Text by Lukasz Liese

As the Polish economy and foreign investment in Poland continue to grow, an increasing number of employers are looking for managers with globally recognised skills. As more specialised programmes are offered, and as Polish MBAs grow in prestige, more foreign students are choosing to get their MBA education in Poland.
Poland’s first MBA programmes appeared in the early 1990s, shortly after the fall of communism. As Poland started transforming to a market economy and later integrated with Europe, the demand for skilled managers with modern approaches to business management continued to grow. Today, there are several dozen MBA programmes to choose from in Poland. The majority are offered in Polish and English although a number of programmes are exclusively in English. There are also programmes offered in French, German and Russian.

Programmes offered include two-year full-time MBA courses for students who have completed a university degree and want to become managers, and Executive MBA (EMBA) programmes which are geared towards people who are already working as managers and often require at least three years of work experience. These programmes are usually around twenty months long. Increasingly, specialised programmes are emerging to reflect the changing needs of employers. The better programmes focus on a practical approach and emphasise case studies based on real-life businesses.

International Partnerships

Some of the more highly regarded MBA programmes in Poland partner with foreign business schools, and in many cases, graduates receive a degree from both the Polish school offering the programme and its foreign partner school. The Canadian Executive Master of Business Administration Programme (CEMBA), for example, is conducted as a joint venture between the Warsaw School of Economics (SGH) and the University of Quebec at Montreal (UQAM) and graduates receive a degree from both schools.

Other highly regarded international co-operations include the Warsaw Illinois Executive MBA, the WEMBA programme which is a partnership between the Warsaw School of Economics and the University of Minnesota and the Warsaw University of Technology Business School which partners with the London Business School, HEC School of Management in Paris and the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration.

This by all means is not an exhaustive list and there are numerous similar international co-operations between major Polish Universities and highly respected foreign schools which have many years of experience and proven track records of administering internationally renowned MBA programmes. These types of co-operations help to ensure that the same standards are maintained regardless of whether the degree is obtained in Poland or abroad.

Although expensive compared to other types of post-graduate studies in Poland, Polish MBAs provide excellent value compared to that of their counterparts in the West. In the United Kingdom, for example, an MBA can cost up to GB£ 45 000. Meanwhile, MBA programmes in the United States can often cost up to US$120 000 or approximately GB£ 78 000. In Poland, internationally recognised programmes of a similar quality generally range from PLN 30 000 to PLN 70 000 or approximately GB£ 6700 to approximately GB£ 15 000.

The relatively lower costs and high quality of most of the top MBA programmes in Poland are attracting more and more foreign students with some schools reporting close to half of their students coming from abroad. The percentage of foreign students, however, is much smaller in Executive MBA programmes which require travel at weekends. Still, for example, the CEMBA programme, which consistently ranks in the top of the field of Executive MBA programmes in Poland, reports that 12.1% of its graduates are foreign and a further 14.9% have both Polish and foreign citizenships. As Polish MBA programmes and Executive MBA programmes continue to participate and move up in international rankings, and gain more experience, it is likely that the number of foreign candidates for MBAs in Poland will increase.

Is it worth it?

So is getting an MBA in Poland worthwhile? In the majority of cases, it seems that the answer is yes. Most graduates of MBA programmes in Poland report very high levels of satisfaction and most end up making more money or getting promoted after completion. A major added bonus of completing an MBA programme in Poland comes from the networking opportunities and the lasting relationships that you will build with some of Poland’s business leaders over its course. Most of the leading MBA programmes also have active alumni associations which allow you to maintain and build contacts with past, present and future graduates from your programme.
Still, as in the rest of the world, an MBA acquired in Poland does not guarantee success or career advancement as many say was the case years ago. Now, very often, factors such as real-life work experience and a proven track of success in management are more important for potential employers and it is probably not a good idea to take on any MBA programme before gaining some relevant on the job experience.

Although an MBA degree no longer guarantees anything, the demand for MBA graduates continues to grow significantly in Poland along with the overall economy of the country, and Polish employers become increasingly familiar with the benefits of hiring MBA graduates. Also, the foreign companies entering Poland are on a constant lookout for the best managers with MBA degrees from recognised international programmes. Many of these companies not only hire recent graduates, but also encourage their managers to enrol in MBA programmes and in many instances cover significant portions of their tuition costs.

As the demand for Polish managers who have completed MBA programmes grow, so will the demand for the top ranked programmes. Currently, Poland still has significantly fewer MBA graduates per year compared to Western countries. According to Gazeta Prawna, the United States has around 10 000 new MBA graduates each year while Germany gets 6 000 of them yearly. In Poland, the number is much lower at 1000 people receiving an MBA per year.
As Poland continues to catch up to the West in every regard, it is very realistic to assume that so will the number of its MBA graduates. With this, an increase in competition among MBA candidates and the schools will lead to an even higher quality product offered by the various MBA programmes.

