Increased interest in educations which offer more free time

A master education no longer automatically translates into two years sitting on a school bench. Short, one-year, educations and flexible 6-year educations are challenging the classic master program. Copenhagen Business School (CBS) clearly sees this trend according to CBS Executive Claus Valentiner.

»Without a doubt, in the future we will see more flexible master educations. Our students are increasingly demanding more flexible study programs.« estimates Claus Valentiner.

Increased interest in flexibility

He points out that today, there are already a number of flexible master educations on the market and the interest in these educations continues to grow.

At CBS, there is extensive interest in their »EC-modules« – Executive Certificate in Business Administration og Executive Certificate in Leadership & Business Essentials. These courses are 6-month modules that the students can take when it fits into their calendars. Once the two modules have been completed, the student can then hop directly into the second year of the class two-year Executive MBA.

Women seek flexible MBAs

At the same time, the composition from the first group of flexible MBA's, shows that women are increasingly attracted to the program. Where only a fifth of the students in a classic Executive MBA in Århus are women, one-third of the students in the flexible MBA are women.

This tendency clearly shows itself at CBS where the one-year fulltime MBA program is a hit with women. Over 40% of the current class is comprised of women.

Director for CBS Executive Claus Valentiner is not in doubt that flexibility will be increasingly important in the future but points out that there are also disadvantages to the increased flexibility.

Networks are weaker

»Increased flexibility makes it more difficult for us to ensure a proper and in-depth progression in the student´s learning curve. At the same time, the students who take a more flexible education will not have the same opportunities to build a strong network as they would through a classic master program,« adds Claus Valentiner.

Eva Kirstine Brünnich and Anne Klejsgård Hansen, Børsen Master, 7. September 2007, p. 2