This truly Global EMBA spans across Hong Kong, Rotterdam, Monterrey, Chapel Hill and Sao Paolo
If you had to name the most obvious global locations to set up a business school the names that would roll off most tongues would be pretty familiar: London, New York, Paris, Tokyo. Pretty far down this list would come Rotterdam, Monterrey or Chapel Hill.
The OneMBA is a global executive MBA which is made up of five partner schools from five very diverse cities; Hong Kong, São Paulo, Rotterdam, Monterrey and Chapel Hill.
But these locations actually make perfect sense.
The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) is located in a city that needs no introduction. Hong Kong is a major economic player, a financial juggernaut dependent on international trade and its ever-growing ties with mainland China.
Fundação Getulio Vargas is located in São Paulo, Brazil whose economy outweighs that of all other South American countries. Brazil is expanding its international exposure and as one of the BRIC nations presents many financial opportunities where the rest of the world is in recession.
Rotterdam’s School of Management at Erasmus University gives insight into European business. Rotterdam is the second largest city in the Netherlands and the largest and most important port in Europe, granting the city the title “the Gateway to Europe”.
EGADE is the Graduate School of Business at Monterrey Tech, Monterrey is the capital city of the Northeastern Mexican state of Nuevo León. The city is a commercial centre and the base of many international corporations such as Sony, Toshiba, Whirlpool, Nokia, Boeing and General Electric.
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, home to the Kenan-Flagler Business School is close to Washington D.C so a great location for all those Whitehouse Wannabees who are fitting an EMBA around their busy schedules. Over the past 20 years North Carolina has made the transition from a traditional economy based on tobacco to a global economy driven by knowledge-based enterprises including Cisco, Dell, Bank of America and branches of Google, Microsoft.
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If you apply to the OneMBA you apply to the most conveneient OneMBA partner school for you and then attend monthly class sessions on its campus. However, if your job requires you to move away you can transfer your partner school without interruption.
I spoke to a few OneMBA alumni about their experiences:
Alexander Pierrou - attended the OneMBA in Rotterdam. Alexander is originally from Sweden and graduated from OneMBA in 2009, he is the Business Leader of Philips TV, Marketing Director of Philips Consumer Lifestyle and Head of Consumer Marketing Intelligence in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay
"The OneMBA has made me more open minded. Studying in different cultures has improved my creativity when it comes to problem solving and it has also made me more aware of the ethical nuances in problem solving that depend on the way people perceive right or wrong, fair or unfair etc. Latin America is a region full of surprises where your environment is constantly changing. The OneMBA did prepare me well for dealing with ambiguity and change. I also really enjoyed the strategic life planning offered at the OneMBA. These courses really made me understand what drives and motivates me in the longer run."
"The mix of nationalities not only in terms of students but also in terms of professors, guest speakers and real international exposure with the global residencies. The mix between India, China on one hand, US and Netherlands on the other and Brazil and Mexico provides such a big spectrum of nuances which I could not find in any other MBA program. We also did part of our course in Turkey which was a very interesting experience on top of the other residencies. It is difficult to become better prepared for a global management role than through the OneMBA."
Guilherme Gatti - attended the OneMBA in São Paulo. He graduated from the program in 2006. Before the OneMBA Guilherme worked as Director of Marketing for FedEx Latin America, based in Sao Paulo. After the MBA he became FedEx's Director of Brand and Marketing for the Division, based in Miami.
"The OneMBA has helped me to develop a global vision of business and also to learn how to work with far-flung teams from different cultures and time zones. It also helped me further improve my networking and communications skills and become more effective in planning and executing global programs."
"We have analyzed international operations of multinationals and developed strategies that overlooked corporations as a one global unit, instead of independent parts. That changed the amplitude of the vision I had of business, from parochial to truly global."
Frans Tjallingii - attended the OneMBA in Rotterdam. He graduated from the program in 2004. Before the OneMBA Frans negotiated treaties for Dutch government. After the MBA he moved to SMIT Marine, a shipping concern. Worked in West Africa and now Canada.
"OneMBA made it possible to change my career path into business management. One of the practical examples that I was able to work on for my employer was the sale of a business activity. This included the strategic evaluation, financial evaluation (determining a sale value), negotiation and sale of the business. Without the knowledge of OneMBA I would not have been able to do this."
"I chose the OneMBA Because of its clear global outreach and the level of the fellow students that I had the privilege of enrolling with. The one week immersion courses in different locations provided a lot of insight of what is possible in the global economy and which pitfalls exist in global business. My fellow students where all high level managers with great experiences that they shared in the classroom. I’d say the interaction between students is a very big contributor to learning in the OneMBA programme."
What advice do they have for others considering the OneMBA? "Identify what you are looking for in an MBA. I believe OneMBA focuses on the international aspects and is maybe a bit more strategy and operations oriented than some of the other MBA’s. The modular format works very well for people that travel a lot and who can plan their travel. In addition I’d always look at the enrollment: who will you share the learning experience with?"
