In the thriving economy of Frankfurt, graduates need every edge they can get to set themselves apart from the competition. To learn how the Frankfurt School MIM program sets its students up for future success, we spoke to the school’s recruitment team.
Master in Management (MIM) programs have rapidly gained in popularity over recent years. If they haven’t displaced the MBA as the business degree of choice, they’re certainly pushing it close. That’s particularly the situation in Europe, which is evidenced by the continent’s domination of global MIM rankings. In the Financial Times Master in Management Ranking 2021, for example, European programs make up 26 of the top 30 spots.
One of those top 30 programs is the MIM at the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management in Germany. To learn more about it, we spoke to Lianna Mirzoyan, a recruitment officer at the school.
“The program itself has a lot of benefits,” says Lianna. “It teaches you not only management and marketing, but also business analytics and how to work with Excel, for example. It gives you a lot of group work, [presentations], reports to do, and a lot of case studies. We also have regular guest speakers from different companies.” (05:31)
Having jumped from #36 to #29 in the Financial Times ranking over the past two years, the Frankfurt School MIM is an increasingly attractive option for students. This is reflected in the program’s popularity, which Lianna says is also growing.
“We don’t have any limits on admitted students. But last year, for example, we had 135 students in our Master in Management program. And the year before it was less. So we are growing every year,” she reveals. (06:42)
Because MIM programs tend to be targeted at younger candidates, students begin the program with little to no work experience under their belt. This makes it extra important for them to pick up experience during the program, either through part-time work or internships. To support that, the Frankfurt School MIM has a unique structure that allows students to work alongside their studies.
“Usually, our students work and study at the same time, as we have a three-day study model,” Lianna elaborates. “Our students have classes three days per week, and one of them is Saturday. Usually, it’s Monday, Tuesday, and Saturday or Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. The other three business days they’re welcome to work part-time, do an internship at different companies in Frankfurt, [or learn German]. This gives them an opportunity to earn some extra money for their everyday expenses.” (00:34) Frankfurt School offers free German-language courses for all international students, which takes place once a week.
The possibility of doing an internship alongside your MIM is a feature fairly unique to the program at Frankfurt. If you’re interested in a MIM but are worried about financing your studies or you’re keen to pick up more work experience during the program, the MIM at Frankfurt School could be an appealing option for you.
The same Financial Times MIM ranking puts the Frankfurt MIM at #6 in the world in terms of career support. Whether you’re looking for a job during or after your studies, you’ll receive support every step of the way from the Frankfurt School careers team. They can help you develop your CV, send it to employers, and apply for jobs directly through their dedicated platform.
“Once they’re admitted, they can just approach our Career Services, show their CV, tell them they’re looking for a position and what kind of position they’re looking for. Then, our career services can help students prepare their CV in the German format,” says Lianna. (03:28)
“They can show them all the vacancies from different companies, not only in Frankfurt, but also near Frankfurt – so the students can travel to work but live and study here,” she continues. “And we have JobTeaser, where all the vacancies are announced. Students can easily access it and apply directly to the companies as well.” (03:47)
COVID-19 may have forced business schools to move their operations online. But, now that restrictions are starting to loosen around the world, in-person events are becoming more common. Frankfurt School is hoping to connect even more employers with students at their in-person careers events.
“Frankfurt School also organizes a career day every October. This year we had an online event which was a real success [as we were able to set new records]. We had almost 100 different companies there. The students had the opportunity to contact them virtually, [introduce themselves and hand in their CVs]. Last year was only in person, and hope we will have it next year again in person,” explains Lianna. (04:10)
Thanks to career days like the one Lianna describes, Frankfurt School is able to form and maintain close links with the business community in Frankfurt and beyond. These links mean that a large proportion of students manage to get a job in Germany before they even graduate.
“Most of our alumni stay in Germany because they are able to secure full-time positions before their graduation. According to our statistics, about 38% of our students secure a full-time position before their graduation, and 41% secure a full-time job up to three months after graduation,” Lianna says. (02:35)
While Frankfurt School has proud links with the local business community, graduates are not limited to jobs in Frankfurt. Lianna says their graduates have accepted job offers all over the world.
“After graduation, our students usually find full-time positions in consulting, financial services, and IT. Our students work at big four companies like PWC or KPMG. They also have positions in Moody’s Analytics in McKinsey, and different companies located all over France, Germany and also abroad in the US and UK.” (01:49)
The business skills you pick up during a MIM program are certainly a valuable tool when it comes to finding a job. By giving its students the resources they need to find work during and after the MIM program, the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management puts them in a perfect position to take their careers to the next level. It’s a standout feature of a program that is rightly considered one of the best in Europe.
