Beijing, the nation’s capital, is a thriving business hub that’s brimming with rich cultural history. While it’s home to world famous landmarks such as Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City (the National Palace Museum), it’s also the base for global interactions across politics, business, and economics.
Here are five global career experiences you could gain from an MBA in China:
1. Learn alongside local and international students
It’s commonly believed that the learnings you gain from your peers at business school are as important as those you gain during MBA classes.
Fabiola Ivitha ANG, a second-year MBA student originally from Indonesia, was determined to find an MBA program with a mix of international and domestic students.
She had studied hotel management but wanted to develop her leadership skills and was immediately attracted to the idea of business school in China due to the country’s rapid economic growth.
“Indonesia has a good relationship with China,” she says. “I wanted to better understand the Chinese market and culture—an MBA presented the opportunity to gain exposure to the dynamic and diverse market in China.”
Her research, which included reading articles on websites such as BusinessBecause, led her to the Full-Time International MBA (IMBA) at Renmin University of China’s Renmin Business School in Beijing.
The Renmin MBA is comprised of 80% domestic students and 20% international students. Some of the nationalities represented include the US, Uganda, Pakistan, and South Korea.
2. Learning about business with global business schools
As a member school of the Global Network for Advanced Management (GNAM), Renmin Business School offers Global Network Week (March), Global Network Courses, and other global network events. These include various competitions, study camps, and networking opportunities.
The Global Network Courses are programs that allow students to attend online courses with overseas business schools.
These schools include Yale School of Management, HEC Paris, and the National University of Singapore.
“There are lots of opportunities to meet people from diverse backgrounds in these short online network courses,” says Fabiola.
Fabiola joined Renmin in 2022 and one of her favorite courses so far is Global Management, which is a Global Network Course offered by Renmin Business School and open to both Renmin MBA students and GNAM member school students.
The course invites students to consider company case studies and reflect on how to improve the business plan and strategy of such firms.
Fabiola (pictured): Lijingmen Scenic Area, Luoyang, Henan Province
3. Pursuing internships with multinational companies
Many students find their post-MBA job through MBA internship opportunities. Even if the internship doesn’t lead to a job, it’s a great way to build your global business network.
Fabiola has completed an internship with a social media company in Beijing called Kuaishou Technology. During her time there she acted as a consultant by analyzing scripts and trends of videos made by content creators on the Chinese social media app, which also has platforms in Brazil and Indonesia.
Fabiola has an interest in social media, with ideas to create her own social media app that she could launch in Indonesia.
“Now that I’ve interned with a social media app, I have a better understanding of how it all works.”
4. Immersion in competitions
Competitions at business school are not just about putting your knowledge to the test, these events can help you improve your communication and strategic thinking skills.
Renmin Business School offers competitions such as the National 'Peak Time' Business Simulation Competition, the Beijing College Students Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, and the China Brilliant Global (CBG) Cup Management Case Competition, where teams of students compete to apply management ideas and practices to given enterprise case studies.
During the International MBA, Fabiola has participated in the Yale Stock Trading Game, which teaches the fundamentals of trading and markets.
“It allowed me to meet international students from Yale and other universities and experience how other students are thinking about the game,” she says.
Renmin MBA students can also attend competitions offered by GNAM member business schools such as the IE Business School Global Innovation Competition, the Yale Investment Competition, and the University of Oxford 'Map the System' Social Innovation Competition.
Fabiola (pictured) outside the Summer Palace
5. Access to recruitment events with global companies
Business schools that offer global MBA programs usually have strong links to top companies.
Graduates from the Renmin IMBA land jobs with companies such as the China Development Bank, Accenture, ByteDance, and Ernst & Young (EY).
As part of the IMBA, Fabiola has been on a corporate visit to JD.com—the largest retailer in China.
“We had a workshop where they challenged our way of thinking,” she says.
Haidian district, where Renmin is based, is known for its entrepreneurial climate and is home to an abundance of companies in the information technology industry.
“There are so many major companies located in Beijing, which provides an open forum of networking and insight,” she says.
She also enjoys the vibrant atmosphere and rich cultural heritage that the city has to offer.
As an international student in China, Fabiola is continuing to improve her Mandarin language skills, which she says is important for immersing herself in the Chinese culture.
“As China becomes more dominant in Asia, studying a business degree in China is going to be an important part of expanding your business network,” she concludes.
