Hi all,
I've a degree in Industrial engineering and 8y job experience in the IT field (first as consultant and now as a SAP expert in an IT office).
I'd like to take an mba but i m very doubtful between 2 choices:
1) taking an mba part time at cuoa (ranked in 5th position in Italy: 5km from my house, not so expensive and kept in collaboration with Dearborn University)
2) taking an online MBA trying to get access to Warwick, RGU or other similar institution.

The second choice would probably be more international and interesting the second choice would be safer (and probably I could spend it better in Italy..even if I d like to relocate abroad).
What do you think about the 2 chances? Do you know if online mba guarantee a good placement?

I cannot think of any good reason to take the CUOA course. The co-operation with UM Dearborn is limited: you can take their online courses. The MBA is from CUOA, which does not have any international accreditation. MIB in Trieste is a much strong programme of you want one which is local, and then Bocconi and ESCP Tornio will have great quality.

If you take a distance learning course, look for one which as much face-to-face contact as your lifestyle can support. Look at Warwick, Henley, Manchester, Durham and Strathclyde, all of which are much better brands than RGU or CUOA.

Hi,
thank you for the reply.
About Milan and Turin: they are quite expensive for me while I could only take part to the Trieste's emba (but here would cause me some problems with schedule and my actual job)

About distance learning I m quite concerned about the networking/placement that they guarantee.
That's why my first choice was for CUOA ... but now I m very doubtful

A top quality MBA is a great investment. Compare the average salaries of those MBAs with CUOA. Schools like ESCP, Polytechnico di Milano and Bocconi will have most alumni on 65,000 euro or more. At CUOA it will be lower. You get what you pay for.

EMBAs do not have placement in the same way an undergraduate school will have. But a top MBA is a really powerful brand, because they have a big difference in you and the value you bring. Ask your employer if they will give you some flexibility, since they will benefit from you doing the EMBA. But any top MBA will have much better careers support than CUOA. The more face-to-face time your MBA has, the better the connections you will make. I think Warwick is especially flexible in that way.

Yeah, you are actually right. CUOA is the weakest choice a little supported from a good outlook from a friend of mine who took part to the same class I was interested in.

I had a better look to top italian offers and what is more suitable for me (I don t have executive experience .. i ve only worked in the it sector)
Trieste: emba
Turin: GMP (not exactly an MBA but something similar)
Milan Politecnico: EMBA part-time
...
about distance learning I need to check better requirements due to my cv.

The GMP is very good: it's the first half of the MBA. You'd be studying alongside great people. From an international point of view, Only ESCP and Bocconi are well known as business schools.

Generally, courses will look at your work experience as well as your management experience. Politecnico also has an EMBA in IT; that could be an easier MBA to 'sell' to your employer (http://www.mip.polimi.it/mip/it/Executive-MBA/ict.html).

Already received the answer from GPA .. they say that my profile meet their criteria for the selection phase.
They also confirmed me that it's possible to get the MBA after the GPA (GPA is actually the core of their MBA)

About selling my mba to my employe .. well, I work in Veneto and here it's rather impossible to sell an MBA (small-medium company, not requiring high profile, normally :-)

Well, it might a gain simply to get their neutrality on it! They they do not oppose it, and if you don't have to keep it secret, then that's a good thing. Of course if they let you use their company for some of your assignments, then they will also benefit. If they will even give you some time off to attend classes, with you having to use holiday, that's also good.

Yeah .. this is something I need to discuss.
I must find a way to make them interested (I think I can do since they can't comply with me for what I ve done so far).

Anyway .. now I ve a clearer picture. Anyway, in your opinion: between GPA and Warwick(distance learning) .. which one would give better opportunities?

That's a hard choice. I think the face-to-face element at ESCP is really strong, and it has a more powerful network in Italy. However, the Warwick MBA is very strong and half the price of the ESCP EMBA. But if you're comparing the GMP/GPA with the Warwick MBA, then the MBA wins.

GPA doesn't allow tax deduction (it's not a master) and doesn't offer a placement service.
Ok, hard choice, it'll take time to decide (in the meanwhile I must take the Toefl) and probably the best thing for me it's to apply for more positions.
Thank you a lot

I ll try to take this thread updated .. maybe it'll be usefull for someone in the future

Doing lots of research today (time stolen to my job ....)
Preference so far:

-1) Trieste EMBA (20000e+vat but 19% tax reduction: emba certificate at AMBA, class kept in italian and good relationship with foreign University)
-2) GPA Turin (not MBA but still 18000e and no tax reduction)
-3) SDA Bocconi (35000e ??? .. expensive and requiring 60 days in Milan)
-4) CUOA MBA in collaboration with Dearborn(around 17000e .. no international view and worst outlook from Duncan)

Waiting further info from Warwick and HHL (Leipzig.. since Germany is the most dinamic economy right now)

I know Bocconi sounds expensive, but it's certainly worth more than twice as much as CUOA when you compare the average salaries. For me, my decision to pay for an MBA paid itself back within a couple of years.

HHL is clearly one of the better-known schools in the Euro*MBA consortium, but I think the administration is shared mainly between Maastricht and Audencia, so use the contacts in the Euro*MBA website. Having taken a short course at HHL, I know the quality of the students and school is excellent -- and all the Euro*MBA partners are very strong.

I think ESCP is a great school but, unless you intend to use the GPA (in English, GMP) there to enter the MBA I can't see it matching an MBA in portability and transparency.

Bocconi is requiring me at least 60 residential days .. this is too much and could cause some trouble with my boss

GPA is a quite short program .. not an MBA and this is a minus

Trieste (MIB) might be a wise choice (I m talking with the EMBA manager and they seem very professional). More, here I would have great chances to get in

Now I m taking some info from MIP (Milan Politecnico) ..

About Euro*MBA and Warwick ... I don't know I m scared that head hunters consider distance learning as a lower level master

Well, I would describe them as part-time MBAs rather than distance learning ;-)

ahahha.. yeah this could solve me some problems :-)
By the way between Warwick and Euro*MBA I m more keen on the second; I don't know why but it intrigues me more

Hi Duncan,
I ve the intention to try 3 different applications and finally to choose the best one.
I need to take a decision among:

MIB
MIP
Warwick
EURO*MBA
GPA

What would it be your 3 attempts? (I ve already made my choice but I don't want to influence :-) )

My three would be MIB, MIP and Euro*MBA. ESCP is out because it's not an MBA, and it's hard to explain.

MIB and, more importantly, MIP should be in because they are realistic, strong local programmes. MIP is an internationally-known brand.

If you could find the time for the Euro*MBA, which includes residential workshops, then I would also remove Warwick, even though it's a high quality programme. The Euro*MBA a cohort programme will give you better networking and better motivation. Also the Euro*MBA gets you into several alumni networks and that's really useful: to present yourself in six different countries as an alum of a known business school in those countries. They are all known, respected brands in their countries with positions similar to - or better than - Warwick locally (although not globally). But if the Euro*MBA is impractical then the Warwick course is great value and very flexible.

PS If you did want a non-degree programme in general management, then there are some great, cheaper, alternatives to the GPA like the Boston-Cranfield-MCI programme:
http://www.mci.edu/en/certificate-courses/classic/international-management

Hi,
actually also my choices were:
MIB
MIP
EURO*MBA

probably I ll enter MIB since MIP is checking all the univ. career and I got only (93/110) and Euro*MBA doesn't offer financing.
By the way those will be my top choices (I couldn t find any better for such prices/quality)