MBA in Switzerland

MBA in Switzerland

Understand the details of studying MBA in Switzerland below.

Some quick notes on MBA in Switzerland:

Recognition:

Several MBA programs like IMD, ETH Zurich etc. are recognized internationally and accredited by the AACSB, ACBSP, AMBA and EQUIS, OAQ and the Swiss University Conference.

Duration of MBA in Switzerland:

MBA in Switzerland ranges from 1 to 2 years in duration.

Intakes:

Most MBA programs in Switzerland have rolling admission and programs normally begin in September however few of them have multiple intakes like Feb/Mar, May, & Nov.

Cost of Studying MBA in Switzerland:

Course fee for MBA in Switzerland ranges between CHF 30,000 to CHF 85,000 for the full program (typically ranging from Rs. 20 lacs to Rs 60 lacs). Few universities may have their course fee lower than the range given. Note: Higher fee does not determine the quality of the MBA and does not affect the MBA rankings. Accommodation and Living expenses varies from city to city from CHF 21000 to CHF 36,000 CHF.

Work Experience Requirement for MBA in Switzerland:

Most MBA programs will need at least 2 – 3 years of work experience. As a general rule 3 years or higher work experience increases your chances of MBA admissions at good business schools.

GMAT / GRE:

Few Swiss MBAs will need a GMAT.

English Language Requirement:

Either IELTS test or TOEFL test is compulsory. The test could be done within one month from the date you decide to take the test ie. preparing for the test, registering for the test, to appearing for it. If you need to register for the test or need help or coaching, you could contact us at +91 9820864001.

Time to Apply:

Best time to apply for MBA in Switzerland is October to May. Different Universities have different deadlines. It is considered best to apply in the first or the second round.

Work during MBA in Switzerland:

Students can work up to 15 hours per week during the MBA course, but only after residing in Switzerland for a minimum of 6 months. Wages vary between CHF 10 /hr. Typically, the MBA courses may get too extensive and may keep you busy round the clock due to the rigorous workload and may not leave you too much time to work.

Work after MBA in Switzerland:

Since Switzerland is located in the heart of the European continent, Basel, Geneva and Zurich serve as avenues for aviation gateways, making it ideal to travel to other European countries for internships and international field studies. You get to stay for 6 months on completion of your course to stay . During this period you may look for a job and you can work for 15hrs/ week.

Top Universities in Switzerland and some top MBA programs are listed below:

Note – IMD Switzerland MBA ranked 13^th in the Financial Times Global MBA Ranking 2016

Popular MBA programs in Switzerland with fees, GMAT requirement, work experience requirement, etc.

University: University of St. Gallen Switzerland

MBA: St Gallen MBA

MBA Fees of St Gallen MBA: CHF 56,500 (Rs 39 lacs approx.)

Duration: 12 Months

Intakes: September

GMAT: No Minimum Requirement | Average GMAT Score 656

Work Experience: Minimum 2 Years | Average 6 Years

English Proficiency: TOEFL – 80 (IBT) or IELTS – 6.5

University: IMD International Institute for Management Development Switzerland (IMD Switzerland)

MBA: IMD MBA

MBA Fees of IMD Switzerland: CHF 85,000 (Rs 58.5 lacs approx.)

Duration: 11 Months

Intakes: January

GMAT: No Minimum Requirement | Average GMAT Score 676

Work Experience: Minimum 3 Years | Average 7 Years

English Proficiency: TOEFL – 90 (IBT) or IELTS – 7

University: Business School Lausanne (BSL) Switzerland

MBA: BSL MBA

MBA Fees: CHF 44,800 (Rs 31 lacs approx.)

Duration: 12 Months

Intakes: September

GMAT: Not required but preferred | If submitted Minimum – 550| Average GMAT Score 676

Work Experience: Minimum 2 Years | Average 7 Years

English Proficiency: TOEFL – 90 (IBT) or IELTS – 6.5

University: Université de Genève – HEC Genève Switzerland (HEC Geneva)

MBA: HEC IOMBA

MBA Fees: CHF 36,500 (Rs 25 lacs approx.)

