Wondering if it's worth doing an MBA from a school in China that maybe isn't a top tier school but is nonetheless accredited. Thinking about maybe Zhejiang University, Sun Yat-Sen Lingnan, or East China University of Science and Technology; something in that range.

I am a foreigner who has not really spent much time in China but want to use the MBA to get a sense of the country and spend some time there. Not looking to stay permanently, just want to have a Chinese MBA on my resume.

If you just want to spend time there, then why not take a language course and then do a one year MBA somewhere else which will be more useful for your career? Take the same amount of time, get better outcomes.

Yes, I'm not sure what kind of value an MBA like this would add to your profile. Perhaps they can be good for networking with people in the country, and of course the accreditation means you get a decent education, but other than that that there's not a lot on offer. Why not just take a long trip there, if you just want to spend some time in China? Would be a more cost-effective route.

I should have elaborated on my goals: the industry I work in is very China-centric and it would be nice to build a business network in the country. Also, the firms that I am targeting for post-MBA placement would be very happy to see a Chinese MBA program on the resume. Any thoughts along these lines?

Honestly, I would look very closely at the international student experience: where do they students live, are the bedrooms shared, what are the language classes like etc. Zhejiang is a strong school, I'd say on a par with Tongji or Renmin.

Ok, I will do that. That's good to hear about Zhejiang, I hadn't heard much about the school otherwise.

Chinese MBA degrees are going to be worthless if you're going to look at jobs outside of the country, even if the industry that you work in is very China-centric. Foreigners with Chinese MBA degrees have a difficult time already finding a job within the country given the intense local competition in a difficult economic period.

That is a non sequitur. With the exception of Hong Kong, foreigners with English-language MBA degrees do struggle to find work in China because mostly of language and network weaknesses, not because if the value of the degrees. That is not because of the MBA, since they produce excellent outcomes for those without weaknesses . And in almost every case, this Is the case all over the world with people looking for work in countries where they have not done their MBA. So, it is an asset for people looking for China related roles in countries where they have language skills and a network, such as their domestic market. Therefore students need realistic expectations, for example developed by looking at actual outcomes.

[Edited by Duncan on May 02, 2015]

That is a non sequitur. With the exception of Hong Kong, foreigners with English-language MBA degrees do struggle to find work in China because mostly of language and network weaknesses, not because if the value of the degrees. That is not because of the MBA, since they produce excellent outcomes for those without weaknesses . And in almost every case, this Is the case all over the world with people looking for work in countries where they have not done their MBA. So, it is an asset for people looking for China related roles in countries where they have language skills and a network, such as their domestic market. Therefore students need realistic expectations, for example developed by looking at actual outcomes.

Do you mean this bit >>So, it is an asset for people looking for China related roles in countries where they have language skills and a network, such as their domestic market.<<

I mean that people looking for China-related roles in another country, somewhere they already have a network and the language, will find an MBA from a good Chinese school to be an asset. As has already been said elsewhere on this site, someone looking to study in China and then work abroad might look at the various double degree programmes available, including the Yale MAM and MIT MSMS degrees.

I'll look into these degrees, thanks Duncan!

PS Zhejiang just got AACSB accreditation.

That's good news.

However, the cost of the MBA program there (180,000 RMB) isn't much less for the MBA at Antai (which runs 208,000 RMB and is also triple accredited)... I'm thinking that it's probably worth the extra money to go for the FT-ranked program, at least for this candidate.

The Fudan IMBA program might also be worth considering, that's in the ballpark in terms of tuition.

ps. that Fudan program can be paired with a Masters in Advanced Management from Yale.

Oooh, that's interesting. Thanks for pointing it out!