Money

Lax overseas MBA courses available to all

By Zhao Yanrong (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-03-26 07:53

Some overseas universities are accepting applications in Beijing from hopefuls who don't have a bachelor's degree or work experience, an investigation by METRO found out.

Text adverts are being forwarded across the city with the news. They also say that applicants do not need to attend the national MBA entrance examination, or any English tests.

"You can enroll on our MBA program even if you only have a college diploma. You are required to come to classes two days every month and at least 95 percent of our students usually graduate," said a woman surnamed Cheng from www.21zyw.com, a website that calls itself a portal site for China's part-time post-graduate students.

The online company said it is recruiting students in Beijing for an MBA program by the Asia International Open University (Macao) and the Beijing Union University. It features advertisements of international MBA programs such as the Reims Management School from France, Bulacan State University from the Philippines and the Open University of Hong Kong.

However, according to a list of higher-education degrees, recognized by both the Mainland and Hong Kong, the Open University of Hong Kong is not on the list. The other degrees advertised are also not recognized by the international degree checking system run by the Ministry of Education.

"Our international programs cost less than similar courses run by Chinese universities, but hands out an international degree. Because the MBA program is localized, English is not necessary either," Cheng said.

The site notes that all their teachers are from standard and not national key universities.

Cheng said their international MBA programs are a very popular way to shine up a resume.

"After they finish the program, our job is done," Cheng said, after refusing to comment on how their programs would benefit students' career paths.

"It is a waste of time and money to take those programs," said Wang Yuming, president of an Internet company and an MBA student at Tsinghua University.

People blindly believe in an MBA education and forget about the quality, he added.

"Work experience is a fundamental part of any MBA education, so new graduates and those without college degrees are not suitable for the program. There are too many MBA graduates in Beijing.

"Only MBA graduates from universities with a global reputation, such as Harvard and Yale or top universities in China such as Tsinghua University and Peking University, are sought after by employers. I don't think those so-called 'international degrees' will be very helpful," he added.