This is why many students are attracted to the idea of studying not just an MBA but a global MBA. Global MBA programs tend to be taught entirely in English and feature a business curriculum that considers business ideas and strategies from one country to the next.
Having this holistic understanding of global business issues will stand you in good stead if you’re looking to launch a career that spans across multiple countries or regions.
Here are the top 4 benefits of studying a global MBA.
1. A global MBA means global networking potential
It goes without saying that joining a global MBA will mean opportunities to network with a cohort of international peers.
Rokuro Watanabe is from Japan and wanted to join the Global MBA program at Peking University (PKU) Guanghua School of Management in Beijing to gain access to this global network.
Before his MBA, Rokuro worked as an advisor in labor dispute to the Japanese government.
“I wanted to build a global career beyond Japan,” he says, “I knew that studying a Global MBA taught in English will help me to do this.”
The PKU Guanghua Global MBA is comprised of students from more than 30 countries, including Italy, Colombia, and Zimbabwe. Students come from an array of career backgrounds such as consulting, healthcare, venture capital, and entrepreneurship.
Rokuro says he was attracted to PKU Guanghua’s established alumni network and believed this MBA network could help him access top MBA jobs in China and beyond.
2. You’ll learn a global MBA curriculum
The global business world is vast—it can be tricky to know which business issues to consider first.
Studying an MBA that breaks down the core global business topics in a manageable format can be a great way to learn the topics that matter.
The PKU Guanghua MBA offers courses such as ‘China in the Political Global Economy’, ‘Corporate Finance’, and ‘Managerial Economics’ that consider business issues from both a Chinese lens and global business perspective.
There’s also the opportunity to take classes in the Chinese language.
“The professors all had global careers and gave advice to foreign students about global business matters,” Rokuro says.
Some professors had spent time studying abroad, for example in the US, boosting their global business outlook.
“Through the courses, I was able to establish myself as a global, and particularly Chinese, business specialist,” he says.
The PKU Guanghua MBA also offers exchange programs with more than 120 partner schools, including some of the best business schools in the US such as Wharton, Stanford, and Kellogg.
3. You can access global recruiters
Joining an MBA that emphasizes global connectivity will also mean gaining access to global employers or recruiters.
The PKU Guanghua MBA has links with top employers such as ByteDance, Boston Consulting Group, and Goldman Sachs.
Rokuro was interested in launching an MBA career in consulting and used the school’s career events to gain insight into the consulting career path.
PKU Guanghua also has career advisors in the Career Development Center with experience in helping students switch careers or secure MBA jobs in China.
4. You’ll gain an understanding of the working culture in different countries
If you’re interested in forging a career within another country, it’s important to learn about different management styles and working cultures as these can greatly vary between countries and regions.
The Global MBA at PKU Guanghua offers courses in ‘Organizational Behavior’ to help students understand these differences.
The MBA in China also offers the Integrated Practicum Project (IPP), which sees students act as consultants to an external company and can help students cement their understanding of business practices.
Rokuro has used his MBA learnings of different working styles and the culture in China to launch a career in digital advertisement consulting at DAC Beijing.
“Learning how different the Chinese way of business is compared to Japan was really helpful,” he says, “In China, you have fewer meetings than you would in Japan, and it’s a lot less high pressure.”
He adds that these learnings are helping him to succeed in his MBA career in a foreign country.
“One of the most important learnings from my MBA was about having a strong management mindset and learning how to work alongside those from different cultures,” he says, recognizing the value of his Global MBA for boosting his business mindset.
Student Reviews
Peking University Guanghua
