What makes our Part-time MBA special is the blended format of online learning and in-person residencies. This means you can keep working while you study – while also regularly taking part in focused, offline sessions where you can connect with faculty and learn with and from a robust peer network.
If you thrive where flexibility meets in-person, hands-on learning, our Part-time MBA residencies can help you grow, both professionally and personally.
How the residencies work
- 14 residencies over two years (two residencies per module)
- 42 days in person; 28 during the working week
- Most residencies are on the ESMT campus in Berlin
- Your final residency is an International Field Seminar in a global hub
- Most residencies run for 2.5 days (Thursday afternoon, Friday, Saturday)
- Your first Berlin residency and your international Field Seminar are a full week
Please note, course fees for all mandatory residencies are included in your MBA, however you will have to cover transportation and accommodation.
The residencies are definitely one of the highlights of the program. They are the moments where the program feels most alive, because the academic content, the cohort experience, and the campus all come together.
We usually go back into the course material with the professors, but in a much more applied way. A lot of the time is spent discussing cases that are close to real business situations, and that is where it becomes really interesting. You see how people from different industries and functions look at the same problem, what they focus on, and how they would approach it in practice.
The residencies are also important for the cohort itself. You spend time together not only in class, but also during breaks, dinners, or evening activities. In summer, we might play table tennis in the garden, and one of my favorite memories so far is definitely a karaoke evening with the group.
So yes, the residencies are a great way to network, but it does not feel like formal networking. It feels more like building real relationships over time.
Join us in the heart of Berlin
You'll spend many of your residencies here at our historical ESMT campus. That means time to really get to know your cohort, our faculty, and the wider ESMT community, while strengthening your networking skills.
That also means time to explore. Our campus is just steps from Museum Island in the center of Berlin, giving you immediate access to the city.
And, it means time you gift to yourself; to find your focus away from your everyday routines, and concentrate on building the knowledge that transforms careers.
Apply online learning in person
While your in-person residencies have a distinctly different feel to studying alone, the two parts of your Part-time MBA have been designed to complement each other rather than compete.
In each module, you will learn the theory online via lectures, self-study, and group work. Then, you will travel to Berlin twice per module to put the theory to a hands-on test, building a deeper understanding of how academic business knowledge can translate to real-world business effects.
Real-time impact
The best bit? The modular format means you can apply this new knowledge right away. Learn in online during the week, cement it in person on Friday, and apply it at work on Monday. The result is unlocked, concrete growth for you and your organization.
Meet your cohort and your ESMT community
You begin the Part-time MBA with a week-long residency that introduces you to campus – and even includes team-building exercises in a Berlin forest. This one-of-a-kind experience gives you time to really get to know your cohort community in a way that isn't always possible via a screen.
And you will develop these bonds every time you come back to campus.
Wider networking
Outside of the formal residency timetable, you are also invited to be part of our wider campus networking and events.
Previous Part-time MBA students have been involved in major events like TEDxESMT Berlin and the Berlin Global Dialogue – as well as smaller events like the monthly, student-run Bergfest that give you a chance to meet people from across our different programs.
The first residency in Berlin gave me a very empowering feeling, and I felt everything was possible from then on.
I remember our first in person residency as a transformative experience – we were divided into teams and taken to the forest, to complete highly complex tasks. We were all pushed to show our strengths and weaknesses, and work as a team. I left Berlin having received, for the first time in my life, honest and useful feedback on my leadership capabilities from my team-mates. We bonded deeply, and I left Berlin feeling completely energized.
There is an irreplaceable aspect to being in the same room as your classmates. When you do self-learning online, you go through the material and some exercises require personal reflection, but when you are in the classroom, you learn from your peers.
The MBA coordinators plan fun networking events for us to get to know each other and the faculty members while we are in Berlin, which really helps create a strong network and a feeling of belonging. This is an important aspect of any MBA – the networks you build. Needless to say, Berlin is exciting and cosmopolitan; in-person residencies are a good opportunity to explore a city with rich history, art, and culture.
Gain international exposure
Your Part-time MBA is designed to help you develop into a leader in global business. This is why the program includes two residencies that give you significant opportunities to broaden your international exposure beyond Berlin.
You are given the option to extend your network even further by applying for a one-week exchange at another leading business school in the GNAM network.
And you will close your Part-time MBA with an International Field Seminar; a full week abroad with your cohort, learning about global corporations firsthand.
Global Network Week exchange
As a member of the Global Network for Advanced Management (GNAM), ESMT offers Part-time MBA students optional one-week exchange opportunities within our partner network. Previous students have studied at the National University of Singapore, Yale School of Management, Seoul National University, The University of New South Wales, UBC Sauder, and more.
- Participate in the Global Network Week: Spend one week studying at one of our 30+ GNAM partner schools. The exchange is included in your tuition, but places are limited and availability is not guaranteed; you will need to cover travel and accommodation costs.
- Enroll in Small Network Online Courses (SNOCs): Take up to two non-credit GNAM network courses virtually at a partner school and explore new subject areas.
International Field Seminar
Your final in-person residency is your International Field Seminar (IFS). This is a week-long residency in an international city that is a global hub for business. The specific city location is decided by cohort negotiation, ensuring that the IFS is always relevant to what you are learning, and who you are learning it with.
No matter which country you decide on, you can expect to gain a whole new perspective on international business by visiting leading corporations and seeing firsthand how decisions get made.
Previous cohorts have visited:
- Nairobi, Kenya
- Tokyo, Japan
- Shanghai, China
It has been an amazing experience for me. It was very mind-opening. I had never been to Asia before, so I was very impressed with the speed, the quality, how dynamic the environment is there. That is something I'm bringing back to my company.
The International Field Seminar is one of the highlights of the program. We can ask questions, see how they [international companies] operate, and learn about different businesses, different strategies, different markets.
