Hello,
I am posting a thread regarding MBA programs in Europe that are well known in there specific country, but not so much in the US. I have been doing some research on some schools in both the US and Europe, but a few schools that I am really interested in and completely fit me as an MBA candidate are not AACSB accredited, but AMBA accredited which is what a lot of other (exception for known MBA's; e.g., INSEAD, HKUST, LSE, IMD, HEC Paris, and SDA Bocconi) MBA programs in Europe are accredited by. I have been working in the Luxury and Fashion industry in the Marketing and Advertisement sector for about 3 years now and would really like to run my own Marketing/Advertisement/PR/Tech/Digital design/Visual Design/Media Production company (if that makes since to you) for different luxury, fashion, lifestyle, and beauty brands as a long term goal, but as a short term goal I would like to get more notoriety in the industry (because the Luxury industry is more about who you know and what you have done recently) and obtain a more leading executive role within the company I work for or with another company.
Right now, I am an creative marketing executive (which is mid-entry role) and have been that for about 2 years since my promotion in 2011. I basically work with my set of clients that my employer brings to the company and do advertising editorial campaigns for luxury or lifestyle magazines, Event planning, press events for my clients, photo shoots for fashion brands, and fashion show production for many fashion brands. So I do more PR and Advertisement than marketing, but there are still some aspects of marketing in what I do. I honestly don't really need an MBA to start my company in this industry, but I have no knowledge of business in my education. I majored in Natural sciences in my undergrad and did a career switch after I graduated. So I, ultimately, want to get an MBA so that I can gain insight of running a business, network with people out side of my industry, learn things that I don't know about, and etc.
(Sorry if I am not getting to point quickly enough)
So here is my question; say I were to go through an MBA program that is not AACSB, but AMBA accredited. Interms of getting a job in the US or in Europe, would employers want to hire someone that has an MBA that is AMBA accredited over someone that graduated from an AACSB accredited school?
The schools that I am considering are; Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (CNAM) Institute of International Management and International University of Monaco Business school which are both located in France. They both have concentrations in international luxury management (which is what other MBA programs that are AACSB accredited on my list of programs have in their curriculum). I know that I should only consider programs outside of the USA only if I want to work and live there. However, the reason I want to go to school in Europe (mostly France and Italy) because the Industry I am in originated in these two countries. Paris, France and Milan, Italy are fashion and luxury capitals of the world and I feel that going to school, meeting CEOs, and gaining international contacts can set me and/or my company apart from others as a more global firm and allow me to work with international brands, which is what I want.
I have a lot of contacts and friends in the industry in the USA and some in Europe but I want to be more know globally as an entrepreneur and I want my company to be know globally as well. So gaining more contacts in these countries and others, will be beneficial towards my career when it I start my business. I dont plan on applying to schools right now because I have only 3 years of work experiences so in the next year or so, I will start applying.
So all-in-all, do you think that I should just stick to AACSB accredited schools for what I want to achieve or should I play the field and look into both and apply to both types of accredited MBA programs?
Best Regards
Johnny
P.S. I hope I made sense. It was kinda hard portraying what I wanted in an MBA in written-words. It makes sense to me so I am just worried wont make sense to you. Thank you!
I am posting a thread regarding MBA programs in Europe that are well known in there specific country, but not so much in the US. I have been doing some research on some schools in both the US and Europe, but a few schools that I am really interested in and completely fit me as an MBA candidate are not AACSB accredited, but AMBA accredited which is what a lot of other (exception for known MBA's; e.g., INSEAD, HKUST, LSE, IMD, HEC Paris, and SDA Bocconi) MBA programs in Europe are accredited by. I have been working in the Luxury and Fashion industry in the Marketing and Advertisement sector for about 3 years now and would really like to run my own Marketing/Advertisement/PR/Tech/Digital design/Visual Design/Media Production company (if that makes since to you) for different luxury, fashion, lifestyle, and beauty brands as a long term goal, but as a short term goal I would like to get more notoriety in the industry (because the Luxury industry is more about who you know and what you have done recently) and obtain a more leading executive role within the company I work for or with another company.
Right now, I am an creative marketing executive (which is mid-entry role) and have been that for about 2 years since my promotion in 2011. I basically work with my set of clients that my employer brings to the company and do advertising editorial campaigns for luxury or lifestyle magazines, Event planning, press events for my clients, photo shoots for fashion brands, and fashion show production for many fashion brands. So I do more PR and Advertisement than marketing, but there are still some aspects of marketing in what I do. I honestly don't really need an MBA to start my company in this industry, but I have no knowledge of business in my education. I majored in Natural sciences in my undergrad and did a career switch after I graduated. So I, ultimately, want to get an MBA so that I can gain insight of running a business, network with people out side of my industry, learn things that I don't know about, and etc.
(Sorry if I am not getting to point quickly enough)
So here is my question; say I were to go through an MBA program that is not AACSB, but AMBA accredited. Interms of getting a job in the US or in Europe, would employers want to hire someone that has an MBA that is AMBA accredited over someone that graduated from an AACSB accredited school?
The schools that I am considering are; Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (CNAM) Institute of International Management and International University of Monaco Business school which are both located in France. They both have concentrations in international luxury management (which is what other MBA programs that are AACSB accredited on my list of programs have in their curriculum). I know that I should only consider programs outside of the USA only if I want to work and live there. However, the reason I want to go to school in Europe (mostly France and Italy) because the Industry I am in originated in these two countries. Paris, France and Milan, Italy are fashion and luxury capitals of the world and I feel that going to school, meeting CEOs, and gaining international contacts can set me and/or my company apart from others as a more global firm and allow me to work with international brands, which is what I want.
I have a lot of contacts and friends in the industry in the USA and some in Europe but I want to be more know globally as an entrepreneur and I want my company to be know globally as well. So gaining more contacts in these countries and others, will be beneficial towards my career when it I start my business. I dont plan on applying to schools right now because I have only 3 years of work experiences so in the next year or so, I will start applying.
So all-in-all, do you think that I should just stick to AACSB accredited schools for what I want to achieve or should I play the field and look into both and apply to both types of accredited MBA programs?
Best Regards
Johnny
P.S. I hope I made sense. It was kinda hard portraying what I wanted in an MBA in written-words. It makes sense to me so I am just worried wont make sense to you. Thank you!
, no worries, and thanks for all of the details and considerations. It's a difficult case to assess given all of your considerations, and overall my advice would be to prioritize applying to the programs that are going to give you the best career opportunities and networking and education given your long-term goals. That is more important than even accreditation considerations if you feel that some of these programs will give you more prospects, exposure, and networking opportunities given their locations related to the fashion/luxury industry and the courses and specializations they offer. That said, if you have a feel for what country you aim to be based in first and foremost, even if you have global reach for your future company as you mentioned, you may want to consider going to b-school in that country (or even city) when you think about how much easier it will be to make local connections in that area during the MBA. Also on the flip side, consider that most more well-known, reputable MBA programs around the globe will provide a thorough management education. I encourage you to research the hiring profiles and industries of the graduates of the programs you are considering and if possible talk to professionals in the industry about your options, and you can always apply to a variety of programs like you mentioned if that helps to keep the options open. 
