SMU Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore MBA: Worth is more than perceived

Updated on July 13, 2015

The bright career prospects backed by great learning experience during MBA programme at SMU LKCSB, Singapore have made the B school one of the most preferred destinations for MBA abroad aspirants

The participatory small class learning environment in SMU is uniquely rich as students from different nationalities and a wide range of industries bring their different experiences

The bright career prospects backed by great learning experience during MBA programme at SMU-LKCSB, Singapore have made the B-school one of the most preferred destinations for MBA abroad aspirants.
Singapore Management University (SMU) was established by the Singapore Government as a specialized management university with Wharton collaboration in the heart of the business district in Singapore. MBA at Lee Kong Chian School of Business of SMU Singapore commenced in the year 2008.

Started with 300 students 15 years ago in 2000, SMU Singapore has grown to nearly 9000 students and six schools. SMU Singapore was one of the youngest universities to be awarded the AACSB and EQUIS accreditations. The university prides itself in its holistic system of evaluation of applicants while maintaining the highest global standards. For Indians, interested in the 12 months full time SMU- Lee Kong Chian School of Business MBA programme, it is important to know that significant prior work experience and high GMAT scores are preconditions for admission to the SMU MBA programme. Candidates admitted to the SMU MBA usually have an average work experience of 5-7 years.

Students in the SMU MBA class often come from more than 15 different nationalities. The participatory small class learning environment in SMU is uniquely rich as students from different nationalities and a wide range of industries bring their different experiences into the class discussions and assignments.

SMU MBA Participants
Class Size:                                  55
Average age:                             100
Average Work Experience:          5-7 years
Mean GMAT:                               660
International:                               60%

SMU MBA Learning Tools
SMU MBA participants learn about a wide range of topics from case studies written by SMU’s faculty members. Case studies are written based on Asian companies and companies in Asia and the business challenges they face. Students also visit the companies that have case studies written upon in the Business Study Missions (BSM) modules. SMU’s cases have featured in Singapore’s Human Capital Summit and the Aquarius Programme among others.

Overseas Immersion Programme
SMU MBA provides opportunities for inter-cultural and inter-industry learning through exchange programmes in several international destinations. Students can gain enhanced knowledge of cross cultural business complexities and ways to solve them. Some exchange partners of SMU in the past year includes

1. University of British Columbia
2. IE, Spain
3. KEIO University, Japan
4. Seoul National University, South Korea

Admission Requirements
To be eligible to apply to SMU MBA, a candidate must have a minimum of 2 years work experience, completion of undergraduate degree. A strong GMAT/GRE is also required.

Evaluation Criteria in SMU MBA
As the full time MBA program is academically rigorous, applicants must have proven track record of academic excellence from undergraduate GPA to the GMAT scores. The SMU MBA has a strict requirement of a minimum 2 years professional experience. Applicants must have demonstrated strong leadership potential through professional and personal experience.

Students from India must note that even scores as high as 700+ range do not guarantee admission. Last year quite a few Indians who had such high scores were on the waiting list and did not get admission.

Programme Fees
Tuition fee of the full time MBA inclusive of GST (Goods and Service Tax) is S$62,209.80.
Tuition fee of the full time MBA exclusive of GST is S$58,140.

Financial Aid
The SMU MBA programme offers a large number of scholarships from S$5000 to SS15, 000 for the full time MBA students. Students are required to separately apply for some scholarships whereas some awards need no separate application.

Admission Deadlines
For the class starting in January, 2016

Deadline 1:     28 February, 2015
Deadline 2:      18 July, 2015
Deadline 3:      30 Oct, 2015

Careers after SMU MBA
While 60% of the MBA graduates accepted job offers immediately on completion of their MBA remaining candidates accepted offers within 3 months and some started their own ventures. A breakdown of the career outcome by function is as follows:

Consulting: 41%; Financial Services: 20%; General Management: 13%; Marketing: 13%; Operations: 13%
Top companies recruiting SMU MBA graduates are Accenture, Deloitte, KPMG, Singapore Marine Technology, Microsoft, TCS (India), MasterCard and many more.
With a strong Asian focus and an internship within a one year programme, the SMU MBA helps one acquire the practical skills that are relevant to manage in Asia. Affordable programme fees with plenty of scholarship options coupled with strong career prospects, an MBA from SMU is definitely worth it.