Duration: 12 Months

Intakes: September

MBA Concentrations:

International Management

Organizational Management

GMAT: No Minimum Requirement| Average GMAT Score 500

Work Experience: Minimum 3 Years | Average 5 Years

English Proficiency: TOEFL – 90 (IBT) or IELTS – 6.5.

University: University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

MBA

MBA Fees: CHF 65,000 (Rs 45 lacs approx.)

Duration: 18 Months

Intakes: August

Concentrations: Intercultural Management

GMAT: Not required but preferred | Average GMAT Score 660

Work Experience:  Min. 2 Years preferred

English Proficiency: TOEFL – 90 (IBT) or IELTS – 6.5

University: ETH –Zurich, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Switzerland

MBA: ETH MBA

MBA Fees: CHF 65,000 (Rs 45 lacs approx.)

Duration: 18 Months

Intakes: September

Concentrations: Supply Chain Management

GMAT: Not Required

Work Experience: Minimum 5 Years | Average 7 Years

English Proficiency: Not Required

Note: GMAT or any English test is not required. Candidate’s English will be assessed during interview.

University: International University in Geneva (IUG) Switzerland

MBA: IUG MBA

MBA Fees: CHF 36,400 (Rs 25 lacs approx.)

Duration: 12 Months

Intakes: March, May, September & November

Concentrations: Entrepreneurship

Sales & Marketing

GMAT: No Minimum requirement | Advised 600 & above

Work Experience: Not Required | 2 Years Recommended

English Proficiency: TOEFL (IBT) – 80 or IELTS – 6.0

University: International Institute of Management in Technology, University of Fribourgh

MBA: IIMT MBA

MBA Fees: CHF 42,000 (Rs 29 lacs approx.)

Duration: 12 Months

Intakes: February

MBA Concentrations:

Information & Communication Technologies

Utility Management

GMAT: Not Necessary

Work Experience: Minimum 3 Years in Management Position

Some MBA in Hospitality programs in Switzerland:

Glion Institute of Higher Education

MBA in International Hospitality

Intakes: February

Duration: 12 Months

Tuition Fees: CHF 34,135 per semester

Les Roches International School of Hotel Management, Bluche – Switzerland

Master of Business Administration – Strategic Hospitality Management Degree

Intakes: January, July

Duration: 12 Months

Tuition Fees: CHF 49,100

Admission requirement for studying MBA in Switzerland:

Academics

Students need to submit all their mark sheets from 10^th to final year of studies to study an MBA in Switzerland. A first class from a recognized University will be good to apply.

GMAT

GMAT (Graduate Management Admissions Test): This test is NOT required for all Institutions in Switzerland for an MBA. Only a few MBA programmes like IMD MBA will need a high score.

Its best to take it before September in the year prior to when you are joining. Students generally take about 2.5 to 3 months to prepare for the test. The validity of the test is 5 years. You can know more about GMAT here.

IELTS or TOEFL

In order to get admission in the Swiss universities, candidates need to demonstrate English language competency by scoring high in TOEFL or IELTS exams. In IELTS, the preferred score is 7.0 or 6.5 (out of 9) and in TOEFL iBT, the preferred score is 102 or higher but different Universities have TOEFL requirement starting from 80 (out of 120). Both TOEFL and IELTS test dates are available each month. Learn more about TOEFL or IELTS.

Essays

Compelling essays highlight your most salient attributes and make you stand out to the admission committee. Most Swiss MBA programs would require you to write a single or even 3 topical essays which would come with a word or a character count. Admission to Top MBA programs is based on what you bring to the table through these essays – Swiss Universities will want to see your leadership skills, networking skills, interpersonal skills, team work abilities, ability to perform and sustain under pressure, and more qualities. Answers to these essays must be as candid as possible.

Some examples of questions that Universities may ask for MBA in Switzerland:

• Describe one incident where you had to display your leadership skills? (300 words)
• What are your long-term goals? (300 words)
• Discuss about a challenging situation at work and how did you handle it? (400 words)

Resume:

A well crafted resume goes a long way. It should clearly talk about your employment, education, and achievements. Generally, we recommend that your resume / CV should be should only be of one page. Here is where you can get a simple explanation on what can appear on a smart resume.

