MBA Program in China

[Dhananjay Rawat]

Hello Folks! I am new here in this forum. I need a quick advice from you people. How worth is to do MBA program from china? I have been learning Chinese for past 4 years and have cleared my HSK4. Now Playing to apply for HSK 5. I want to do an MBA program in China but solely on the basis of scholarship. Can I get an MBA program in China  on the basis of HSK4 or HSK5? Or any other kind of scholarship? Please help, I'm really confused and standing at a juncture where I have no idea what to next. Thank you!  

 

Also, is the duration of MBA program 3 years or 4? I have heard some Chinese say it's 3, while some foreigners say its a 4 year program. 

[dementior]

not sure I am following you. What is the relationship between HSK4 and the MBA program? You can get scholarships if you apply to second-tier schools or second-tier cities MBA programs but I do not think an HSK4 or HSK5 will help if at all. Other merits are for sure a lot more important since you will be applying to the international program of the school. MBA full-time is normally 20 months, 3 years would be a part-time program

[Hofmann]

If you are...

Quote

standing at a juncture where I have no idea what to next.

..., I think you need to back up and have a long, hard think about getting an MBA before you consider the relative value of an MBA from a Chinese institution. Some programs teach in English, and may not care about your language proficiencies. Also, consider that the best Chinese programs are in Hong Kong.

 

If you get a scholarship, it will probably be more because of a GMAT or GRE score than because of an HSK level.

 

Also, I don't know of any programs longer than 2 years. Are you sure you were asking about MBAs instead of DBAs?

[Flickserve]

There was an article a few months ago in the newspaper about how the Chinese government is becoming more strict on the more dubious MBA programs. Sounds like some considerable downsizing is in the works. 

[ZhangKaiRong]

I would flip the question: why do you want to do your MBA in China? Do you have any future plans in China, or do you want to grab a scholarship, get a "free" MBA and never look back?

 

Most MBA programs - regardless of the location - won't give you too much new knowledge, their value is in their alumni and brand. Western universities have an upper hand, even the second-tier ones, given the fact that they run MBA programmes for a longer time than their Chinese counterpants. Also, if you have plans in Western countries later, you would be able to utilize the three-letter initial after your name better if you get it from a university employers actually recognize - my experience is that the Chinese universities are not well-known in the West, and HR people don't have a clue if you mention you graduated from Fudan/BeiDa/Tsinghua...

On the other hand, if you have plans in China, an MBA from China might help you a little bit, but you need to aim for a prestigious university for the network and the reputation. The problem is that you'll probably have a tough fight for the spots with 优秀 Chinese netizens, and scholarship will be a scarce resource...

 

I'd also look for universities that would offer ACCA or CFA joint courses together with the MBA, because you would get some actual hard knowledge in addition to the softer touches MBA gives.

[thechamp]

I'm not sure your Chinese skills will be that relevant to an MBA application tbh.

 

I know of two people who did the Tsinghua MBA a few years ago and both have done pretty well out of it. (Full disclosure though: one is the younger brother of the UK foreign secretary so probably has an amazing network automatically). That guy now works at GS in HK. Another guy I know of through a friend also went to TH and works in financial advisory in Beijing. 

 

These people already had very prestigious undergrad qualifications and decent experience as well though. TBH neither were that good at Chinese - although are probably ok now. 

 

I don't really know much about other MBA schools but I imagine it's similar to the UK - the value of the qualification drops off sharply after the top 3 or 4 schools.

 

Without knowing your working background and qualifications it's pretty hard to advise on it really!

[DavyJonesLocker]

I've been 25 years in business and teach a bespoke MBA course for a state owned company in China. I have worked for several fortune 500 companies, investment banks and interviewed many people so perhaps my experience might be of use.

 

MBAs are a mixed bag@ZhangKaiRong and @thechamp have made some very valid points. If you're looking for a job in the west a MBA from a Chinese university will not receive the same recognition as one from an European or western university. 

 

One of the reasons is that many employers do not know a whole lot about Chinese universities even the prestigious ones. Further they will doubt the ability of the course program to teach western business. A European or American one will carry a lot more weight. However if one is applying for a job in Asia with a multinational I can see the benefit of a Chinese university.

 

Two other points worth noting.

1) your language ability is of limited value in my experience. It seems counter intuitive but working in business means you deal with many different cultures and many languages. Business is conducted in English with use of translators if necessary. To use your language skills you need to near native. Your business knowledge and experience is what your company are paying for. 

 

2) the value of an MBA  is highly dependent on the reputation of the university, not the course program. Top university's often have business heads giving guest lectures and you are hearing it from the horse 's mouth as it were. This costs a lot thus smaller lesser known university's do not have the funds or cannot encourage top talent. I have attended a few lectures on international finance at a fairly reputable university in the uk and the lecture given by the professor was well short of industry practice unfortunately! Very out of touch

 

One of the reasons why many MBA students can't find a good job is that employers and the interview panel are left thinking "well what exactly can this applicant do? The knowledge is too general"

 

@ZhangKaiRong has made an excellent suggestion of combining it with CFA etc.

 

This is not to discourage you by any means and indeed many will have an excellent career path so it's not set in stone.

[ZhangKaiRong]

I found an interesting article on LinkedIn, discussing some aspects of doing an MBA in China (from a Peking University professor, so read it with sufficient skepticism).

Should You Do Part (or All) of an MBA in China?