Study Online MBA in Switzerland

Eric van Duijn

So you are curious, you would like to know more about ‘business’, about its mechanics and interconnections? You want to know about Finance, Accounting and Strategic Planning, not just the short version, but the full story? You are ambitious and willing to invest a lot of your energy and feel attracted by the fact that your goal – an MBA – is demanding to achieve?

In 1997 my answer to all these questions was yes. I was working for a very fine aviation company and I had an excellent job as First Officer. But I was looking for more. EBS had exactly what I needed: an ambitious, challenging road to a fully recognised Master in Business Administration. As my spare time was highly irregular, the possibility to study wherever I was suited me ideally. I had been shopping around for a while looking for distance learning degrees; I had been in contact with several institutions, with rather mixed results.

Edinburgh Business School stood out with its fair pricing policy, with the possibility to start with just one course (a modest risk if things would not work out according to my plan), and with high academic standards compared to other programmes.

After buying the first course I felt unsure: is this it? Where does the information provided in the text modules come from? Is this sound, how do they teach this at other universities? I checked out some other universities, bought some books and came to a simple conclusion rather quickly. What was presented by EBS was top quality. It not only represented state-of-the-art knowledge but even went on to teach it in a very professional way. Straightforward, the important concepts first, clear explanations. I started feeling sorry for the full-timers I had interviewed and enjoyed the freedom to choose my own path and pace at EBS.

Studying was tough, my time available to study decreased steadily as my employer kept me more and more busy. I aimed at ten hours per week on average, which was just about manageable with two kids, some military flying duties and my job as copilot. When the company I worked for called me for a transition course to captain I had to take a break with my MBA course. That promotion would not come for free and would demand full attention for quite some time, I knew. No problem with Edinburgh Business School: I waited half a year before buying my last two courses and graduated a year after becoming a captain.

The progress thereafter was fast, too fast maybe – but you would have to ask my family about that. Within a few years I got promoted to Fleet Chief, a management position responsible for the safe operation of our airplanes. The job put to test all contents of everything I had studied at Heriot-Watt: the company went into a steep nose-dive, restructured several times, went bankrupt. We had to draw up new plans for a restart, lay off employees, set up completely new operations and find ways of merging culturally with another company. As Fleet Chief I was in charge of some 240 employees at that time and I was doing everything to keep my fleet together. More restructuring, more lay-offs, then the sale of the enterprise. Finally the recovery and thanks to the general economic upturn in aviation some positive results. Every book on my shelf came in as a good guide, as a valuable source of sound information.

Would I do an EBS MBA again? Yes, I would! And today I would go to Heriot-Watt without hesitation. The programme is worth every minute of time invested. The concepts and contents are useable in industry – I can tell.

John Mackillop

I studied my MBA full-time in 1998–9 and was part of the first cohort to be housed in the fine new building on the Riccarton campus. I remember feeling distinctly nervous on the first morning, expecting everybody else to be really smart, aggressive and dynamic. I had this idea of being surrounded by stereotypical MBA students who would sneer at me and sell my granny if they got the chance.

In truth, I could not have been more wrong: I met some wonderful, cheerful, funny, intelligent people from all corners of the world, many of whom have become firm friends. It was the most intensive, exhilarating, hard working, enjoyable and rewarding year of my adult life.

When I first saw the timetable I was horrified at the thought of a whole day per week being set aside for one subject. However, the way the sessions were divided between teaching, discussing case studies in groups and reporting back our findings ensured that the days flew in.

The staff were great, which was a huge bonus. Approachable, helpful, funny and friendly from the receptionists to the professors.

My MBA has opened many doors for me. I was promoted within 3 months of returning to my teaching job and am currently running the MA programme at a University College in Switzerland.

To anybody dithering about where to study for their MBA, I have no hesitation in recommending EBS. I agonized long and hard about whether or not to do an MBA and if so, where to do it. Going to EBS was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

Nando Cesarone

The material at EBS was very relevant to today's business environment. It also covers the material from an International point of view.

The material was challenging but allowed for an effective learning of the subject matter. The course itself was very flexible. I was able to balance a demanding work schedule with a family schedule. I could study at my own pace, evaluate how I would do on the exams and then schedule the exams at a convenient location and time.

Perfect fit for me.

Zdravko Ninov

I looked at several options before choosing Heriot-Watt but with my very busy job and family life the EBS distance-learning program offered the maximum level of flexibility that fitted best my needs. It's simply a fantastic way of gaining qualifications without the hassle of travelling and also without having to take time off work, as it is something you can do when it is quiet both at work and at home.

The program's flexibility and the ability to plan and study at my own pace with no deadlines helped me to concentrate more on each unit. The sequence of each course can also be chosen freely both of which was very important to me.

At the beginning I wasn't sure if everything would work out for me studying over the internet but the web-based portal that accompanies the paper-based textbooks is excellent. Always available and very user friendly. I found the numerous exercises offered at each module very useful including monitoring the study progress pointing out areas to strengthen.

The quality of study material was outstanding, supported with numerous examples including many practice-oriented case studies.

The MBA degree I earned at EBS helped me make a big enhancement to my career, not only on better understanding the operational details of my work, but also in terms of understanding management and teamwork in general. In my opinion this program provides students with the necessary skills and academic knowledge for both entry and mid-level positions in business.

Finally big thanks to all the administration staff and tutors for their co-operation, support and encouraging comments.