Find out more about the programme which was ranked 26th in the world by The Financial Times in 2011 at OneMBA
Compare b-school rankings from the FT, BusinessWeek and Economist on the MBA rankings table
Student Reviews
One of a kind
I studied Bioinformatics at CUHK last year. It was the only Master's degree in Hong Kong in this field. This program developed my analytical skills and equipped me to be a Bioinformatician in a very practical way.
I enjoyed my year here and met classmates from different parts of the world. If you are thinking to enhance your profile, this degree program would be a good option.
general education courses, unique college system, large campus
The university facilitates multi-dimension and interdisciplinary learning. In social science faculty, we need to choose courses as our faculty package from other departments (architecture, psychology, sociology, etc.) to learn more than our major required courses. We are also required to finish general education courses, which aid our critical thinking and humanistic sensibilities. I do recommend the social science broad-based program, and the professors I met so far are all responsible and erudite.
LLM
The faculty of law is relatively new. You do not need to have a LLB to pursue a LLM, which is special. The taught programme is great for mature students who want to obtain legal knowledge.
CUHK has good teaching staff too.
Amazing Campus and Great Educational Environment
Not only is CUHK's main campus breathtaking, it provides for a good educational environment for students. The university is well-equipped with modern and up-to-date facilities to help students with their study. We have 8 libraries in total around the campus; one for media, one for architectural studies, the medical library and the law library. The Professors are always helpful and are happy to talk to students when needed.
Moreover, the college system within the university brings forth the uniqueness of CUHK. Each student belongs to a different college, and in that students are able to meet different peoples from different countries and students from different faculties.
I think CUHK provides for a well-rounded university life for all students.
exthrillating
One of the most down to earth places in HK. A great opportunity to learn and embody the local culture. Also had one the most beautiful campus in Hong Kong up on the hillside. Glad to have graduated here.
Innovative and Supportive
My university provided me with all the support I needed, and encouraged me to be up to date with all the new developments in the world. They also provided me with the incentive to excel at what I do, and they take much pride in my achievements. I have had a very rewarding university experience.
Small, New But Friendly Law School
To being with, I think the campus of CUHK is the best and the biggest in Hong Kong, with fresh air and trees everywhere.
I am an undergraduate Law student at CUHK and I think the teaching here is great, with very friendly and nice professors and the new Lee Shau Kee Building.
In terms of the courses offered by CUHK, as one of the largest universities in Hong Kong, CUHK is an all-rounded university, offering a wide range of courses to students. Students may take the introductory courses of discipline other than their own major, or even declare a minor.
For law electives, due to the small amount of intake, the variety of law electives are not that huge. However, the Faculty is offering some international programmes, which can be treated as law electives, but at the same time, provide us with an opportunity to travel and know more about the legal system of another country.
The career support from the Faculty of Law is also amazing. The Faculty will organise CV Sessions and talks on how to get an internship from law firms or mini-pupillage from barrister's chambers. Each student will also have a Distinguished Professional Mentor, which is a current legal profession, providing us with practical advices and updates of the legal field.
Finally, from my personal experience, I think the students in CUHK are friendly and genuine. As Law students, competition is inevitable for grades, GPAs, vacation schemes and training contract. However, I think the competition in CUHK Law School is a positive one, in a sense that help us grow together, instead of fighting with each other no matter what. That is the biggest reason why I am having a very good time here in CUHK Law School.
A place to explore your interests
As a law graduate from CUHK (both undergrad and post-grad), I realise that I had many opportunities to explore my areas of interests (legal and non-legal both). The faculty/university requires us to take a certain number of non-law electives, and offers a plethora of courses to choose from. Personally, I took 3 modules in Korean --I can't say it's made me highly proficient, but it's definitely given me a good foundation (I can walk into a Korean restaurant and confidently order food, at the very least). The fact that language courses are offered also provides students who are more financially constrained an opportunity to learn a language without having to shell out a premium for a decent language course. On top of that, we have a range of law electives as well. I know of classmates who have developed lasting interest in different areas of law because of the electives they took in school. The two electives that I would say have changed me is (i) mooting and (ii) family law. I think my experience in an international commercial arbitration moot competition has helped tremendously in formulating legal arguments and legal writing. On the other hand, taking a family law elective has made me very interested in the family law practice, especially in terms of child rights. For these experiences which I have gained, I'm grateful for the opportunities provided by the school.
One main issue most students I know have is with the way our GPA is calculated and the lack of transparency in terms of how the honours system works. As our GPA is marked on a curve. it's highly unrepresentative of what we have achieved as individuals. Given that our GPA is the only criteria that is looked at when we apply for the compulsory post-graduate law course (mandatory should we want to practise law and/or be trainees in Hong Kong), it will put our own students at a distinct disadvantage when we compete for limited spaces with students from schools where GPA is not on a bell curve.
Valuable time in CUHK
I like the learning environment and people at CUHK. Surrounded by hills and Tolo Harbour, CUHK provides a balance between nature and hustle. You can always escape from the busy study life and meet your friend around the big campus for different activities.
