Good Day,


I'm hoping to get some guidance/advice on my (E)MBA selection. I intend to admit into a part-time program in Malaysia and hoping to leverage this to tap into UK/Europe employment opportunities in the ICT sector.


I'm a Malaysian with 14 yrs of experience in project/operations management in the ICT industry. Im currently in a middle senior position. I've managed to short list 3 options for (E)MBA based on rankings, program structure, accreditation and total investment . Below is the summary of my findings:


1. AMBS Global MBA -24 months Part-time modular mode with local residency workshops and a few compulsory international workshop. it is ranked #46 on FT Global MBA 2023 (fulltime), however in their brochure , it is claimed that the regardless of the study mode, the mba is of the same quality. therefore, can i use the FT ranking for this part time program too? cost : GBP 31,500 . This program will be launched in July 2023.


2, Strathclyde EMBA - 24 months part time weekend mode with local residency workshops and a few optional international workshop. it's ranked #91 on FT EMBA 2023. Cost: GBP 14,000 . it is also the oldest UK EMBA in malaysia.


3. Asia School of Business EMBA - this is a 16 months EMBA with part time modular mode structure. This program is a collaboration between Malaysia's Central Bank & MIT Sloan. candidates will have a chance to visit the MIT campus as well as participating in business practicums. However, ASB is not ranked in FT nor any other rankings. I'm not sure if i can leverage on the MIT Sloan's FT ranking. Cost : GBP 33,000


cost : ASB > AMBS > Strathclyde


Learning structure : ASB > AMBS > Strathclyde


ranking : this is tricky. do i opt for a higher ranked MBA or lower ranked EMBA? i realized AMBS and Strathclyde programs have been going down in ranks for the past 3 years. However, on the FT business school ranking, AMBS (#51) is higher ranked than Strathclyde Business School (#72).


Any other advice/suggestion to help me realize my targets are very much appreaciated.


Apologies for the long winded post but i really could use some help here. Thank you.

It's worth assessing how a UK MBA will help you find roles in the UK or EU. With your experience, you can apply now for upcoming roles. You can make more impact by using your spare time for informational interviewing, networking and developing your brand, rather than taking an MBA. If you are targeting the EU, a language course might be more useful. 

If you want to move out of project and operations management, a full-time degree taught in your target market will give you visa privileges and allow you to apply for jobs and network for effectively. 

Given your goals, you should focus on finding a school with solid career services in your target market. That's not ASB. Although macroeconomic factors mean that most UK schools are falling, the national standing of the schools is unchanged. The online/blended UK schools with the best career services are Warwick and Manchester. Imperial and perhaps Bayes are other options. 

The Strathclyde programme is an executive MBA: the students will be older and have more of a general management approach (and the EMBA's narrow range of electives also makes it a general management programme). The Alliance MBA has two tracks: a global track aimed at earlier career people, and an executive track aimed at more senior ones. Both these degrees are well discussed on this board so there's no need to repeat everything. 

I’m a GMBA candidate at AMBS (and I document the journey as an MBA podcaster - details in my profile). I haven’t looked back since deciding to choose the AMBS option. 

It's worth assessing how a UK MBA will help you find roles in the UK or EU. With your experience, you can apply now for upcoming roles. You can make more impact by using your spare time for informational interviewing, networking and developing your brand, rather than taking an MBA. If you are targeting the EU, a language course might be more useful. 

If you want to move out of project and operations management, a full-time degree taught in your target market will give you visa privileges and allow you to apply for jobs and network for effectively. 

Given your goals, you should focus on finding a school with solid career services in your target market. That's not ASB. Although macroeconomic factors mean that most UK schools are falling, the national standing of the schools is unchanged. The online/blended UK schools with the best career services are Warwick and Manchester. Imperial and perhaps Bayes are other options. 

The Strathclyde programme is an executive MBA: the students will be older and have more of a general management approach (and the EMBA's narrow range of electives also makes it a general management programme). The Alliance MBA has two tracks: a global track aimed at earlier career people, and an executive track aimed at more senior ones. Both these degrees are well discussed on this board so there's no need to repeat everything. 

[Edited by Vinoth Rau on Mar 21, 2023]

I’m a GMBA candidate at AMBS (and I document the journey as an MBA podcaster - details in my profile). I haven’t looked back since deciding to choose the AMBS option. 

If I may clarify further, are you suggesting that i may stand a chance by directly applying for UK jobs from Malaysia without an MBA?

what i couldn't find is if anyone made a jump to the UK/EU by taking a part-time programme at their international centres. Do UK employers appreciate the UK MBAs taken outside of the UK ?

[Edited by Duncan on Mar 21, 2023]

Hey mate, i've just listened to your first episode..nice one..keep up the great work... 

If I may clarify further, are you suggesting that i may stand a chance by directly applying for UK jobs from Malaysia without an MBA?

 Exactly.  

what i couldn't find is if anyone made a jump to the UK/EU by taking a part-time programme at their international centres. Do UK employers appreciate the UK MBAs taken outside of the UK ?

Someone must have been able to do that, but they may have been able to make that move even without an MBA. Studying in the UK creates a big difference because of the post-study work visa. I guess taking a UK MBA is a way of showing your intention, but that time would be better spent directly networking, raising your personal brand and applying for jobs. You could use some holiday to come to the UK and meet with recruiters and recruitment consultants (obviously, don't tell the border police that you are coming to do that). The easier way to make this transition would be to find a job very similar to one you have in the UK or EU, and then come here and start to study alongside your job (a senior leadership apprenticeship course in the UK, or an intensive language course in mainland Europe). 

PS Also, consider Ireland, since there is no language barrier there (learning Irish will give you only a small advantage in the workplace).

Hey mate, i've just listened to your first episode..nice one..keep up the great work... 

Thank you, that’s very kind feedback. We do it for fun and to help (hopefully).

There's no ranking of SLAs, and they might have changed by the time you arrived in the UK. I'd say that Cranfield, Henley, Lancaster and Manchester are the leaders. The first three has MBA pathways, and the last two I think that MSc pathways. 

Yes, because of the visa benefits you should study in Ireland to work there.

There's no ranking of SLAs, and they might have changed by the time you arrived in the UK. I'd say that Cranfield, Henley, Lancaster and Manchester are the leaders. The first three has MBA pathways, and the last two I think that MSc pathways. 

Yes, because of the visa benefits you should study in Ireland to work there.