MBA (Master of Business Administration) programs have been becoming increasingly more prominent in Russia for the past thirty years. In this article, we explain who will find an MBA useful and why, as well as how Russian programs differ from foreign ones.
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MBA (Master of Business Administration) programs have been becoming increasingly more prominent in Russia for the past thirty years[1]. In this article, we explain who will find an MBA useful and why, as well as how Russian programs differ from foreign ones. We will also tell you how to choose a suitable university in Russia and enroll in it. Additionally, we have a more general article about MBA.
The Master of Business Administration is a form of Master's degree program aimed at training business managers. MBA graduates are able to make informed management decisions, have a deeper understanding of the principles of marketing and financial management, and know the techniques of personnel management and negotiation. Such a person is indispensable in a managerial position because they can very quickly optimize the work process even when they come to a new company.
Unlike other Master's programs, the goal of the MBA is to provide graduates with the knowledge and skills that will enable them to succeed in business. Regular Master's programs are most often designed as a link between a bachelor's degree and a PhD program. They deepen the knowledge of students in their area of specialization, but great attention is also paid to preparing for academic activities — this is not the case with the MBA.
MBA programs originated in the United States at the end of the 19th century, and in the spring of 1902, 7 students from Dartmouth College in Hanover received the world's first specially trained business diplomas. Back then, their degree was called Master of Commercial Science. The oldest proper business school in existence, the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, was founded in 1881.
The first business schools in Russia appeared at the end of the eighties when the Central Committee of the Communist Party adopted a resolution "On demonopolizing foreign trade". In order to train the heads of Soviet enterprises to negotiate with foreign partners, “Higher Commercial Schools” were created at certain universities. For example, at RANEPA and MGIMO. After Perestroika, representatives of private business schools in the country created the RABO (Russian Association of Business Education) organization, which, together with the Ministry of Education, formulated state standards for MBA programs by 2000.
Since 2012, MBA programs have been accredited not by the state, but by public organizations — state diplomas are not issued for this specialty. This brings the Russian MBA standards closer to international practices, where the reputation of a business school is a key indicator of its quality. The exceptions to this rule are Moscow State University and St. Petersburg State University. These universities have a special status of federal significance, which is why their MBA degrees are considered state-standard.
Russian MBA programs usually consist of two parts — the so-called "core" and specialization courses[4]. The core, or General MBA, shapes strategic thinking and a wide range of business and management-related competencies. These include management, financial management, an introduction to marketing, and the basics of international economic activities.
Specialization courses are supplements to core courses. They tie the curriculum to the industry that is relevant to their students. For example, in the MBA program with a focus on the hospitality business, the international market is not viewed in its pure form, but with a strong emphasis on tourism. Likewise, the pharmaceutical MBA program will teach its students not just the basics of marketing, but the intricacies of promoting commercial drugs.
Education in MBA programs is based on "business cases." These are real situations from corporate practice. Students in the classroom try to find the most effective management solutions for them. After that, their way out of the situation is compared with how things went down in reality, the pros and cons of both paths are analyzed and conclusions are drawn. An alternative option is the so-called “live cases,” when students share their own work experience and collectively think over solutions for managerial problems. In this case, students not only learn to make strategic and tactical decisions but also get the opportunity to hear the opinions and advice of colleagues in relation to their own business.
According to a survey by Hays[5], Russian employers believe that an MBA is an over-qualification for ordinary employees. One-third of the respondents say that such education is needed only for board chairmen, another third — only for top-managers, and the last third believe that an MBA degree will be useful for employees in a position not lower than the head of a department. It should be noted that only 2% of respondents are convinced that such training is needed for CEOs. So if you are already leading a structural unit in your company, but have not yet risen to the rank of CEO, it is very likely that studying for an MBA will be an impetus for your career growth.
MBAs can be divided into types according to the duration, format of studies, and learning objectives.
MBA programs originated in the West, and American business schools are still considered the standard of quality. However, one should not assume that getting such an education makes sense only in the United States. All countries with large economies have a need for skilled managers, and their educational systems inevitably respond to this demand. Moreover, universities in such countries take into account the experience and mistakes of existing leaders. Russia is no exception. Russian MBA programs use all the developments of American and European business schools, adding innovations that are relevant to Russian reality.
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Advanced searchWhen choosing an MBA program, you need to focus not only on the university's ranking but also on your own goals. What field do you work in? How much can you afford to pay for tuition? Is relocation acceptable to you and do you have time for day training? All this is important to consider. We have a separate article, where we explain in more detail why you should not blindly rely on positions in a ranking when choosing an educational institution.
Some universities cooperate with large businesses from specific industries, and their representatives participate in teaching. Communication with these people will definitely help you not only to acquire the skills you need for your job but also to make useful connections. It is in such universities that there is a higher chance of meeting colleagues with whom in the future it will be possible to cooperate in work. Also, take into account the location of the university and the form of study — someone will not be able to study on weekdays, for someone it is impossible to move to another city. Finally, look for specialization — if you can find an inexpensive MBA program specifically for your industry, it may be more useful than a generalist program at a more prestigious school. There are not very many sites for searching for MBA programs in Russia today, one of the more successful examples is mbastudies.com. Most of these sites have very limited options for filtering educational institutions by parameters. Additionally, they are all in Russian. To get help with the selection of a program according to your individual criteria, you can contact us.
The sad reality is that many business schools place more emphasis on marketing than on the quality of education. Often the name "business school" hides master classes, business incubators, and classic higher education programs in finance or management. When choosing a business school, you need to pay attention to the following signals:
Finally, cost plays an important role. MBA programs are traditionally more expensive than other master's programs, and Russia is no exception. The "cheapest" programs in Russia start at 3,592 USD/year, and the average cost is around 7,183 USD/year. Since this is primarily an investment, be sure that the education will bring enough additional income to justify the tuition fee. If not, then you should consider more budgetary options — professional retraining courses or learning a specific skill that you are lacking.
