Which MBA?

[yantao]

I have currently taking my Manchester MBA. Just finished my course work and working on my personal dissertation. I would like to highlight that this is one of the longest DL MBA, 2.5 yrs for coursework, assignments & exams plus 0.5-2 years for personal dissertation. Most people would not be able to finish the MBA within 3 years, due to the personal dissertation.

What i like about the MBS is that it has 2 majors, engr & finance. Since my background is in IT field, I try to avoid taking some of the finance-bias modules which are very tough for non-finance idiot like myself. However, there are some core-finance modules which is required and they are really tough...

Second thing which i like is the number of study centers they have around the world. If you happen to travel a lot and it clashes with your workshops conducted by the UK professors, you can chose to take the workshop elsewhere in the world.

Maybe i was lucky when i started the course, it's about $30k and the following year, their ranking got promoted and their fees just went straight up. In terms of investment, the returns is even better than my SGX stocks. Let me know if you need more information regarding the course. Cheers.

I just took a look at the Strathclyde MBA and seems its flexible learning structure - which combines self-studies, intensive seminars, local tutorials - is quite similar to that of the Manchester MBA - i.e. it does not tie you down to weekly lectures you must mostly attend.
If your job require you to travel, this flexibility will be a plus point.

Here is some info if you like to "investigate" more about the "part-time" Manchester MBA:

1. 8 core modules (finance or biz track) + 4 electives + 1 big personal project/report.
(If you take the engrg business track, you will need to do a group "live" project/report for one company within your group, plus a smaller personal project)

2. Each 5-month module consist of distance-learning self-study supported by study guides/texts and international e-forums, 3 local tutorial sessions, 1 assignment, 1 exams + 25 hours of workshop/seminar conducted by the UK faculty (who usually fly in for 3 full days or 2 evenings + weekend). The workshop can also be attended in any of their teaching centers in HK, Dubai etc..

3. You can take as many or as little modules you want per 5-month semester, so you can take between 2.5 - 5 years to complete (ave 3 years).

4. Local office and teaching center is at 1 Philip Street (Raffles place MRT)
and is directly administered by the Manchester Business School worldwide division
- not via an agent.
(A key plus point for me as not many MBA business school has a local presence directly here).

5. Ranked consistently 22th in the world in the very competitive FT rankings (2006, 2007, latest 2008), triple-accredited.
http://media.ft.com/cms/9fe070e6-ca70-11dc-a960-000077b07658.pdf

 

[komatineni]

yantao,

Thats indeed a very good info to know. Yeah, fees definitely an imp factor to consider for me. Other than the pros' about Manchester which you mentioned is there any issues/areas you found quite challenging. i.e. something like the class room composure, experienced folks inside the class, etc. Thx a ton in adv
Plz excuse me if I am asking something which cant be shared.

 

[darka2000]

hmm interesing revelation. but what's really so difficult about the dissertation yantao? failed and re-take or topic indentification related?

 

[theonion]

Just curious, what kind of work do Sg-based MBAs do? Will it be similar to those listed here?

http://www.bankersball.com/2008/02/04/private-equity-resumes/#more-871

And how is the lower half of the first tier US B schools like Tuck, Darden, Kellogg, Fuqua, Haas etc viewed in Sg's context? Is it worth looking at Asian opportunities if you have a MBA from these schools?

I am asking cos a close friend of mine has just got accepted to Fuqua and Darden, and her family wants her to return to Sg after her MBA.

 

[danzodanzo]

Yantao,

Thanks for sharing.
Yap, is the personal project very difficult?

What major did you take? which are the most tough and most useful/worthwhile modules or experience you get from the MBA?

Wow, $30K is a very good deal you had, compared to about $45K now
NUS is now ard $35K, and SMU is over $53K!

When you say ROI is better than SGX stocks, can you elaborate?

Thanks.

 

[yantao]

We have quite a good mix of students in the class, some German, some British students and occasionally some students from Russia & Kenya. The student support center is not as big as you think, as MBS only occupy one floor in the building with 2 classrooms, 1 small staff lounge and a small library & chill-out area.

A lot of discussions and experience sharing within the classroom environments, so unless you have quite a bit of working experiences, it would be hard for you to relate it back to your workplace. Let me know if you need more experience. Cheers.

yantao,
Thats indeed a very good info to know. Yeah, fees definitely an imp factor to consider for me. Other than the pros' about Manchester which you mentioned is there any issues/areas you found quite challenging. i.e. something like the class room composure, experienced folks inside the class, etc. Thx a ton in adv
Plz excuse me if I am asking something which cant be shared.

 

[yantao]

Haha, trust me... you would need a hell lot of perseverance and peer support to finish the courseworks & exams, however once you hit the dissertation part, you might start to slack since there is no pressure or immediate deadline to meet. Work & family starts to creep back into your designated study hours...

