Online and distance education is constantly growing. Also, MBA programmes are more often offered to study from a distance. An online MBA degree gives you the opportunity to combine academic knowledge with practical business management while having a flexible study schedule within a supported structure.
When seeking a fully online or blended (lessons are partly taught on campus) MBA, it is important to pay attention to accreditation from the major international management education bodies, employability, the competitiveness of entry and quality of peers.
Another thing is to look for programmes well-tailored to your professional interests and needs as well as the networking opportunities schools offers. Even if fully online MBAs do not require students to be present on campus, the location of business schools influences how degrees are taught along with the course curriculum.
If you're planning on following a management career in Europe, it might make sense for you to attend an online MBA offered by a European institution.
In the digital learning business administration field, European business schools are becoming more popular, starting to compete with their North American counterparts, according to recent Distance Online MBA Rankings 2021 provided by the Financial Times.
We have included a list of 14 reputable business schools from Europe. The first 6 are ranked in Financial Times Rankings 2021. The rest are still good online study options to consider from other places in Europe. This way, you'll get a broader overview of the online MBA courses available at Universities from Europe.
1. Warwick Business School, UK
Warwick University is well known for its research excellence, ranked in the top universities in the UK and the world. The university also facilitates access to jobs and internships for its students.
Warwick Business School – part of Warwick University –is dedicated to unlocking the full potential of its students while welcoming diversity, new voices and fresh ideas.
2. IE Business School, Spain
IE Business School – The private IE Spanish university is one of the world’s leading higher education institutions that is highly valued for its innovation and learning technologies. In 2,000, IE launched the first online MBA in Europe, currently offering distance learning MBA programmes in a variety of formats, from Global MBAs to Executive MBAs.
The programmes are blended, with a 20% face-to-face ratio, taking 15 months to complete. Using multimedia materials such as simulations, games and tutorials, the faculty uses the same intensive practical approach as for the full-time programmes.
3. Imperial College Business School, UK
Imperial College Business School helps students build a competitive mindset focused on results, welcoming people from a wide range of cultural backgrounds and professions.
Teachers at Imperial College share a commitment to academic excellence and a research-focused mindset. Engage in interdisciplinary work and collaborate with leading industry experts.
4. Durham University, UK
Durham University delivers top-quality education that is challenging, supports leading research, class cooperation and helps student professional and personal development. Durham University also provides an engaging digital learning environment for delivering great business education.
5. MIP Politecnico di Milano
MIP Politecnico di Milano – The Polytechnic University of Milan is a leading Italian business school that recently launched a new online-based MBA programme, developed in collaboration with Microsoft.
The flexible Executive MBA benefits from an innovative digital learning platform that provides easy access to pre-recorded video content and allows students to actively participate to live lessons.
However, the learning language is Italian, so if you are interested in improving your Italian skills while taking business and management classes, this is the ideal opportunity.
6. University of Bradford School of Management
University of Bradford takes pride in its helpful student support services. Ever since it was founded, Bradford University has been dedicated to providing well-trained professionals with skills relevant to the current economic climate.
The university provides placements for its students and makes sure they have access to all relevant industry equipment as well as teachers with many years of experience.
While the next 8 university entries are not featured in the online MBA rankings from Financial Times 2021, they are still well-renowned institutions providing great-quality online business education at European standards:
7. EMAS Business School, Russia
EMAS Business School – as one of the biggest business-oriented universities in Russia, EMAS stands out by how open they are to collaborating with other universities, in order to understand how to better teach and consult in Business and Management projects.
EMAS is also ranked 12th in Eastern Europe by Best Masters and has a rating of 4.9 out of 5 from EduOpinions.
8. The Open University UK
The Open University UK – as one of the biggest public distance-learning universities in the United Kingdom, The Open University also has a campus, where all the research facilities and all the PhD students conduct their academic work for their theses.
Also, OU is involved in a lot of cultural projects, having done a number of highly acclaimed documentaries, some that can be found on Netflix.
9. University of Birmingham Online, UK
University of Birmingham Online – the original "red brick" university, meaning a university built in an industrial city, housed and taught some of the greatest minds of the 20th century, making it worthy of the motto: "Through efforts to heights".
As a public institution, a degree here is recognised all over the world, and, seeing how highly-ranked the University of Birmingham is, you know this is a Master's degree that's worth having.
10. Nottingham Trent University Online, UK
Nottingham Trent University Online – one of the biggest universities in the UK, Nottingham Trent University is one of the "top places in the country for graduate employment".
And, if this wasn't enough, it was also one of the universities that ranked high in the "Student Choice Awards", making it one of the best universities for student experiences.
11. IU University of Applied Sciences, Germany
IU University of Applied Sciences – this German university offers some great online MBAs, that focus on preparing its students for the post-graduation working life.
By looking over real-life examples of utilising marketing and entrepreneurship theories, students will be ready for the job market and all the challenges that might arise here.
12. Swiss School Of Business and Management, Switzerland
Located in the city of Geneva, the Swiss School of Business and Management is an innovative school offering premium research and education with the assistance of over 30 prestigious industry partners.
SSBM embraces student diversity and upholds the greatest standards of teaching excellence.
13. London School of International Business, UK
London School of International Business – with over 90 online Master's degrees in Business & Management, LSIB is always focused on offering students a pick from great programmes and great possibilities, so that everyone can work in the department they want to.
14. European University Cyprus (EUC), Cyprus
European University Cyprus (EUC) – Established in 1961, European University Cyprus (EUC) is one of the leading institutions of higher education in Cyprus, joining the Laureate International Universities network in 2005.
The university offers a two years online MBA degree, entirely taught in English, at a more reasonable price than most universities in Europe. Students work with updated learning materials made exclusively for the distance education teaching model or adapted for this purpose by the instructors.
This list is by no means complete, there are many other good universities and business schools that offer a great variety of online degrees. Check out the full online MBA ranking made by the Financial Times.
>> An engaging course like the MBA takes a lot of commitment and focus, and if you choose a blended programme, you might also need accommodation. To ease the student journey, Amberstudent is on a mission to provide quality homes and student accommodation in most European cities.