Nyenrode Business Universiteit

MBA, International (1 year)

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MBA for Officers

Update your own knowledge and get in touch with civilian managers - an MBA offers officers the opportunity to prepare for their future careers after the end of their service. There are some “olive MBA” in Germany and dozens of “normal” MBA courses that can be interesting for officers. We have an overview and experience reports from graduates.

Outgoing officers are often faced with the choice of whether their own BFD claims should not be invested in a high-quality academic degree such as an MBA. The advantage: the content of the first degree, which is usually long ago, is refreshed and new courses can be set, for example by choosing an industry-focused MBA. In addition, you come into contact with (prospective) executives from business and may have a foot in the door with internships or the final thesis with future employers.

Olive MBA or normal MBA?

There are three MBA programs that every interested officer is familiar with: ESB Business School (together with the Bundeswehr University), Kempten University and Deggendorf University. Some of the three universities have designed their courses especially for officers. In addition, dozens of other MBA courses are offered in Germany. Every officer should therefore first consider the advantages and disadvantages of olive or normal MBA.

• Olive MBA

The advantages are obvious: the course is specially tailored to the needs of soldiers. It is carried out alongside work / service and thus meets the requirements, e.g. for assignments abroad. Sometimes there is a full-time phase after the end of the service, which is followed by the completion of the master's thesis. The main differences are in attendance, i.e. how often the participants have to appear at the university location during the one- or possibly two-year service-related phase before leaving the Bundeswehr.

However, there is also a major disadvantage here : if the majority of the participants consist of officers, one stays among themselves despite the actually desired “civilian” degree. The often urgently needed exchange with executives from the "other professional world" is missing and it is therefore not possible, for example, to build up a larger network with people already established in professional life. In addition, the three Olive MBA for officers are located in southern Germany - but maybe a network including an employer search in northern Germany would be better for your own personal future?

• Normal MBA

Let's start with the biggest disadvantage : the course of studies not tailored to the service life of a soldier. And of course the universities that offer specialized MBA for officers are more familiar with the requirements and wishes of soldiers. This results in somewhat more individual support with a targeted focus on the areas neglected by the Bundeswehr. The three universities also have contacts with companies that hire officers.

On the other hand, you get the "practice shock" in its purest form. Anyone who really wants to know what is going on “outside” in the civilian professional world is well advised here. And if you are interested in an MBA distance learning, an online MBA or a program that relies on high blended learning proportions paired with weekend attendance phases, you are also quite flexible when it comes to learning and can, for example, stay on the ball abroad.

As a soldier, you should not make your decision dependent on the university with the strongest advertising power, but on individual needs.

Questions to ask yourself when choosing a course:

• Is there an olive MBA that corresponds to my future prospects? If I want to go into human resources, a specialized HR MBA could be the right choice.
• Am I the type who can learn from distance learning or do I need the "social pressure" through part-time study at work?
• Are the study centers of the business schools reasonably easy to reach and can I arrange the attendance times with my service?
• Some study programs are designed to apply the theoretically learned content directly in practice, i.e. in the company. This is of course difficult for officers in certain areas - to what extent are such elements integrated in the curriculum?

These are just a few food for thought.

Specialized or general studies?

This is the next big question: Should it be a General Management MBA or do you already want to deepen industry-specific content?

1.) Specialized MBA (e.g. for a branch or department)

This MBA is particularly suitable for those who have either already completed a degree in business administration or who want to prepare themselves specifically for certain professional fields with the course.

Example: You have worked in human resources for a long time, but have not gained any basic theoretical knowledge there. Then a Human Resource Management MBA can be the right choice. Or you would like to enter the civilian professional world in the field of marketing, but you have no experience there yet. Then the Marketing MBA conveys the theoretical basics to be able to have a say.

2.) General MBA

For officers who, for example, have completed an engineering degree and have also worked in the technical field, a generalist MBA, such as the MBA General Management, can be a good decision. These study programs cover all economic subjects and are mainly chosen by non-economists. So during your studies you concentrate less on building up new industry knowledge, but above all on expanding your own business / management skills.