For topic selection of your dissertation, it's really up to you. Most students' dissertation are based around projects in their work environment which is easier to relate and "kill 2 birds with one stone". And work projects are sometimes "flexible", in terms of timeline and scope, so if your work projects are supervisor approval, delayed, postponed, cut-down, etc, you would find yourself unable to complete the dissertation or re-start on another topic... Others, will do research which takes a lot time to get approval...

Especially some of the killer subjects (like International Business Strategy & Strategic Management) are placed right at the last semester before you start on your dissertation. Every years about 30-40% of the previous batch will have to re-take their exams, in terms of morale & commitments, it will be hard for them to balance with working on dissertation also... So delay another 6 months...

Just got my results for my final semester, managed to get pass the Strategic Management module and already heard 3 of my classmates (out of less than 20 takers in SG) going to repeat this module already... Very tough module to get past... **Update**, now got 4 of them didnt make it for Strategic Management module.

hmm interesting revelation. but what's really so difficult about the dissertation yantao? failed and re-take or topic indentification related?

 

[yantao]

As mentioned above, the personal project is not very tough, but more mentally challenging after 2.5 years of coursework & exams.

Mine is Engr major so I have modules like Project Management (after which i went for my PMP certification), Supply chain management, Law & Ethics in Global Business, etc. For more financial inclined people, there are advance economics, corporate finance, etc to suit your taste. As mentioned above, the 2 killer modules, for me another one is financial management... all the NPV, IRR, etc... and you have to solve those questions during exam!! it's crazy for non-financial people like me...

This MBA provides me with a more holistic and also in-depth view of a MNC, how every single departments play their part in the functioning of the company. Esp, for a IT person like myself. Before that, what the heck is HR or Corporate Risk management required?

In terms of ROI, i was talking about my stocks in Singapore Stock Exchange (SGX)... Haha, sorry if you do not trade shares... Actually, i got motivated to trade shares after one of the modules (managerial economics). Well, seeing your investment raise from $30k to $45k in 2 years is a nice value-add.

Yantao,

Thanks for sharing.
Yap, is the personal project very difficult?

What major did you take? which are the most tough and most useful/worthwhile modules or experience you get from the MBA?

Wow, $30K is a very good deal you had, compared to about $45K now
NUS is now ard $35K, and SMU is over $53K!

When you say ROI is better than SGX stocks, can you elaborate?

Thanks.

 

[komatineni]

Thanks a ton for your feedback.
Yeah I tend to agree with that. After spending all the weekends, weekdays evenings at course when you've lil freedom one tend to relax a bit.
So now you are a PMP good to hear that. recently lot of people going for it.

 

[danzodanzo]

Thanks for great info sharing.

Regarding the 3 killer modules,
Can you share more on the experience from International Business Strategy and Finance Management....
How's their pass rate??
I presume they are also in the last semester and a lot of study time needed as well....

Haha, trust me... you would need a hell lot of perseverance and peer support to finish the courseworks & exams, however once you hit the dissertation part, you might start to slack since there is no pressure or immediate deadline to meet. Work & family starts to creep back into your designated study hours...

For topic selection of your dissertation, it's really up to you. Most students' dissertation are based around projects in their work environment which is easier to relate and "kill 2 birds with one stone". And work projects are sometimes "flexible", in terms of timeline and scope, so if your work projects are supervisor approval, delayed, postponed, cut-down, etc, you would find yourself unable to complete the dissertation or re-start on another topic... Others, will do research which takes a lot time to get approval...

Especially some of the killer subjects (like International Business Strategy & Strategic Management) are placed right at the last semester before you start on your dissertation. Every years about 30-40% of the previous batch will have to re-take their exams, in terms of morale & commitments, it will be hard for them to balance with working on dissertation also... So delay another 6 months...

Just got my results for my final semester, managed to get pass the Strategic Management module and already heard 3 of my classmates (out of less than 20 takers in SG) going to repeat this module already... Very tough module to get past... **Update**, now got 4 of them didnt make it for Strategic Management module.

 

[delay]

Just curious, what kind of work do Sg-based MBAs do? Will it be similar to those listed here?

http://www.bankersball.com/2008/02/04/private-equity-resumes/#more-871

And how is the lower half of the first tier US B schools like Tuck, Darden, Kellogg, Fuqua, Haas etc viewed in Sg's context? Is it worth looking at Asian opportunities if you have a MBA from these schools?

I am asking cos a close friend of mine has just got accepted to Fuqua and Darden, and her family wants her to return to Sg after her MBA.

i don't think this is the right place to ask this questions to be honest because most folks here are not in those type of mbas and unlikely to be in PE/VC kind of industry.

anyways just maybe to share a little with u, duke and darden are great schools in US but in sg they are relatively unknown. Unless she is applying specifically for jobs in industries where the top mbas are known by the HR (IB and MC firms) then she is not going to get much value out from her mba per se.