In addition to full-time and part-time MBA programs, the vast majority of Russian business schools offer online programs. This allows you not only to adjust your studies to the work schedule but also to receive a diploma from the desired educational institution without moving. For example, you can study at the Skolkovo Business School, one of the best business schools in Russia, from any place on the planet. In addition, such programs are cheaper than their face-to-face counterparts. An MBA for executives at RANEPA costs 8,943 USD, the same online program — 8,105 USD, almost 10% less.
The Russian market of business schools is relatively small — in total there are 80 business schools in Russia that have MBA/Executive MBA programs. 50 of them are located in Moscow. In total, there are up to 130 faculties and independent institutions in the country that train masters of business administration. This means that if you have already decided to apply for an MBA in Russia, you will be capable of researching all the existing programs. However, this is not necessary — you can initially reduce the selection to the best of the best. Therefore, while they cannot be relied upon entirely, ratings are a good starting point. You can find a selection of the best programs from UniPage here.
In 2020, the portal MBA.SU surveyed 1,260 Russian business school graduates. They were asked to rate the learning outcomes of their MBA programs on a ten-point scale based on four criteria:
As a result, shortlisted included 34 business schools[8]. When choosing a program for yourself, you can browse the universities from this ranking from top to bottom until you find the one that suits you best. The table below lists the top 10 schools from this ranking.
| Place | Name | City | Overall grade (0-40) | Cost, year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moscow Skolkovo School of Management | Moscow | 32.6 | 67,799 USD |
| 2 | Institute of Business and Business Administration of the Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Administration | Moscow | 32.4 | 11,936 USD |
| 3 | Faculty of international MBA programs of the Institute of Social Sciences RANEPA (with Kingston University London) | Moscow | 31.8 | 8,701 USD + 862 USD |
| 4 | St. Petersburg International Institute of Management IMISP | St. Petersburg | 31.4 | 6,285 USD |
| 5 | Graduate School of Management of St. Petersburg State University | St. Petersburg | 31.2 | 14,366 USD |
| 6 | Moscow International Higher School of Business MIRBIS | Moscow | 31 | 7,303 USD |
| 7 | School of IT Management, Faculty of Economics, RANEPA | Moscow | 31 | 7,662 USD |
| 8 | Graduate School of Business, Kazan Federal University | 30.6 | 6,465 USD | |
| 9 | Graduate School of Management, Higher School of Economics (NRU HSE) | Moscow | 30.4 | 10,392 USD |
| 10 | Higher Business School at State University of management (GUU) | Moscow | 30.4 | 561000 RUВ |
Russian MBA programs can be found in international rankings such as QS. Unfortunately, only two Russian business schools are included in the QS-2020 rating — one at MGIMO and one at Kazan Federal University[9]. The rest of the Russian universities can be found in the ranking under the "Management and Social Sciences" direction. This can only roughly reflect the quality of MBA programs.
Another rating in which you can look for Russian MBA programs is the Financial Times. There are many more Russian programs in it, but there is no sorting by country. Therefore, it will not be possible to compare those business schools separately, only together with educational institutions from around the world. In general, it is better to use ratings from domestic research groups — they not only better understand Russian specifics, but also use more criteria in their selections. If you know Russian, refer to such information. In addition to the aforementioned portal MBA.SU, such ratings were compiled by RBC and other specialized media. If you are not fluent in Russian, you can contact us for help.
The specificity of Russian education on MBA programs is such that the relatively high cost of education initially filters out applicants[10]. In Western schools, admission to programs involves strict selection and difficult entrance examinations. In Russia, if an applicant can afford an MBA and decides to spend money on it, it is believed that they deserve admission. Waiting lists and competitions for places exist only in the most prestigious schools. The competition is not between applicants for schools, but vice versa. Therefore, the main thing is to collect all the necessary documents and submit them on time. Deadlines in Russian business schools vary from one institution to another. For example, at the Moscow State University Graduate School of Business, the applications are accepted until October 4[11], and classes begin in December. At the Higher School of Business of the Higher School of Economics, MBA programs start in the second half of October[12]. Check the deadlines with the admissions office of the university, and consider starting preparation for application at the beginning of July — many universities offer early-bird discounts to students who pay tuition fees in summer[13].
The minimum package of documents that most business schools require is as follows:
For information on other documents, check the school website. The process of admission for foreigners tends to be complicated and non-standardized, but the schools are generally interested in enrolling such students. Contact the admission committee, and they will most likely assess your situation individually. Generally, be prepared to at the very least notarize all the necessary documents.
Also, most business schools have work experience requirements. Most often they are nominal, and the selection committee looks first of all at the results of entrance examinations — interviews, questionnaires, and the solution of a test task. One instance is the business school of Moscow State University, where you need to assess a business case and send your solution in written form to the e-mail of the admission committee. And at the Kazan Federal University, they ask to pass a test on knowledge of the theory of business management.
But in some places, work experience is still required. For example, the IBDA RANEPA and the Skolkovo Moscow School of Management require at least three years of experience in a relevant position.
Unlike Western schools, in Russia, there is no need to pass international English exams and GMAT. One of the few exceptions is Skolkovo, where both are required. Instead of GMAT, you can pass "Talent Q Elements," a similar exam made in Skolkovo.
Other business schools conduct internal tests — most often they involve solving a business case. Finally, almost every school conducts interviews for applicants. You can also read our advice about preparing for an interview.
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