NUS Singapore or NTU Singapore; carefully choose your B school weighing all pros & cons

Updated on May 27, 2015

Both NUS and NTU are highly preferred by international students especially by the Indian MBA abroad aspirants

MBA degree from NUS and NTU is highly valued by employers worldwide and is particularly ideal for candidates with a vision to establish themselves in the Asian market.

NUS Singapore and NTU Singapore face a healthy yet stiff competition when it comes to MBA in Singapore. Internationally reputed both the business schools have laid a benchmark in business management education in Asia and both NUS Singapore and NTU Singapore are highly preferred by international students especially by the Indian MBA abroad aspirants.

NUS Singapore MBA

The NUS MBA is a 17 month program, accredited by AACSB and EQUIS and ranks amongst 50 best business schools in the world. Obviously MBA abroad aspirants fight for admission in NUS B School. The Financial Times ranks MBA at NUS as the 31st best program in the world. Founded in 1965, NUS has been offering rigorous and rewarding business education in the Asia-Pacific region for over 45 years.

NUS Class Profile- Student Profile

NUS comprise an entirely diverse class profile with participants coming from a variety of backgrounds. It can be observed that 91% of the class consists of MBA abroad aspirants coming from different countries. The typical class profile at NUS is shared below-

Average GMAT: 672; Average Work Experience: 5.5 years; Average Age: 29 years; International students: 91%

Broad International Experience

MBA Participants in NUS Singapore come from countries such as Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, Columbia, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mauritius, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, USA and Vietnam.

With the diversity, MBA abroad aspirants at NUS get a diverse international experience which equips them with skills and abilities to establish right contacts after graduation.

NUS Singapore MBA Curriculum

MBA curriculum at NUS is designed in accordance with current and upcoming industry and corporate needs in view. The B school has one of the best known industry focused curriculum which incorporates the best of Asian and Western markets. The programme places high focus on the growing Asian business market.

NUS Business School is also recognized as one of the best business schools for MBA in Finance, Marketing and International Management. The unique curriculum allows a student to spend one full semester on student exchange and another semester on Internship besides completing the core modules and compulsory Management Communication module.

Management Communication: A world first experiential learning module

Management Communication (MC) is a new initiative and world’s first experiential learning module which has been particularly custom-designed for NUS MBA. MBA abroad aspirants get the opportunity to learn the power of influence through this module.

NUS MBA Consultancy Project – The Management Practicum

A distinctive feature of the NUS MBA is the hands-on consultancy project by NUS called the Management Practicum (MP).This project allows the MBA students to apply their management skills, concepts and theories to solve real world business problems.

World-class Double Degree Programs

NUS Business school has some world-class double degree programs with reputed business schools in China and Europe to give students the opportunity to learn global business.

Some well known double degree programmes are NUS-HEC Paris Double Degree MBA, NUS-Peking University Double Degree MBA, and S3 Asia MBA.

NUS MBA Salary and Hires

Almost 98% of full time MBA graduates of class 2014 were employed within 3 months of graduate on. 94% of the placements were facilitated by NUS. Maximum salary of a graduate of class 2014 was recorded to be SGD180, 000 (INR 86 lakhs) while the mean salary was SGD85, 321 (INR 41 lakhs). Highest number of graduates (34%) were placed in the Finance sector. Consulting and General Management came second and third respectively. The lowest hires were seen in the Real Estate (4%) sector.

Nanyang Business School-Nanyang Technological University

The 40th best MBA program in the world according to the Financial Times ranking is offered by Nanyang Business School of the Nanyang Technological University. Considered as the hot spot for MBA abroad aspirants Nanyang Business School is accredited by AACSB and EQUIS.

NTU is a preferred destination for MBA abroad aspirants. The B school offers a 12 month rigorous, intense and compact MBA program guided by international faculty from over 20 countries.

