“I am a great manager. I am ambitious enough. I do intend to move further in my career. But how do I do it?” Many Poles answer this question by saying, “I need an MBA degree!”
In this respect they are similar to their colleagues in other countries of the European Union, North America or Asia. Since 2009, business schools offering MBA programs have registered a slow but steady growth of candidates wishing to embark on challenging studies. In contrast to the pre-crisis era, MBA candidates pay greater attention to what business schools actually offer and how much it costs. They think longer before making the final decision. And they are no longer attracted to just the top ten; they are willing to consider less-known schools outside of Western Europe and North America. Business schools are well aware of these preference changes and they try to react in an adequate way.
In order to stay afloat in Poland, business schools have to take into account the following facts:
Those who seriously intend to study an MBA program do not want to quit their jobs. They are afraid that should they leave their workplaces and embark on full-time studies, they would not be able to get their jobs back once they finished their studies.
Candidates’ interest in part-time MBA programs has led to an increased offer on such programs by business schools. This trend is not specific to Poland. In other countries, one may see the same developments. Combining work and MBA studies requires a lot of self-discipline, genuine engagement and often sacrifice of leisure activities or family duties. It is therefore a challenge for a school to create a program that would be flexible enough and would not compromise on content quality and learning experience. Some business schools have taken a step further and developed online MBA programs.
There is, however, a serious doubt regarding the value of such programs. After all, one of the cornerstones of MBA programs is direct class interaction during examination of case studies. If this is missing, then some skills and competencies are not learned, which makes part-time programs preferable to online ones. At least, this is a prevailing opinion in Poland.
Another important trend in the MBA market is the creation of specialized MBA programs. More often than before, candidates ask whether they would gain competencies and qualifications in a particular area like human resources, project management, e-economy, emerging markets, etc. Each manager is supposed to be well-versed in planning, organizing, directing and controlling. There is, however, an increasing number of candidates who want to possess these competencies in one specific field.
Finally, there is a tendency of making MBA program more international. In Poland there have been dual or joint programs run together by Polish and American, British or Canadian universities since the 90s. Such programs are usually much more expensive and last longer compared to non-joint degree programs. Making programs more international should not necessarily mean finding a partner overseas and creating a dual-degree program. Offering MBA studies in English, having internships in international institutions, offering special field-trips outside one’s country, running joint research projects with schools abroad, and realizing active scholar and expert exchange schemes also contribute to international prestige of a given school and renders it more attractive to candidates.
In conclusion, trends in the Polish MBA program market are largely similar to global trends. To throw an MBA program on the market and claim that it copies best examples of US business schools is definitely not enough to recruit well-qualified candidates. Today, business schools try to discern preferences of prospective students and react accordingly. Altering a format of studies (full-time, part-time, online), focusing on specific areas of business activity, making MBA programs more international and setting tuition fees at a reasonable level are the instruments that business schools use to adopt to changing realities of the MBA program market.
This article has been submitted by the Institute of Economics of the Polish Academy of Sciences. For more information , visit their website (available in both English and Polish): http://www.inepan.waw.pl/en/