"As Unique as You Are": The New Mannheim MBA

• Mannheim Business School (Germany) introduces new concept for its international full-time MBA
• Four future variations to allow for an individual setting of priorities
• An excellent grounding in business, the mediation of key qualifications, and comprehensive career services as central components of the program
• Launch in September 2008 - Immediate application possible

Mannheim Business School, the umbrella organization for executive education at the University of Mannheim (Germany), will be offering its full-time MBA Program newly conceptualized as of September 2008. "As unique as you are" is the idea behind the one-year, English-language program of study that pursues a clear objective: To prepare future managers for top positions according to their interests and expectations. The new concept will provide several variations from which to choose in the pursuit of that goal: The program can be completed fully in Mannheim ("German Track"), with a three-month stay at a renowned North-American or Asian partner institution ("Transatlantic Track" or "Eurasian Track") or with two terms at top European business schools ("European Track").

"The new Mannheim MBA will be a signboard for management education in Germany. On the one hand, that's because it will bring highly qualified young professionals to our region, and on the other, it will offer talented young professionals from Germany the opportunity to pursue a management training program that is at the international forefront", promises Professor Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Christian Homburg, President of Mannheim Business School. A range of rankings in the past while have proven that Mannheim has already made a name for itself in the international MBA market: It was distinguished as the best German institution by far and placed ninth in Europe in July 2006 in the Ranking of European Business Schools by Junge Karriere, a journal by Handelsblatt Publishing Group. More recently, the Mexican business publication Expansión put Mannheim Business School at 44th place among the top 50 worldwide. And moreover, the ESSEC & MANNHEIM Executive MBA placed 31st in October 2006 in the global ranking of the Financial Times and came under the top ten in the categories of "International course experience", "Aims Achieved" and "Career Progress".

The concept of the new Mannheim MBA builds on the "Mannheim Professional European MBA" which Mannheim Business School has been offering very successfully since 2002.  Up to 300 applications from all over the world were submitted for the currently 35 study places. "The structure of the 'European MBA' remains an option in the new program, namely as the 'European Track'", explains Professor Dr. Sabine Kuester. The holder of a chair for Marketing is the Academic Director for the program and came to Mannheim in 2005 after teaching and research at the London School of Business, at the French elite business school ESSEC, the Stern School of Business in New York and the University of Vienna. "In comparison to the 'European MBA' we now offer considerably more options with the four tracks to allow people to structure the program according to their career goals", says Professor Kuester. For example, foreign students who would like to qualify themselves for a professional life in Germany would want to consider completing the whole program in Mannheim. Or if a student wants to complete part of the studies outside Germany, there are at present nine reputable partner institutions from which to choose. Among these are CEIBS (Chinese European International Business School), which holds as the best business school in Asia; and Thunderbird in Glendale, Arizona, one of the top destinations worldwide for an education in the area of "International Management".

The stays abroad are not the only parts of the program allowing for an individual setting of preferences. Next to the obligatory "core courses", which convey the fundamental business know-how in the first two terms, the students can choose from among the "electives" according to their interests. Some examples among the many options are courses in Innovation Management, HR Management and Logistics. In addition, the curriculum includes as integral part training in "soft skills", qualities essential to people in positions of leadership. Examples of this aspect of the program are courses and workshops in topics such as "Intercultural Competence" and "Presentation Techniques". Rounding off the program is a three-month team project at an internationally active company. "Small, multi-national teams of students work on a complex challenge from the real business world and get the opportunity to apply the knowledge they acquired in their studies", explains Professor Kuester.

An indicator of quality of a leading international MBA program - and a plus point for the Mannheim MBA - is the support students receive in their career planning and in their search for jobs. "Each participant receives individual coaching and support in their search for the right job after the MBA", promises Professor Kuester. This has proven very successful in the past, as the numbers of the last class to graduate show: All students got at least one job offer, and 70 percent signed a contract before they even graduated.

The Mannheim MBA is for young professionals with an academic degree and at least three years of professional work experience. Internationality, leadership potential and excellent English skills are additional prerequisites. Applications are accepted effective immediately; those applications received before December 15, 2007 and which lead to an offer of a study place will receive a 10 percent discount on the Euro 29,000 tuition fees.