MBA In the USA and HKG

MBA in the USA The MBA degree was developed in the US and the country has some of the best business schools in the world. The schools have earned their reputations, because they offer great teaching, excellent prospects and daily contact with top students If you've considered applying to an MBA programme in the US, this is the year to act, because: Selective schools want you. To provide a global perspective to classroom discussions and team projects, top business schools want about one-third of their MBA students to come from other countries. 'The global context is critical,' says Christie St-John, senior associate director of admissions at the top-ranked Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. 'We have first-hand evidence that international students enrich every discussion.' US MBA schools are feeling the pinch of competition from institutions in Europe, Asia, Canada and New Zealand and are stepping up their international recruitment efforts. The US must 'make it easier for the world?s best and brightest to pursue their graduate education at American universities,' Debra Stewart, president of the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) in Washington DC, said at a recent meeting of university presidents, corporate leaders and graduate school deans. CGS and government leaders are working to improve the visa process that allows foreign nationals to work in the US once they graduate. Proposals that would expand the number of H1B visas awarded annually from 65,000 to 180,000 and eliminate the cap for US-educated professionals should become law by the time you receive your MBA degree. Applications from foreign nationals to all US graduate programmes are still below 2001 levels, which means you will be competing against a smaller pool of candidates. According to the US Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), in McLean, Virginia, international applications to US MBA programmes for the 2006/07 academic year increased by only 7% over the previous year, compared to a 16% increase the year before. At the same time, domestic enrolment in full-time MBA programmes is dropping. US-based firms increased their hiring of new MBAs by 18% in 2007 and GMAC predicts that job outlook and opportunities for MBAs will remain strong worldwide. Average salaries for students recruited from MBA schools in 2007 were $88,000 and MBAs from top schools can expect to earn $125,000 or more a year. Finally, the internet makes it easy to research US schools, and websites can now walk you through the application process. Choosing a school The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accredits 408 US MBA programmes, but many of these are small, enrolling fewer than 50 students a year. Three US publications, The Wall Street Journal, U.S.News & World Report and BusinessWeek rank business schools based on undergraduate GPA (grade point average) and GMAT scores, plus the assessments of students and recruiters. Although their placements differ on each list, the schools listed here alphabetically are considered the top 20 US MBA programmes. Many recruiters and international alumni recommend that you focus your attention on only the top schools. Sean Summers, a native of Argentina who received his MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 2007, for example, says, 'The cost of a US MBA degree is so high, I wonder if it's worth it if you don't attend one of the top 20 schools.' Recruiters from leading consulting firms like the Boston Consulting Group limit their search efforts to top-tier schools. But the demand for MBAs with an international background is so great that many recruiters have expanded their reach and now also seek job candidates at leading regional schools and public universities. And many schools that rank in the top 50 offer innovative international programmes. Dr Albert Niemi, dean of the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, says that about one-third of his school?s 240 full-time MBA students are international. As in most MBA programmes, the majority come from China and India, although Cox also attracts students from Latin America. At Cox, all first-year MBA students experience 'global immersion'. In the fall, students are divided into study groups for Europe, China, Latin America or India (international students may not choose their native countries, or continents). And in the spring, the students spend two weeks in their chosen countries, visiting two companies from different industries each day. 'By the time our full-time MBAs start their second year, they're set for a true global discussion in the classroom,' Dr Niemi says. A caveat: As more US residents opt for Executive or part-time MBA programmes, some schools enrol far more international full-time students than domestic ones. At the Stuart School of the Illinois Institute of Technology, for example, over 90% of the 266 full-time students are international. Texas A&M International University, in Laredo, Texas, has a foreign national enrolment of over 83% and an admissions officer there says some students apply believing they would be attending the more prestigious (and unaffiliated) Texas A&M in College Station. Students tell us that the network you build during graduate school is one of the most important reasons to attend a US MBA programme. If most of your fellow students are also from India or China, you may as well be educated at home. Dartmouth's Ms. St-John says that, in her view, the ideal MBA class should have no more than 40% foreign nationals. You may also want to avoid schools that enrol only a small percentage of international students. For a small fee, you can gain access to the U.S.News & World Report listings that rank all US MBA programmes according to several criteria, including the percentage of international students.

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