NTU-NBS Class Profile

Every year MBA abroad aspirants from all over the world attend the prestigious Nanyang MBA. Here is a quick look into the class profile

Average GMAT: 670; Average Age: 27; Average work experience: 5 years; International Student Body: 20 countries

High Number of Indians

18% of the class comprises MBA abroad aspirants from India, 16% from Singapore and South East Asia, 14% from EU and 6% from America. MBA abroad aspirants from other countries include Africa, China and NE Asia etc.

Nanyang MBA Programme Structure

The Nanyang MBA comprises 3 unique tracks namely General Management Track, Strategy & Innovation Track, and Banking & Finance Track. MBA abroad applicants can choose the track based on their career interests and requirements.

The MBA program irrespective of the tracks comprises 9 core courses, 4 electives, Business Study Mission, Strategy Projects at Nanyang and a comprehensive Leading People Globally module. NTU is well known for MBA in Strategy, Finance and Operations Management.

Business Study Mission (BSM)

One of the key features of the Nanyang MBA is the BSM which may be a local or an overseas BSM. The BSM allows MBA students to gain practical knowledge of the industry by visiting overseas companies, meeting and engaging with top executives of prominent firms.

Strategy Projects at Nanyang (SPAN)

Another distinctive feature that MBA abroad aspirants would find at Nanyang MBA is the SPAN wherein MBA participants have a chance to work with industry organizations in live consultancy projects.

The Nanyang Double Degree Programmes

To give the business knowledge of the east and west to domestic as well as MBA abroad candidates, Nanyang offers double MBA degrees from partner universities which are the Nanyang Waseda Double MBA and Nanyang-St Gallen Double MBA.

Nanyang post MBA careers

MBA abroad destination, Nanyang made its MBA graduates of class 2014 chang industry and functions. 38% of the graduates relocated outside Singapore; 54% changed industry and 54% changed job functions.

It was recorded that highest number of Nanyang graduates were placed in the Consulting function (18%) followed by Financial Services (17%) and the lowest 4% in government jobs. Some of the companies hiring Nanyang MBA graduates are Accenture, Deloitte, Bain & Company, McKinsey & Company, SAP among other prominent ones.

NUS & NTU at a glance

Following table will bring home the key USPs of NUS and NTU to help in taking decision which B school to prefer in Singapore while opting for MBA abroad programme

	NUS	NTU
Programme Duration:	17 months	12 months
Programme Fee:	SGD 58,000	SGD 55,000 (excluding Goods and Service Tax)
Recommended GMAT	680+	670+
Minimum GMAT	No minimum	600
Minimum Work Experience	2 years full time	2 years full time
Minimum TOEFL	100 (not mandatory if bachelors degree was taught in English)	100 (not mandatory if bachelors degree was taught in English)
Minimum IELTS	6.5 (not mandatory if bachelors degree was taught in English)	6.5 (not mandatory if bachelors degree was taught in English)
Programme Start Date	August	End of July
Admissions Dates	Oct 1, 2014 – January 31, 2015 (scholarship qualifying period) Feb 1, 2015 – March 31, 2015 Admission rounds for 2016 will open from Aug/Sept 2015 onwards	Admission deadlines have been extended upto 31st May, 2015
Application Fee	No application fee	S$80

Expert Advisory

Both NUS and NTU are highly regarded in Singapore for business management education. Both the schools are highly ranked in different league tables and because of the different methodologies used by these ranking leagues both the schools have different rankings. For example, NUS is ranked 31 and NTU is ranked 40 according to Financial Times ranking whereas The Economist ranks NTU as 66 and NUS as 95 in the world.

Getting the MBA degree from either of them is good enough to help you secure a career and is highly valued across the world. Both the schools have a unique curriculum and course structure which provides an in-depth insight into the Asian market as well as the global business market. While NUS equips the participants with excellent general and international management skills, NTU’s MBA program has a unique blend of technology and analytics incorporated.

In terms of employment, the MBA degree from NUS and NTU is highly valued by employers worldwide and is particularly ideal for candidates with a vision to establish themselves in the Asian market.

To know how to increase your admission chances to NUS or NTU, living expenses and scholarship details post your queries on the forum at MBAUniverse.com.