Asian Business Schools: Pay, Satisfaction & Diversity

WOMEN WELCOME IN CHINA

Looking for the most diverse international experience? Start with Asian MBA programs in Singapore – at least as far as faculty is concerned. All three Singapore MBA programs ranked by FT maintained rosters where 64%-68% of the faculty hailed from overseas. And the percentage is also 68% at Sungkyunkwan. Compare those faculty percentages to Indian programs, where the highest rate is 16% at the Indian School of Business. The lowest rate belongs to the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta at 1%. In the faculty measure, China is a mixed bag. 62% of CEIBS faculty was born outside China, as were 50% of those who teach at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Still, 4 of 8 Chinese business schools ranked by FT house international faculty in the single digits

This trend carries over into international board members and students. 6 of 8 Chinese business schools host boards where over half are composed of international representatives. The Hong Kong University Business School sets the pace with 90% of the board hailing from outside China. The total is 71% and 69% at Fudan and CEIBS respectively. International board representation hovers around 50% in Singapore schools, while the highest board representation among ranked Indian business schools tops off at 27% (Indian School of Business).

International student representation is harder to gauge in India. After all, just one Indian program reported data to FT for this measure – and it was 2% of the MBA student population. When it comes to international inclusion, Singapore MBA programs run laps around most of its Asian counterparts. The international MBA student population is 93% at the National University of Singapore and 89% at Nanyang University. Even the Singapore Management University’s 77% share is higher than the top school in China (Chinese University of Hong Kong at 61%).

Looking for Asian programs where women are most welcome? Start in China. Half of the FT-ranked MBA programs in China are actually majority women. That includes the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics (58%), Hong Kong University Business School (57%), and the Fudan University School of Management (56%). India lags behind in this diversity category as well, with just one school enrolling 40% or more women (Indian School of Business).

OVERALL: ALUMNI SATISFIED WITH THEIR SCHOOLS

The Financial Times also gauges the international experience of MBA programs. This is another area where ascendant Asian programs shine. This is particularly true in what is called “International Course Experience.” This calculation, which involved the past three prep-pandemic classes, covers “exchanges and company internships, lasting at least a month, in countries other than where the school is based.” In this measure, Asia placed 7 schools in the Top 20. To put it another way, Asian business schools account for 17% of FT’s Top 100 and 35% of the schools ranked among the best in International Course Experience. Even more striking: Asian programs ranked 21st, 22nd, 23rd, and 24th, which isn’t counted here.

Despite these successes, Asian programs fared more poorly in “International Mobility” – a calculation that FT writes is “based on alumni citizenship and the countries where they worked before their MBA, on graduation and three years after.” Just one Asian program – Hong Kong University of Science and Technology – finished among the 20-best in this measure.

How do graduates view their rival Asian MBA programs? In the alumni survey, FT also asks respondents to select three schools from which they’d want to hire. Among Asian MBA programs, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad – where Asian MBAs earn the most after graduation – garnered the 6th-highest number of votes. The Indian Institute of Management Bangalore and the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta ranked 11th and 20th in votes respectively (with the Indian School of Business coming in at 21). CEIBS was the highest-ranking school in China at 26.

In addition, the alumni survey asked graduates to score their “Overall Satisfaction” with their alma maters on a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being the highest possible score). In this regard, Asian schools have a ways to go to catch up to American business schools – on the surface, at least. In the survey, American business schools recorded 16 of the 20 highest scores in alumni satisfaction (with IESE besting all schools with a 9.84 score). The Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management produced the highest Asian score at 9.38 – ranking it 25th in the world. That doesn’t tell the whole story. With another .05 of a point, Tsinghua would’ve ranked 16th…and 7th if .10 of a point tacked on. In other words, there was minimal difference between Tsinghua and the pack of schools above it.

To put it another way, 6 of the 17 Asian programs ranked by FT scored 9 or above (not counting 8.98 and 8.91 produced at two other schools). Even the lowest score, Singapore’s Nanyang Business School at 7.96, notched a respectable score. Those are all harbingers that Asian MBA programs will only become even bigger growth engines for the region in the coming decades.

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