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The Wittenborg Master of Business Administration is an MBA degree primarily aimed at students with a non-business administration Bachelor degree, who have had at least 2 years of experience working in companies and organizations in a role that manages people or processes, or both. Candidates for the Wittenborg MBA will speak good English and have worked in an international environment.

The Wittenborg MBA is comprised of 3 phases which are made concrete in three semesters. It can be followed full-time (18 months) or part-time (24-36 months)

In Semester 1, the students follow 6 core MBA modules. These modules incorporate a number of classic functional business administration areas, which, besides by forms of classical delegation of knowledge, will be grasped by reflective learning, i.e. learning in which students reflect on their prior work experience or, in cases of part time students, on their current work and employment organisation in the light of the materials provided in the various modules.

Reflective learning helps to develop critical thinking, self-awareness and analytical skills. It involves an individual in a reflective process.

Semester 2 sees a series of modules that allows students to study further in-depth in areas of globalisation and strategic management, and also to choose specialised electives in which to deepen their knowledge.

Students will choose electives within a “specialisation, or within the “generic” MBA pathway and be expected to continue in their chosen subject area for the Final Project, that is completed in Semester 3.

In Semester 2, the main modules Corporate Sustainability and Globalisation, Society Culture provide more depth and breadth to the programme, looking at global issues from a socio-cultural perspective as well as a business administration one. These modules represent an interdisciplinary approach to the learning process, i.e. a number of issues will be studied from various theoretical perspectives developed in different academic disciplines The main module Business Statistics looks at the application of statistical methods and data within a company or organisation. It will also prepare students for their research in the Final Project insofar as statistical analysis is a part of it. Similarly, but in a different manner, this module invites the student to combine information from different disciplines and sources so as to reach a full understanding of business-economic and social phenomena.

The elective modules in Semester 2 provide a way in which students can specialise. Either they choose the generic “General Management” pathway that allows them to study deeper in an area of strategic management, or students can choose Hospitality Service Management or Entrepreneurship Innovation as their focal area (specialisation)

Throughout Semester 1 and 2 students work on a Personal Development Plan (PDP) portfolio that culminates in three interlinked project weeks in Semester 2 in which students work in teams to fulfil a consultancy project for a regional organisation. There maybe 1 or more projects, depending the nature of what is available, and during the PDP and Project Module students are guided by their tutor.

Semester 3 is completely allocated to the Final Project, in which students complete a research project, preferably instigated by a company or non-business organisation associated with Wittenborg. The Final Project (at the very least) will combine theory, research and practical application.

Within the MBA programme, the Semester 1 modules are basically about classic, ‘functional’ management subjects. However, during this semester, Wittenborg will stimulate a cross-functional orientation through cases and discussions about how a module’s subject-matter can contribute to the overall performance of the company and where cooperation between the various functional areas can be supportive to this. In a subject like Supply Chain Management (which in the present MBA programme is part of Operational Management ), functional integration is an issue which has to be addressed before thinking of the ‘extended company’ (integrating with other links in the chain).

To give another example, the Balanced Scorecard (being part of Management Accounting ) can be highly conducive to seeing the links between a company’s functional areas and activities; and because of that can elicit an interdisciplinary outlook. Also, a critical perspective is necessary, i.e. it is important to discuss within the context of the various functional areas (covered by the modules as programmed) the issues which are referred to by concepts such as ‘silos’, compartmentalization, poor organizational DNA, organizational myopia and the ‘not invented here’ syndrome. Such discussions promote a vision that exposes departmental thinking and embraces interdisciplinary ideas.

The Semester 2 modules by their very nature open up various interdisciplinary perspectives. In particular the modules of Corporate Sustainability. Strategic Management and Business Statistics are geared at connecting concepts and data of different kinds enabling an interdisciplinary understanding of corporate issues. Other subjects, such as ‘ Globalisation. Society and Culture’, Entrepreneurship and Innovation present views of corporate and entrepreneurial activity which cut across the narrow boundaries of the traditional disciplinary and professional divides.

The 3 Project Weeks in Semester 2 are specially designed to promote interdisciplinary thinking as the consulting assignments given to students by the organisations involved require a broad problem solving, analytical approach, ushering in experience and knowledge from a range of business administration areas, and using a combined approach to offer plausible solutions and strategies. From a student’s perspective, a Personal Development Plan has been set already in Semester 1, during the tutoring sessions, and the optimal aim would be for the three project weeks to be interlinked by creating interdisciplinary themes that run through a main project or interlink smaller projects.

The admission requirements (criteria) for the MBA are as follows:

• a Bachelor degree or equivalent recognised qualification;
  • ? Applicants are requested to provide an academic reference from their previous education institute;
  • It is not necessary to have obtained a Bachelor degree from the domain of Business Administration, however in their degree students must have completed an academic piece of work (final project or dissertation) that shows a degree of academic writing and research experience.
• a minimum of 3 years professional experience (after undergraduate degree);
  • 5 years professional experience preferred;
  • Applicants are requested to provide a reference from a company or organisation where they have worked;

English Language Requirements

IELTS 6.5 or TOEFL Equivalent. Click here for an overview of the equivalent scores.

the TOEFL Code of Wittenborg is 4889.

With its work experience requirement, the admission requirements reflect the national requirements in the Netherlands for entry into a professional Master such as the i-MBA. The English language proficiency level requirement is ? a point higher than the minimum national requirements in the Netherlands.

Selection procedure

There is no specific selection procedure for students wishing to enter the MBA, however non-EU (visa) students are “screened” according to their background, in order for the institute to be able to guarantee their immigration status.

The screening comprises of an interview, collection and correlation of all IND required documents, including proof of sufficient funds, taking into account any scholarships provided by Wittenborg (Orange Tulip Scholarship, for instance) or by third parties (NUFFIC, EU, etc).

Applicants are required to provide a motivation letter in which they describe the reasons for choosing Wittenborg’s programme, as well as the reason for wanting to study in the Netherlands (international students). Student motivation is important as the programmes are demanding and especially for international students there is a criteria that they complete at least 50% of all their credits in a year.

“An international business administration professional will develop into a career person who is able to organise, develop products, services and policies, instigate and execute policies, perform under stress, control processes, analyse organisation traits, utilise human resources and plan their management, motivate staff and personnel, manage financial information, use information effectively, plan and organise campaigns, understand internal and external markets, interact with the surroundings, network, manage chains, communicate effectively, show leadership skills, manage meetings, present ideas, sell ideas and products, speak and write at least the English language, participate in company and organisation decision making and understand local and international cultures and the effects these have on the organisation and the individual.”

“An MBA qualified Business Administrator is specifically able to manage a number of complex and integrated business operations within an international or a local setting, at both a tactical and strategic level, using skills and competencies that require a capability of inter-disciplinary thinking. They will show the ability to combine solid research and critical analysis skills to develop an organisation’s corporate strategy within its business and cultural domain.”