Instructing the leaders
Polish universities have established high-level links with renowned American and European partners - and they can offer first rate qualifications at a lower cost than their international counterparts.
The title Master of Business Administration (MBA) is one of the most recognized and sought after post graduate degrees. The aim of these programs is to prepare, or further prepare, individuals for responsible managerial positions in a business irrespective of its field. The notion of an academic professional business benchmark originated at the beginning of the 1900s in the USA, but it was not until the end of the Second World War that MBA programs were developed in institutes in Europe.
MBA the US way
MBA studies arrived in Poland in the early 1990s following the system change. Having no previous experience with such programs Polish universities had to follow the same path that Western European schools did after World War II - that is establish a partnership with North American, and /or European, schools who provided MBA courses. In 1991 an MBA program was launched at the Warsaw University in cooperation with the University of Illinois, in 1993 a program preparing future managers was established at the Warsaw School of Economics. To this day the courses provided by the two schools are considered to be the most reputable in Poland taking the top two spots in any national league table, depending on the ranking criteria.
Key players
Warsaw University offers two programs - the Warsaw-Illinois Executive MBA at the International Management Center and the International MBA Program at the Center for Management Training. Warsaw School of Economics, widely recognized as Poland's top economic school, also has two MBA programs - both based on partnerships with North American universities - WEMBA (Warsaw EMBA) with the University of Minnesota and CEMBA (Canadian EMBA) with the University of Quebec at Montreal.
The coordinator of the Warsaw-Illinois EMBA program, Dr Tomasz Ludwicki emphasizes that although most Polish schools run MBA courses based on partnership deals with foreign academic centers only a handful can issue original diplomas of their partner school. "Those graduating from our program get the same diploma they would have received had they studied at the University of Illinois," Ludwicki said.
Ticket to read
What's more, students at those programs receive ID cards of the partner university, have access to that university's library and most importantly - receive tutorials and lectures from the best professors from the partner school. Polish lecturers are usually chosen from among reputable experts or those who have had internships at the partner universities.
The quality of programs run at Polish universities is guaranteed by their partners, but that doesn't mean that it is a completely foreign program. "Warsaw University's input to the curriculum is significant," Ludwicki adds.
Tailor made
The administrator of Warsaw School of Economics' CEMBA program, Wiesław Banasiewicz, adds that his program is modified to suit regional conditions. "The lecturers often use Polish examples as case studies or at least they try to present cases that deal with markets similar to ours," he explained. However, he points out that "our students are to learn the skills necessary to be successful in global business conditions," explaining why the program is imported then modified with only few cases and examples coming from the region.
Aiming high
The Executive MBA courses differ from daily MBAs in the fact that they are directed at those aiming for higher managerial positions and who usually have a several years of experience behind them. The director of development at the Warsaw University of Technology Business School, Dr Zbigniew Turowski, explains: "The learning environment in the EMBA courses is different as the information doesn't just come from the teaching staff but also from the students themselves who share their experiences with fellow course attendants."
Counting the cost
MBA courses are not cheap by Polish standards - the Warsaw-Illinois program costs $18,000 (zł.26,400), the Warsaw School of Economics' WEMBA costs over $18,000 (zł.59,400) (and those attending CEMBA course will have to pay zł18,000 and $8,000 (zł.26,400). The International MBA and EMBA at the Warsaw University of Technology Business School costs EUR 6,300 (zł.26,460) and EUR 11,000 (zł.46,200), respectively. Fees at private schools, like Warsaw's Leon Koźmiński Academy of Entrepreneurship and Management, or the WSB-NLU in Nowy Sącz, are also in the range of zł.20,000 to 30,000.
It is for this reason, most of the programs offered in Poland are Executive MBA courses run on a part-time basis. This is the opposite situation to the States where programs are usually run on the basis of daily courses. In the US it is common for graduates (usually Bachelor's) take a break after a few years of work to get to grips with an MBA. In Poland only a handful of schools have followed this path.
Ludwicki explains that since the courses are so expensive most people can't afford to attend daily courses, which make it impossible to work at the same time. Warsaw School of Economics' Banasiewicz adds: "People in Poland just can't afford to leave work for one year."
