MBA Education in China: A perspective by Dr Lin Zhou, Dean, ACEM - Shanghai Jiao Tong University

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MBAUniverse.com News Desk |
August 30, 2014
In this column for MBAUniverse.com, Dr Lin Zhou, Dean, Antai College of Economics and Management, Shanghai Jiao Tong University shares how Management Education has evolved in China in just two decades into a world-class system.
how Management Education has evolved in China in just two decades into a world-class system. Dr Lin Zhou, Dean, Antai College of Economics and Management, Shanghai Jiao Tong University

MBA education in China started in 1991 when the Ministry of Education approved the introduction of MBA as an official graduate program. Although it had a modest beginning back then, it is now one of the most prestigious degrees sought-after by ambitious young talents.

As of now, 236 Chinese universities are allowed by MOE to offer MBA degrees with a total admission of approximately 35,000 students every year nationwide. All these universities are all comprehensive universities and they run MBA programs within schools of management, or schools of economics and management, or schools of business. In addition, some international institutions have established partnership with Chinese universities to offer MBA degrees recognized by MOE. For example, China Europe International School (CEIBS) is a joint venture between the European Foundation in Management Development (EFMD) and Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU).

There are both full-time and part-time MBA programs with a total length of two to three years. The curricula of these programs are similar with twelve core courses deemed compulsory by MOE. After courses in the first year, more optional courses and internship opportunities are offered by individual universities. A candidate needs to pass a national exam (GRK) before he can be considered for admission. After completing all course work, he also has to write a thesis before the degree is granted.

The majority of the MBA programs are part-time as they try to meet the demand of working  professionals. An MBA candidate must have at least three years of working experiences after college. Quite often, such a candidate is unwilling to quit his/her job to pursue full-time study so that he/she is limited to attend a local MBA program. Those who are willing to undertake full-time studies have a much wider range of choices, including overseas MBA programs.

Tuitions vary wildly as the top MBA programs charge roughly $40,000 for the degree while those near the bottom might charge less than $10,000. Additional charge will incur for room and boarding, overseas studies, etc. Most institutions depend heavily on tuitions from MBA and other programs to cover annual expenses. Differences in tuitions are usually reflexive of both costs and qualities. Reputation and perceived value added for career advances are also very important and they are constantly updated by influential domestic publications such as Manager.

Executive MBA (EMBA) is a variant of MBA program, regulated separately by MOE. Only 64 Chinese universities can offer EMBA degrees to senior business executives and officials. A student must have at least eight years of working experiences and five years of management experiences. EMBA tuitions are usually twice of MBA tuitions or more. The value of EMBA is more than a general business education as many EMBA students also highly appreciate the networking opportunities during their studies.

MBA education in China has a relatively short history and most Chinese universities are still in the process of learning. For some time, many considered MBA just another academic degree no different from others in sciences and arts. Although most business educators have a much better understanding of the nature of MBA, they are struggling in how to produce MBA students that best meet the need of fast growing industries. Many business schools are simply relying on the reputations of their parent universities to attract students, and they still have to develop their own identities that will differentiate themselves from other business schools. Recruiting and retaining high quality faculty members suitable for MBA programs present another big challenge for most Chinese universities.

The growth of business education in China has benefitted from globalization or internationalization. Forging partnership with international business schools, recruiting faculty members with international backgrounds, applying for global business school accreditations (AACSB, EQUIS, AMBA), participating in FT ranking of business education programs, have forced Chinese business schools to adopt practice that have been proved successful by leading business schools in the world, which help Chinese business schools to do the catching-up in the first twenty years of MBA education in China.

However, in the future the Chinese business schools should explore more exchanges and collaboration with business schools in the emerging market that face similar issues in their own countries and regions.

About the Author:Dr Lin Zhou, Dean, Antai College of Economics and Management, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China

Antai College of Economics and Management, Shanghai Jiao Tong University is a Shanghai based triple accredited B-school by AACSB, EQUIS & AMBA. It is recognized as one of the Top 5 B-schools of China. 

Dean Zhou Lin assumed the Deanship of Antai College of Economics and Management, Shanghai Jiao Tong University since April 2010. Prof. Zhou received Bachelor degree from Fudan University in 1982, and Ph.D. degree in Economics from Princeton University, USA in 1989. In 2006, Prof. Zhou was granted the Chang Jiang Scholar by Ministry of Education of China. He was elected Fellow of World Econometric Society in 2009, and is the first scholar in China being granted this award.

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