Also its kinda interesting, she might really want to think hard which school she wants to go to. Darden is possibly the most rigourous mba program in US with emphasis on case studies (they also produce some of the best cases around) and Duke is kinda like a mix of class lessons and cases. Very different teaching styles. If she can get into kellogg or haas, she has a better shot at PE/VC networks because 1. berekely is in silicon valley area and northwestern is considered (in general) a top 5 school in US although their strength is in marketing

 

[perosoka]

the enviable salaries we saw at ft.com of ivy league MBA grad are:

i) the western pay scale, which we all know is at least 50%-100% more than asians partly due to the much higher gov tax. its the same story working at silicon valley.

dont forget singapore has some high indirect taxes like the COE and ERP.. as well as sky high rental/housing rates

its definitely much cheaper to live in say the United States

 

[darka2000]

dont forget singapore has some high indirect taxes like the COE and ERP.. as well as sky high rental/housing rates

its definitely much cheaper to live in say the United States

like that also can?? have you factored in too they have no hawker ctr, no $2.5/$3 chicken rice leh.

 

[danzodanzo]

Did you consider the income tax in USA is 10% for your first US$8k,
and progressively to a high of 35%??

In SG, the first $20K income is tax free ...to a high of 20%.

dont forget singapore has some high indirect taxes like the COE and ERP.. as well as sky high rental/housing rates

its definitely much cheaper to live in say the United States

 

[perosoka]

Did you consider the income tax in USA is 10% for your first US$8k,
and progressively to a high of 35%??

In SG, the first $20K income is tax free ...to a high of 20%.

lol did u even consider u r earning more in usa? ie an engineer's entry pay is abt 50k usd? even police officers also earn roughly the same amount

if u choose to buy a car in sg, the coe and erp u pay over the years is not a small sum!

not to mention your CPF contribution which is locked up lol

screwed all over

 

[perosoka]

like that also can?? have you factored in too they have no hawker ctr, no $2.5/$3 chicken rice leh.

lol on the other hand u can buy subway sandwiches at $2-3 usd in usa?

 

[weicong]

Y is no one discussing Nottingham or Birmingham MBA here??

Is this 2 MBA not that good as compared to Manchester or Strathclyde???


Is Strathclyde MBA told by lecturers from UK or local??

 

[mozzie]

lol did u even consider u r earning more in usa? ie an engineer's entry pay is abt 50k usd? even police officers also earn roughly the same amount

if u choose to buy a car in sg, the coe and erp u pay over the years is not a small sum!

not to mention your CPF contribution which is locked up lol

screwed all over

yah, like locked up to a prison shackle so we peasants can't (or hesitate) run away..
and fed with paltry "Happy Meals" packages every year to keep us 'happy'

 

[patryn33]

lol did u even consider u r earning more in usa? ie an engineer's entry pay is abt 50k usd? even police officers also earn roughly the same amount

if u choose to buy a car in sg, the coe and erp u pay over the years is not a small sum!

not to mention your CPF contribution which is locked up lol

screwed all over

ya entry level pay is US$50K, tax is higher tax SG at around 15-20% for single dude. don't forget you need to pay State tax and social security too.
Bonus - entry level engineer (on VISA) don't get super deals like CEO leh.
BTW: you should checked out last week issue of Bizweek. H1B VISA holders (esp Indians) undercut American's salary.

SG CPF? USA 401K, usually company contribute (match) to a max of 3%. choose not to contribute, company also don't need to match contribution. not locked up like SG, more flexible lah.. but you get tax loh.

SG see doctor pay how much? USA need to pay health insurance (ranging from US$40-200 amth, does not include dental). on top of that you still need to pay US$10-20 for co-pay. Oh.. medication is extra leh.
Last time I checked, SG see doc for flu/cold.. cost is around SG$20 even if U get antibiotics. US? more like US$40.

Car is not a necessity in SG, it is 1 in USA. don't drive where can you go! cannot even walk down to Mama store and buy snacks sia. Need to drive. Must say totally different life style.
if U have $$ to pay of car in 1 go great. else interest rate is like 7%. How much in SG??

police officer paid higher as risk is higher also. Have you consider their premium they have to pay?

lol on the other hand u can buy subway sandwiches at $2-3 usd in usa?

U cannot get cheap food at SG$4 at a huge variety in USA.
sure you can get US$1 burger, unlimited flow of soft drinks.
even US$1.5 for a hotdog and a drink.
milk cheaper than SG
but Soy Milk more expensive than SG.

 

[danzodanzo]

yap indeed.

Back to the thread topics....

Yes, Nottingham and Birmingham MBA are also ok,
but not sure if they are triple-accredited...

Nottingham's agent is PSB... syllabus is actually quite good...finance or general management tracks.
and my impression the last time I went for preview is that class environment is relatively large and classic lecture style...
(In comparison, Manchester is mostly workshop style - with lectures, discussions, group work and activities in an intensive 3-fullday workshop with max 20-25 pp...)

Didn't attend the Birmingham preview, can't said much...

Y is no one discussing Nottingham or Birmingham MBA here??

Is this 2 MBA not that good as compared to Manchester or Strathclyde???


Is Strathclyde MBA told by lecturers from UK or local??