Daily dose
However, the Warsaw School of Technology Business School offers an International MBA program, which is run on a daily basis in partnership with reputable European universities - the acclaimed London School of Business, the French Hautes Etudes Commerciales and Norway's Norge Handelshoyskole. Turowski explains: "The labor market has needs in the field of top management, but also there is a great need for middle class management. It is easier for companies to mold, or prepare a person with less experience but with a good educational background, than one who has already worked, because the latter ones already have greater expectations, their own habits."
He adds that daily programs differ from EMBA programs where students usually have a few years of professional experience behind them. "Students in the daily programs need to be guided by well-qualified academics to a larger extent. If someone has had experience in professional life then part-time EMBA courses are recommended, while for someone who has not worked yet a daily MBA course would be better," Turowski sums up.
Cashing in
Although an MBA course in Poland is quite an investment even for a well-off person, by Western standards they are quite cheap. And they offer the same type of diploma that would cost two-to-three times more in the US or Canada. So could that lead to waves of Americans and Western Europeans storming Polish universities to get diplomas from reputable schools? WEMBA and Warsaw-Illinois programs, the only ones in Poland with the accreditation of the prestigious Association to Advance Collegiate School of Business (AACSB) number just a handful of foreigners among their students. "One problem is the way that Poland is viewed, but the most important thing is that we offer Executive courses which would mean that a potential student would have to move to Poland and find a job here," Ludwicki said. Banasiewicz explained that around 15 percent of CEMBA's students are foreigners - usually those already living and working in Poland. There are more students from abroad at the International MBA at WUTSB - around 30 percent, who frequently originate from Western Europe. "For those interested in a professional career in our region, studies in Poland are a big chance," Turowski observes.
As for the future of MBA studies in Poland, it appears demand for business administration diplomas has declined since the 1990s when the title basically opened doors to a career.
The consequent and well documented rise in courses across the country in the early days resulted in "devaluation of the meaning of MBA in Poland," according to Warsaw-Illinois's Dr Tomasz Ludwicki. However, he claims that those willing to attend the programs now are doing so not simply to gain the three magic letters, but rather to arm themselves with genuine knowledge - and he expects this trend to continue in the coming years.
The title Master of Business Administration (MBA) is one of the most recognized and sought after post graduate degrees. The aim of these programs is to prepare, or further prepare, individuals for responsible managerial positions in a business irrespective of its field. The notion of an academic professional business benchmark originated at the beginning of the 1900s in the USA, but it was not until the end of the Second World War that MBA programs were developed in institutes in Europe.
MBA the US way
MBA studies arrived in Poland in the early 1990s following the system change. Having no previous experience with such programs Polish universities had to follow the same path that Western European schools did after World War II - that is establish a partnership with North American, and /or European, schools who provided MBA courses. In 1991 an MBA program was launched at the Warsaw University in cooperation with the University of Illinois, in 1993 a program preparing future managers was established at the Warsaw School of Economics. To this day the courses provided by the two schools are considered to be the most reputable in Poland taking the top two spots in any national league table, depending on the ranking criteria.
Key players
Warsaw University offers two programs - the Warsaw-Illinois Executive MBA at the International Management Center and the International MBA Program at the Center for Management Training. Warsaw School of Economics, widely recognized as Poland's top economic school, also has two MBA programs - both based on partnerships with North American universities - WEMBA (Warsaw EMBA) with the University of Minnesota and CEMBA (Canadian EMBA) with the University of Quebec at Montreal.
The coordinator of the Warsaw-Illinois EMBA program, Dr Tomasz Ludwicki emphasizes that although most Polish schools run MBA courses based on partnership deals with foreign academic centers only a handful can issue original diplomas of their partner school. "Those graduating from our program get the same diploma they would have received had they studied at the University of Illinois," Ludwicki said.
Ticket to read
What's more, students at those programs receive ID cards of the partner university, have access to that university's library and most importantly - receive tutorials and lectures from the best professors from the partner school. Polish lecturers are usually chosen from among reputable experts or those who have had internships at the partner universities.
The quality of programs run at Polish universities is guaranteed by their partners, but that doesn't mean that it is a completely foreign program. "Warsaw University's input to the curriculum is significant," Ludwicki adds.
