By 2024, China’s GDP is expected to overtake the US to become the world’s largest economy.
This presents a huge opportunity for businesses and business school students, who would do well to pay attention not only to the way business is done in China, but the country’s significant role in the global economy. How better to do this than by studying an MBA in China?
From bolstering your China-specific knowledge, to gaining access to top employers, here’s five things you’ll gain from studying an MBA in China.
1. A chance to study at world class business schools
Many point to Asia as the next giant in business education, and China is leading this rise.
Chinese business schools have surged into business school rankings, occupying nine spots in the most recent Financial Times Global MBA Rankings, demonstrating the prestige of Chinese academic institutions on the world stage.
Take Guanghua School of Management at Peking University, one of China’s oldest and most respected institutions. PKU is part of the elite C9 League of Chinese universities, representing the most prestigious schools.
With the main campus in Beijing, Guanghua MBA students study at the political and cultural heart of China, while the school has campuses in Shanghai, Shenzhen, Xi’an, and Chengdu, spreading across the country’s important economic bases. They are also developing a campus in Xiongan, a new area being developed as a green and innovative city.
PKU MBA students frequently get the opportunity to travel to these branch campuses, meeting local companies and networking with fellow students.
2. China-specific knowledge
From region to region, the way business is done differs. China is no exception.
For those looking to gain knowledge of the unique customs and practices for working and living in China, an MBA can be tremendously helpful.
The Guanghua MBA is designed around delivering a rigorous introduction to business through a Chinese lens. Students learn from a range of experts on China, ensuring knowledge is specific and up-to-date.
“We aim to not only provide insights to China’s economy, consumer behavior, business practices and policy making as well as emerging trends in the China market, but also to the political, social and cultural drivers that shape the essence of doing business in China,” explains Liang Yu, director of MBA international affairs at PKU Guanghua.
The MBA contains courses on five industry-specific disciplines: healthcare, social enterprise, internet economics, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Each of these taps into current and emerging trends in the Chinese economy, important for anyone looking to specialize in any of these industries.
3. Interactions with Chinese companies
Often it’s better to learn by doing. Given China’s nuanced customs and practices, the opportunity to gain work experience during an MBA can prove useful.
Guanghua MBA students have plenty of opportunities to put what they are learning into practice. The Integrated Practicum Project offers students a chance to take up a consulting project with a real business partner.
“Students have the opportunity to apply their knowledge to a real business problem, and gain practical insights into China’s changing business landscape,” Liang says.
Recently, students have worked on consulting projects with Bytedance, the company behind TikTok and one of the fastest growing tech groups in the world.
On top of this, Guanghua’s MBA has a number of unique China-focused courses on specific subjects, developed and sponsored by multinational companies. This includes courses on emerging topics in Chinese strategy designed by consulting firm McKinsey, and a tax planning and accounting course designed by Ernst & Young.
4. A strong Asia-based network
Benefits from studying an MBA in China stretches beyond graduation. You’ll build a network that’s concentrated in China, but that also stretches across the Asian continent.
At Guanghua, around 50% of students stay on in China to work, while around 70-to-80% are based in the Asia-Pacific region at large. In all, Guanghua’s alumni network has over 30,000 people worldwide.
In Asia, building personal connections is an important part of doing business, and a strong, widespread network could prove to be invaluable to this.
Through the alumni mentor program students have exclusive access to an extensive and influential alumni network in China, that allows them to gain professional advice as well as industry knowledge and contacts to advance their careers in both China and globally.
PKU MBA alum Henry Sher was blown away by the tight knit network of Guanghua alumni. “Essentially, this is the network and relationship that every MBA candidate seeks to build during his or her MBA journey, and Guanghua not only provides just a platform to connect, but also helps to establish a life-long friendship with all its MBA members.”
5. Access to employers
The unparalleled growth rate of China’s economy makes it a particularly attractive place to go and work.
Studying an MBA in China can provide the first few important introductions to employers. The career center at PKU Guanghua offers targeted career help to all MBA students, from career assessment and exploration in helping students find the right employers, to help them develop professional skills and competencies like interviewing, self-marketing, and negotiation.
They also have opportunities to go on company visits to major employers such as Boston Consulting Group.
As a Guanghua student, you really have your pick of the top industries and companies. In the MBA Class of 2020, finance was the most popular industry, attracting 32% of graduates, heading to global banks like Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. Technology was the second most popular—regional companies like Baidu and Tencent, as well as big tech firms like Google—drawing in 13.5%, closely followed by consumer goods and retail (10.4%).
Given the job opportunities it opens up, and the chance to establish yourself in a fast-growing economy, studying an MBA in China can really have long term benefits.