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What should I look for in a management course?
| Publish date | 2007-09-25 |
| Available Articles | Full articles without membership |
The MBA is the world’s most popular business qualification. That popularity means there is a huge array of courses to choose from, all offering a range of specialities, options for study and varying reputations. The choice can be bewildering.
So what questions should you be asking? What criteria should you be looking at when searching for the right programme?
For starters, according to Dr Heather Spiro, Associate Director of MBA programmes at Manchester Business School, you need to be clear about why you want to do an MBA and what benefits you hope it will give you personally and your career. Once you’ve answered that question, you can start looking at what’s on offer.
According to Dr Spiro, the most important factor to look at initially is the strength of each particular programme.
She says: “Look at the emphasis – is it on general management or a specialisation? Is there an international focus with study abroad options, internships, project work and dual degree options?”
Next, research the length of each course and associated costs. Are the required courses useful to you? What electives can you choose? Can you specialise?
Programme size matters too. Find out how many students will be in your class and how much of the programme is organised in small groups. You should also look at the profile of your potential classmates. Is the emphasis on national or international students? What is the age range? How much professional experience are they likely to have? This is especially important if you hope to leave the MBA programme with a good contacts book.
Try to get a handle on the culture of the business school – whether it is competitive or collaborative, whether teamwork is emphasised. Do your homework on the staff. Who are the professors? What is their expertise? How international are they? What is the style of teaching? Lecture, case studies, teamwork, projects?
What are the value added services provided? Career management services? Alumni services? What specific career services does the School provide for international students, or for career changers, industry specialisation.
Accreditation should be your next focus. There are three main accreditors: The Association of MBAs in UK, EQUIS in continental Europe and the AACSB in the US. The accreditation system is very thorough. Assessors come to the school to scrutinise academic content and quality procedures, administrative systems, programme materials and the school's physical facilities. During the visit, the assessors also interview a wide range of stakeholders, academics, students, alumni and recruiters.
Your research will inevitably lead you to study the various annual rankings of MBA schools published in newspapers such as the Financial Times. But how much stock should you put in league tables?
Dr Spiro says: “It is important to look at all the quality indicators of a school and not just the rankings. For example, the Higher Education Funding Council for England assesses the quality of teaching, learning and research of all university departments.
“If you are going to use rankings, look at the criteria that are of interest to you. Carry out wider research by using the internet and speaking to current students and alumni of MBAs in the areas or industries that interest you.
“Open days are very useful as a way of getting to understand the programme better and as an introduction to some of the professors who teach on MBA programmes. They are also good for meeting current students and alumni and as a way of getting a feel for the school and local environment.”
Lastly, Dr Spiro advises that you look at the quality of the student body and the quality of the companies recruiting MBA graduates and the prestige of international partners.
Keywords: MBA, selection criteria, accreditation, AMBA, EQUIS.
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