What to Consider

When considering an MBA programme in Poland you should do a thorough research and it is especially important to take note of the fact that MBA programmmes are not regulated in Poland. This means that pretty much anyone can start a programme and call it an MBA so it is important to make sure that the school that you are considering is properly accredited and recognised. Accreditations to look out for include the European Improvement System (EQUIS) Accreditation and the Association of MBAs Accreditation (AMBA) among others. Factors to look out for include the amount of hours for a given programme (should generally be over 600 hours for an Executive MBA) and the percentage of foreign professors. It should also be noted that some schools only offer a certificate of participation and not an MBA degree so this is another thing to look out for. If your goal is to complete an MBA in Poland and then return to a different country to work in, you should also make sure that the programme that you completed is recognised in that country. Finally, it is wise to check if the programme that you are considering has an active alumni association that can open up new opportunities for you in the future. 

Insight: The Centre for Management Training at Warsaw University School of Management

The Warsaw University School of Management offers a highly regarded MBA programme which is taught exclusively in English, and is aimed at professionals. The programme has been running since 1993, and is presented in co-operation with the business schools of Ohio State University, Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania and Bergische Universität in Wuppertal, and the diploma is signed by all universities involved in the MBA programme.

The course structure comprises of modules, which are typically completed within four weeks, and are then followed by a four week break, before starting another four week module. A major part of the curriculum focuses on what is commonly known as the “common body of management knowledge”, which includes finance, marketing, operational management and strategy. The curriculum also takes the current economic climate into consideration, and incorporates topical issues such as the financial crisis.

The admissions process requires that candidate possesses a higher education degree, at least two years of practical experience and a sufficient command of the English language to pass a personal interview with a selection committee, which will be conducted in English.

To date, 510 candidates have completed the programme, many of whom have gone on to work for prestigious public and private institutions, including the European Commission, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, General Electric, Hewlett Packard, PricewaterhouseCoopers Deloitte & Touche and many others.

The international reputation of the MBA programme at theWarsaw University School of Management is confirmed by the involvement of many well-respected academic partners, and by the fact that it attracts a substantial number of students from outside of Poland. Almost a third of all students come from overseas, including the Americas, Western and Eastern Europe, Turkey and India.

Insight: Kraków Business School

The executive MBA programme at the Kraków Business School is managed in co-operation with the University of Stockholm in Sweden and the St. Gallen Business School in Switzerland. Due to its international outlook and strong network with other academic institution, the programme is able to offer students a high standard of teaching, with many lecturers coming from leading business institutions.

The executive MBA programme at the Kraków Business School has introduced the two new initiatives: One is called the MBA Congress, an annual event that takes place at the end of May, or beginning of June. This event enables students to find out more about future career opportunities. This based on the example set by many American business schools. The second one is known as the MBA Club, which organises monthly meetings for students, which provide an excellent opportunity for networking and exchanging experience and information. There is a sociable element to these events, as they often take place on a golf course or at coast during the summer months.

Insight: Poznań School of Banking

The Executive MBA programme at the Poznań School of Banking is part of an international network of Executive MBA programmes in Helsinki, Singapore, Beijing, Taiwan and Seoul supervised by Helsinki School of Economics, which is considered to be the leader among Nordic business schools. It is also the first Scandinavian school to acquire the triple crown – accreditations from AMBAs, AACSB and EQUIS.

Thanks to the international network of cooperation, participants on the Poznań Executive MBA programme are able to attend lectures given by professors from established universities in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Finland and Germany. Such an opportunity enhances the participants’ understanding of international aspects of management and business issues.

Due to cooperation between universities, the participants are able to take part in student exchange programmes and study selected modules abroad. The exchange programme is popular among the Executive MBA programme participants. So far, selected participants from Poznań have had an opportunity to study in Helsinki, while the Finnish Executive MBA programme participants studied a chosen module at the Poznań School of Banking.After completing their studies, the Poznań Executive MBA programme participants join the international community of the Helsinki School of Economics graduates. They are granted the Executive MBA diploma certified by Helsinki School of Economics and Poznań School of Banking.

The Poznań School of Banking Executive MBA graduates and participants are highly qualified managers and specialists. They usually already have big experience. The programme is targeted at executives working in the global environment and it provides an understanding of the processes taking place in the global economy. Lectures and classes are mostly practical in nature and take the format of simulation games, workshops, group presentations and case studies.

The subjects covered will help with development of state of the art managerial competencies, the ability to implement innovative solutions and to improve management processes. Students work on designing career paths for themselves and others as well as on managing their personal image. Contacts and friendships established during the studies enable them to exchange experiences and support each other’s career development. 

 

Comments

No comments added