Letter of Recommendation:

A recommendation letter that highlight candidates’ achievements in academic or professional world would add great value to the candidature.

• It is advisable to get such references from one’s academic institution (professors / directors) or from workplace (reporting manager / CEO) that highlight the leadership qualities and other managerial skills. Your immediate supervisor is generally considered to be in the best position to have been able to observe and assess your capabilities. So, always have at least one recommendation letter from the person whom you directly report to
• Mostly Swiss Business Schools for MBA applicants prefer an online recommendation. You will need to register the referees online (in the online application portal). Your referee will receive an email from the #BSchool and your referee will have to following the instructions to submit the recommendation online. While registering the referees, it is preferred to have the Institutional or Organizational email id (not gmail, yahoo, outlook, etc.)
• Your referees will have to submit the recommendation before the MBA application deadline
• Most Swiss Universities will ask for at least 2 and maximum of 3 recommendations

Work Experience:

It is advisable to have 1-2 years of work experience after your bachelor degree for pursuing MBA in Switzerland.

Interviews:

The interview is usually the last step during the admission process. These interviews could be conducted by a faculty member or a staff or an alumni or a third party representative appointed by the business school. These interview are more often informal in nature and are meant for information exchange. These interviews allow university representatives to judge the candidates’ focus, passion, future career goals and personality.

Our experience says that interviews last anything between 15 to 45 minutes. These interviews may through a telephone call or via Skype

Wish to study MBA in Switzerland? Here’s how we help:

Consulting:

We explain the complete process of studying in Switzerland. Our experts assess your profile and understand your suitability to study Swiss MBAs. We suggest areas of profile development. ILW helps you with your career path, goal setting, suggesting you to go through the right list of MBA programs and much more

Shortlisting:

Based on your interest area, future plans, career objectives, budget and several other factors, we help you select the right MBA programs in Switzerland you must apply to. This is very important because you spend application fees per university, send out couriers and invest more during the process and not applying to the right set of Universities would mean a loss of money and time. We categorically suggest Ambitious, Moderate and Safe University options from which you can select from so as to create the right set of final 8 Universities

Application Documentation:

We guide you with your documents required for applying to MBA programs in Switzerland. This includes helping you build and edit the right CV, editing suggestions to strengthen your essays and SOP, providing guidance on your recommendation letter content, and more. We are one of the leading admission consulting in the country and essay editing is our forte.

Application:

We guide you through the applications to Swiss Business Schools where we plan the complete application, help you bring out your strengths in your application, help you fill the application forms correctly, check the content, rectify any errors, and help you submit the application. This is followed by checking the application documents to be sent to the right department at the University.

Follow Up Counseling:

We are always there for you. Universities email you their queries or provide updates on your applications. Often times, we follow up with your Universities. After your applications too, generally you are bound to come up with a lot of questions, and we will be happy to help

Interview rounds:

Many top Swiss Universities would want to do an interview round with you before finalizing your admissions. We provide you with mock rounds and help you build your confidence, so that you could establish to the University that you could contribute well to their MBA class

Finalization:

Once your offers are in, we help you finalize on the right MBA program for you at the right business school. Often students face a dilemma at this stage when they receive more than one admit

Financial Matters:

We will guide on how you have to make your fee payment and get your confirmation from the University

Visa Guidance:

We guide you through the complete student visa process including suggesting the right documents, documentation check, applying for appointment, preparing the visa application file, providing mock interview rounds and more

Connect:

We try to connect you with other students who are going to Switzerland or who are already studying there

Accommodation:

We guide you with booking of your accommodation in Switzerland to whatever extent that is possible

Remember:

Shortlisting the right set of Universities and editing essays is the biggest task where students face issues. We have always encouraged our students to join top business schools and with limitless iterations and brainstorming discussions, we believe to have placed students to Universities that could have been their dream!