remaining ones are Bradford, Durham and Aston. I checked from LinkedIn and Bradford (including NIMBAS/Bradford MBA graduates) is clearly a winner, only in Sweden, Russia and in some other small countries (i.e. Liechtenstein) Durham comes first. On the contrary in all the rest Nordic countries and in the rest of Europe, Bradford comes first (in some cases head and shoulders), Durham second and Aston is third by far. However, is this a clear guideline to follow? I mean I like all three programmes and I am unconditionally accepted in all. Based on the graduates from LinkedIn and the overall reputation that these schools have, how would you rank them? Which one has the lead in your opinion and why is that?

Thanks so much in advance!

There's not much between these programmes. I think I would choose which-ever allows me to spend the most time on campus.
- Bradford has been a strong school, but it's been falling for the last ten years and I don't think it has such a strong future.
- Durham has a great name and its business is improving, but it has a long way to go, and it's still a very old-fashions and formal, academic course without any real focus on group work and management skills.
- Aston is pretty solid, but unspectacular.

Why doesn't Henley work?

Hi Duncan,

Thanks a lot for your input! ;)

Regarding Henley, although I was quite interested, I didn't like the structure of the programme at all, as I had to visit the Helsinki campus on dates and number of days that it was not suitable for me at all (due to family reasons and employer/days-off). So, I skipped that option and have focused on the rest three programmes.

For Durham I've heard that although the university has a strong name, the business school is not at the same level and the programmes are very academic, so in the end that won't be that rewarding and useful for employment. For Aston, I see that is ranked well in general but I've heard contradicting opinions, other were satisfied and others not. As for Bradford, I've heard good opinions in general about the quality and value but I don't know about its reputation abroad, as the city is small and not that important hub, while the university is mediocre, while Aston and Durham universities are more well-known and ranked, whatever that means for the reputation of the business schools.

The point is that from LinkedIn the most graduates come from Bradford (or NIMBAS/Bradford), then Durham and finally Aston. Also, in Bradford I will have more time either on-campus or at other business schools (such as AUDENCIA, EADA, Kozminski, Perugia or TiasNimbas), which will be visible on the transcripts. On the other hand, I have the issue of recognition and reputation that I'm afraid that Bradford ranks last, without being sure.

What is your opinion on the reputation/recognition abroad? Under these perspectives that I mentioned before, in what ranking would you place them? And finally, if I go for Bradford, I have the option of 3 schools to choose from, including Bradford. For which 3 would you go for, taking into consideration the visibility of that on the transcripts?

Thanks so much!

The reputation is more or less a function of the alumni network, and none of these three schools have much of one. Why not take the Stockholm EMBA? I think more face to face time will be better for most students.

In the 2010 Economist survey, Aston was certainly better than Bradford http://media.economist.com/media/WMBA/WMBA_Special_2010b.pdf

I don't think transcripts matter that much.