Despite being Europe’s dominant economy, Germany has historically lost out to neighboring France, Spain and the U.K. when it comes to prestige in the business education marketplace. And while business students from around the world flocked to the U.S. and Western Europe throughout the 20th century, German business education remained a somewhat local affair.

In recent years, however, Germany’s role in helping to steady the European economy ― tied to its historic strengths as one of the world’s great production and export economies ― has coincided with a rise in both the quality and prominence of the county’s business education sector. This year, the European School of Management and Technology in Berlin ranked third in the world in BusinessWeek for the quality of its full-time MBA program ― well above the likes of France’s Insead, the U.K.’s Cambridge and Spain’s Esade.

There are many reasons why a German business education makes sense. Germany remains one of the most robust economies in the world ― the MBA class at ESMT is made up of students from more than 30 nationalities, but 60 percent of them are employed in Germany after graduation from the program. And 85 percent of recent graduates have received a job offer within three months of graduating.

The jobs students are getting are diverse, with recent alumni working in financial services, consulting, IT and engineering ― although Germany’s strong ecosystem for start-ups means that 26 percent of the school’s students started their own enterprise upon graduation.

But the MBA is only part of the story; European business education is a leader when it comes to pre-experience Masters in Management programs ― ideal for students looking to gain business skills prior to entering the workforce. ESMT’s MiM is designed specifically for those with strong analytical skills ― perhaps those who have an undergraduate degree in the sciences, but would rather spend their careers developing the strategy for a global pharmaceuticals company at corporate headquarters than in the lab working on drug development.

Scholarships for students from Korea are available for both the MBA and MiM programs.

One of the main attractions for our students is the type of companies they get to work with as part of their programs. Germany has a strong tradition of dual-learning systems with “on the job” sessions with potential employers built-in to educational programs. ESMT has a partnership network of over 20 of Germany’s largest and best-known companies (such as Bosch, Deutsche Bank and Siemens), giving students the chance to work on real-life business problems with the country’s largest recruiters ― a major bonus.

Combine the above with all the benefits of a prosperous, welcoming and diverse culture at the heart of Europe and I think it’s clear why Germany is such a compelling destination for potential business students. I came here from Ireland in 2010 having worked previously in locations across Europe. I can’t think of a place I’d rather be.

By Nick Barniville, Director of the degree program at the European School of Management and Technology