Tailor made
The administrator of Warsaw School of Economics' CEMBA program, Wiesław Banasiewicz, adds that his program is modified to suit regional conditions. "The lecturers often use Polish examples as case studies or at least they try to present cases that deal with markets similar to ours," he explained. However, he points out that "our students are to learn the skills necessary to be successful in global business conditions," explaining why the program is imported then modified with only few cases and examples coming from the region.
Aiming high
The Executive MBA courses differ from daily MBAs in the fact that they are directed at those aiming for higher managerial positions and who usually have a several years of experience behind them. The director of development at the Warsaw University of Technology Business School, Dr Zbigniew Turowski, explains: "The learning environment in the EMBA courses is different as the information doesn't just come from the teaching staff but also from the students themselves who share their experiences with fellow course attendants."
Counting the cost
MBA courses are not cheap by Polish standards - the Warsaw-Illinois program costs $18,000 (zł.26,400), the Warsaw School of Economics' WEMBA costs over $18,000 (zł.59,400) (and those attending CEMBA course will have to pay zł18,000 and $8,000 (zł.26,400). The International MBA and EMBA at the Warsaw University of Technology Business School costs EUR 6,300 (zł.26,460) and EUR 11,000 (zł.46,200), respectively. Fees at private schools, like Warsaw's Leon Koźmiński Academy of Entrepreneurship and Management, or the WSB-NLU in Nowy Sącz, are also in the range of zł.20,000 to 30,000.
It is for this reason, most of the programs offered in Poland are Executive MBA courses run on a part-time basis. This is the opposite situation to the States where programs are usually run on the basis of daily courses. In the US it is common for graduates (usually Bachelor's) take a break after a few years of work to get to grips with an MBA. In Poland only a handful of schools have followed this path.
Ludwicki explains that since the courses are so expensive most people can't afford to attend daily courses, which make it impossible to work at the same time. Warsaw School of Economics' Banasiewicz adds: "People in Poland just can't afford to leave work for one year."
Daily dose
However, the Warsaw School of Technology Business School offers an International MBA program, which is run on a daily basis in partnership with reputable European universities - the acclaimed London School of Business, the French Hautes Etudes Commerciales and Norway's Norge Handelshoyskole. Turowski explains: "The labor market has needs in the field of top management, but also there is a great need for middle class management. It is easier for companies to mold, or prepare a person with less experience but with a good educational background, than one who has already worked, because the latter ones already have greater expectations, their own habits."
He adds that daily programs differ from EMBA programs where students usually have a few years of professional experience behind them. "Students in the daily programs need to be guided by well-qualified academics to a larger extent. If someone has had experience in professional life then part-time EMBA courses are recommended, while for someone who has not worked yet a daily MBA course would be better," Turowski sums up.
Cashing in
Although an MBA course in Poland is quite an investment even for a well-off person, by Western standards they are quite cheap. And they offer the same type of diploma that would cost two-to-three times more in the US or Canada. So could that lead to waves of Americans and Western Europeans storming Polish universities to get diplomas from reputable schools? WEMBA and Warsaw-Illinois programs, the only ones in Poland with the accreditation of the prestigious Association to Advance Collegiate School of Business (AACSB) number just a handful of foreigners among their students. "One problem is the way that Poland is viewed, but the most important thing is that we offer Executive courses which would mean that a potential student would have to move to Poland and find a job here," Ludwicki said. Banasiewicz explained that around 15 percent of CEMBA's students are foreigners - usually those already living and working in Poland. There are more students from abroad at the International MBA at WUTSB - around 30 percent, who frequently originate from Western Europe. "For those interested in a professional career in our region, studies in Poland are a big chance," Turowski observes.
As for the future of MBA studies in Poland, it appears demand for business administration diplomas has declined since the 1990s when the title basically opened doors to a career.
The consequent and well documented rise in courses across the country in the early days resulted in "devaluation of the meaning of MBA in Poland," according to Warsaw-Illinois's Dr Tomasz Ludwicki. However, he claims that those willing to attend the programs now are doing so not simply to gain the three magic letters, but rather to arm themselves with genuine knowledge - and he expects this trend to continue in the coming years.
