The New MANNHEIM & TONGJI Executive MBA: A Sino-German Management Education Showcase Program

Mannheim Business School and the School of Economics and Management of Tongji University in Shanghai (TONGJI-SEM) are launching an Executive MBA program.

• Mannheim Business School and the School of Economics and Management of Tongji University in Shanghai are launching an Executive MBA program
• Program allows a high degree of flexibility
• First participants will start in Spring 2011, applications will be accepted beginning summer 2010

Mannheim Business School (MBS) and Tongji University in Shanghai have long been leading institutions for management education on their respective continents. These two institutions have now joined forces and created a new degree program featuring a unique structure and content. Beginning in Spring 2011, the MANNHEIM & TONGJI Executive MBA (EMBA) will give executives from around the world the skills and tools they need for positions in international top management. An agreement signed by the Dean of the School of Economics and Management, Tongji University (TONGJI-SEM), Professor Huo Jia-Zhen and MBS President Professor Christian Homburg in Shanghai lays the foundation for the part-time English-language EMBA program.

Professor Huo emphasizes, "In establishing the MANNHEIM & TONGJI EMBA, we have created the first part-time EMBA program of two renowned educational institutions that has a Sino-German focus." And Professor Homburg notes, "The intensive and ever-increasing trade between Asia and Europe as well as specifically between China and Germany are an ideal basis for the new program." Each partner can look back on a long tradition of academic training of executives. In their respective countries, each institution is viewed as placing a strong emphasis on research, and each has met with success in the international MBA market with similar program offerings: MBS with its ESSEC & MANNHEIM Executive MBA program placed 21st in the Financial Times ranking, and one of Tongji SEM's programs placed 34th in the same ranking.

The structure of the MANNHEIM & TONGJI Executive MBA program is tailored to meet the requirements of executives, and allows a high degree of flexibility. The participants must complete six course modules which last nine to eleven days covering a variety of management disciplines: three in Mannheim and three in Shanghai. It is possible to complete the double degree program within one and a half years; however, students are free to take breaks or to only take individual courses within a module. "The essential point is that students complete all course and other academic requirements within five years," Professor Homburg explains. Moreover, it will be feasible to register for individual courses and modules without pursuing a degree. "This will enable all participants to build up a unique personal network, whether they are aiming at an EMBA degree or whether their goal is rather to broaden their knowledge of a specific subject area," says Professor Huo.

During the course of the EMBA program, participants must also work together in small groups on a master project to develop a marketable business idea, including a complete business plan. Other curriculum requirements include training in key qualifications essential to a leadership position, guest lectures, and excursions. "Such elements provide the students with an in-depth insight into the corporate world, as well as enhancing their knowledge of Asian and European cultures," underlines Professor Homburg.

Admission requirements for the MANNHEIM & TONGJI Executive MBA are: a first academic degree, at least eight years' work experience including initial leadership experience, international experience, and very good English skills. The introductory tuition fees for 2011 will be €29,900; starting in 2012 fees will be €42,000. The fee for an individual module will be €8,000, and the cost of individual courses will be €970 per day. Applications will be accepted as of Summer 2010.