Hello,

I'm from the UK and I work in financial services (middle office) but want to transition to working in Asia because of cultural connections (my family is originally from Indonesia.)

Which schools are better - those in Hong Kong or those in Singapore?

I was checking out NUS and INSEAD, obviously - but I see that HKUST is ranked higher in the Financial Times' Global MBA ranking.

That said, does anybody have any insight about which location would be better for future career prospects? I would like to stay in the field of finance, but might be swayed towards other parts of the industry if there are opportunities.

Well, I think the key question is which place you would rather work in. Both places have excellent MBAs: I think all the options in Singapore are strong (Insead, NTU, NUS and SMU) and in Hong Kong HKU, HKUST and CUHK are all strong.

If you would like to work more in Chinese, then HK sounds good. If you'd like to take advantage of Indonesian, then Singapore works better. Personally, I think Singapore has more opportunities at the moment, the quality of classmates will be more consistent and employers will be more open to Indonesian talent.

I see. I think I will focus on Singapore schools. One question - which location do you think is better for a career in finance? I've heard that Singapore's financial sector has been growing quite briskly.

I think both of them have a bright future.

I was reading that 45% of HKUST students went into financial services firms last year. NUS' graduates tend to be more spread out - in consulting, IT firms, etc.

But NUS also offers a pretty robust specialization in finance...

I looked at the NUS finance specialization and it looks pretty interesting. How do you think it compares to the Nanyang MBA track in Banking and Finance?

Both are good. NUS might offer a bit more choice if you're targeting a career in corporate finance - rather than in the actual financial sector - but look at the offered electives to determine what's more of interest to you.

Otherwise, they're pretty comparable. Nanyang has slightly better salary stats, but the difference is relatively negligible. Financial services firms recruit heavily from both schools.

Ok. My inclination is to go into some kind of investment banking role, so I think that Nanyang might be a better choice. I'll most likely apply to both in any case, and then see what sticks.

Good luck. And don't forget about INSEAD!

Yes, I will apply to INSEAD too. I will keep you all updated!

Aventis School of Management, Singapore.
As per my opinion its better for you to opt for Aventis school as it is a good school for management education.

Aventis School of Management, Singapore. As per my opinion its better for you to opt for Aventis school as it is a good school for management education.

The part-time Sacramento State MBA at Aventis isn't terrible; it has the accredited content of any AACSB MBA, but it won't give this person what they want. They need a full-time MBA with a strong business school.

PS Totally agree with Hipster, below.

Yes, that's what I meant - if this applicant is considering ranked schools like NUS and INSEAD, what value would this program hold? Especially if s/he wants to stay in finance.