Which MBA for me?

By Ying Zhao,
Director, International Marketing. Lilien & Loch Education Consulting

If you ask me which business school or which MBA programme is the best in China, I would say they all have their own qualities and fit different career developmentgoals. Your best choice is to undertake a programme that is suitable for you in terms of rigour, style, age of participants, fees, and geographic location at a suitable time in your career.

I have been involved in the marketing and promotion of business schools for quite a few years and people often ask me which MBA or EMBA programme suits them best. It is important to consider whether the effort and cost incurred will be justified.

At present, the market for MBAs is in a state of flux. MBA programmes in China generally cost around RMB 100,000 to 200,000, and take between one to three years to complete. Some programmes require short overseas stints and each one offers graduates different development paths. For some students who are part of companies which manage to get listed successfully, they may conclude that their education has provided a high return on investment, and may possibly be valued in millions of renminbi. For others, they may face a highly competitive job market after completing the programmes.

As programme fees keep increasing, MBA candidates should think twice before making a choice. And as MBA programmes offered become more diversified, a greater insight to all aspects of each programme is required.

The EMBA students in China are generally from category 1 and 3 of our candidate classification.A majority of the students in part-time MBA classes belong to group 2 and 4 most are in full-time employment and are viewed by their employers as having high potential. Students enrolled in full-time MBA programmes are usually young and have a good background. They may wish to accelerate their current careers or to switch industries. Some may also want to move from a small city to a larger one, while others may be looking to move from a state-owned enterprise to a foreign-invested company.

Those considering an MBA will decide when to join a programme according to their age and career progress. The global trend is to take part-time business management programmes, EMBA programmes for senior executives, in particular, are extremely popular.
Young managers aged 28 to 35 who are fluent in English have the most options. They can choose to go abroad or stay in China for their MBA education.
The aim of our guide is to provide a comprehensive guide that illustrates the differences between programmes that are currently available.

The MBA candidates generally fall into one of the following categories:

1. Young and middle-aged decision makers in state-owned enterprises and governmentbodies withoutstanding leadership performance;
2. High/medium-level managers of multinational companies in China, both foreign and local Chinese;
3. Founders and key operators of private enterprises,including businessmen in Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan;
4. Holders of a bachelor degree and a few years of professional experience.

There are three categories of MBA programmes available in China, they are grouped according to the applicants’ qualifications and professional experience:

1. EMBA: At least 8 years’ experience, including more than 5 years in management. In general, the qualified applicants are aged 30 and above;
2. Part-time MBA: At least 5 years’ experience, including more than 3 years in management. The average age of applicants is 27 or 28;
3. Full-time MBA: At least two years’ experience.

The major providers of MBA programs in China can also be divided into three groups:

1. Local: Offered by the management schools of some well-known universities in China. Both part-time and full-time programmes in this category require applicants to take the NationalMBA Exam. For EMBA programmes, the school recruits faculty allover the world.
2. Joint-venture: Employs the admissions methods of international MBA programmes and reviews the GMAT scores of the students, or directly refers to GMAT score and focuses on interviews.
3. Corporate training universities of multinational companies, such as Motorola University and HP Business School: The MNCs cooperate with domestic and international business schools to offer MBA programmes targeted at their employees,as well as the employees of suppliers and associates.