United States v Europe – Where Should You Go to Business School?

European business schools offer other masters degrees people can pursue sooner in their careers or even straight after undergrad. This is attractive to many who don’t want to interrupt their careers. In particular, women have found this appealing because traditional US MBA programs tend to coincide with people starting families. It’s no surprise more American schools are beginning to launch similar masters degrees and make their MBA programs more flexible.

Many participants in the webinar – 40.7 percent – expressed worry about affording their degree. Of course, European programs aren’t just shorter, they’re usually cheaper than US programs.

Still, the lower price doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the better choice. Budget matters, but you also have to consider value. To some extent, value is a personal concept, as the school that is valuable for one person isn’t necessarily valuable to another. For instance, someone who wants to attend a program that specializes in sustainable business will find it more valuable than one that doesn’t offer such a specialization.

In Europe, the perception has changed and degrees from those programs are more valuable to recruiters and the public than ever before. But, in the end, individual applicants must decide for themselves whether the school is affordable and the degree will be valuable. “Money and salary are the leading drivers but not the only factor,” according to the webinar. During the event, the moderators said “personal growth, freedom of professional movement, and fulfillment in life” are also contributors to value for most people.

Business schools around the world are trying to compose classes of people from different industries, functions, nations, religions, gender, and race. After all, it’s common knowledge that diverse teams are more successful. Certainly, they’re a better reflection of the outside world, and companies, who’d employ graduates, are looking to increase diversity.

Europe has long been more diverse than North American programs. As Europe is a continent of many small countries near one another, the programs tend to have a greater mix of nationalities. This isn’t to say you can’t find diversity at an American school, you can, but Europe might gain an edge if this is a priority.

North America tends to be well-known for its hustle and bustle. Businesses are open virtually all the time with little vacation for junior and senior executives. But that’s a small price to pay for some, who are motivated by innovation and opportunity.

On the other hand, Europe is dynamic and rich with history. There are amazing cities that are easily accessible, and many European countries are generous with vacation time. During the webinar, moderators pointed out that 13 of the top 20 countries on the World Happiness Report are in Europe.

Only you can decide which is a better fit. Those applicants with families will have to consider the best lifestyle for the group when making a decision. Ultimately, all these factors must play into the decision about whether to study in Europe or North America.