http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/may2009/gb2009057_863933.htm?chan=globalbiz_special+report+--+asia+best+business+schools+2009_special+report+-+asia+best+business+schools+2009+

Yet for all that, it's difficult to make the case that Japan Inc. embraces employees with MBAs. On the contrary, many big companies still prefer to hire grads fresh out of college and mold them into the type of managers they want, rather than hiring B-school grads.

Corporate Japan doesn't seem convinced of the merits of MBAs. Many companies still have a lifetime employment system with pay and promotions based on seniority. That means MBA holders can't expect rapid progression or improved compensation.

But rather than encourage companies to use B-school grads more effectively, many companies have instead decided to stop paying for employee MBA programs. At Keio University, the first Japanese university to offer an MBA program in 1978, 65% of business degree students were sent by their companies in the late 1980s, compared with 35% today. "Many Japanese companies can't make really good use of MBA holders when they come back [to work],"

Hitotsubashi University (ICS)

Japan
Admission Rate: 35%
Class size: 60
Full-time program: One year
Part-time program: Two years
Annual tuition: $5,358
Average staring salary for graduates: $120,000

I can't find the salary information on their website. 120,000 seems pretty high for an Asian MBA generally. I wonder where businessweek got that information.

Nobody's got anything on this? One of the only MBA programs in Asia to push above US$100,000 for starting salary (according ot businessweek), and no one's got anything on it?

1st of all,indeed a nice writeup. I too could not find any salary information in the school's website. Apart from this are there any specific entry requirements for ICS? I am looking for 1 year MBA in Japan and I could only find ICS having such a course. Does anyone know of any other school?

I am a recent graduate of Hitotsubashi ICS and I am not quite sure where the $120,000 figure comes from. I am not aware of any survey made recently by the school to evaluate our salary after graduation. This may be fairly old: before the global turndown in any case.

I would assume that the average salary for recent graduates staying in Japan after graduation would be in the $90,000 range as it's been a lot harder to land jobs in finance over the last couple years.

As for the requirements, they are similar to any other serious MBA: GMAT, TOEFL for non-native-speakers , letters of recommendation, essays and interview.

Corporate Japan does not generally see the merits of an MBA. But things are changing in an increasing number of Japanese companies and graduates from Hitotsubashi ICS are well positioned to reap the rewards as it is one of the few full-time MBAs taught in English in Tokyo.

Beyond the traditional foreign companies in Japan, companies such as Rakuten or Lawson recently announced that they want all their managers to become bilingual (Japanese-English). Nissan has been pushing a similar program for years and this is probably just the beginning.

But be aware that Hitotsubashi ICS will be truly valuable career-wise if you also have a good or very good command of Japanese.

Hi,
I am a member of the 2010 class and very happy and excited to be a part of ICS. The one question that seems to bother me is
How important is it to know japanese language to be able to get a job in japan post completion of the degree

@rupakvaz : a good command of Japanese is definitely a great asset on the Japanese market and some jobs (e.g. management consulting) will not be accessible unless you speak flawless Japanese.

But opportunities exist depending on your skills and experience, on how many languages you speak (Chinese? Korean? Spanish?)... And it's going to depend a lot on what you want to do after graduation. If you already have an idea, let me know and I will try to tell you if it's realistic.

ICS is pretty small and is only 10-year old: you are not going to have hundreds of multinationals coming on-campus to hire you.

However faculty members are very close to the students and have great network in Japan: make the most of it. And use your time in Tokyo to attend business events, informal expat gatherings...: it's a great city with plenty of opportunities.

Hello seb_in_japan and rupakvaz, 1st of all thanks a lot for sharing some important information. I have some questions. Do you know :
1. If there a open day at ICS? A day on which prospective students can visit the campus and talk to current students and gather information regarding ICS?

2. if there is any strict requirements on GMAT and TOEFL scores?

Thanks

Hi,
There are open campus days at ICS twice a year. They are usually advertised on ICS website: One eve in January and one in November if I remember correctly. You can meet faculty members, students and alumni.

Regarding the TOEFL, I think that there is a minimum requirement: probably 250 with the old version and 100 with the new one (you can check in the application package).

As for the GMAT, there is not a minimum per se but the higher the better. It is going to depend on how strong is the rest of your application. If you are below 600, take the test again or make sure the rest of your application really stands out. There are no statistics on the average GMAT score but based on what I know, I would assume that it's around 650.

HI,

Are there any international placements that happen from campus ?

As far as I can remember HR people coming on campus recruit in priority for the Japanese market. But this may be changing as students have been asking the placement office to provide more international opportunities. .

In 2007-08, I recall attending presentations and/or having on-campus interviews with Barclays, GE and Johnson and Johnson. During these meetings you can easily get contact to apply for jobs in other parts of Asia (e.g. Singapore).

But as I mentioned earlier, please keep in mind that faculty members can be very helpful in a such a small MBA: one of my classmates got a good job offer in his home country for a Japanese company thanks to his "Zemi" professor. I personally got opportunities to apply for jobs in Europe with the contacts I had from another professor who is also teaching at IMD in Lausanne.

Question for sep-in-japan: when you were evaluating MBA schools in Japan, did you also consider the program offered by the Globis university ? How do you feel would the Hitotsubashi program be distinct from the Globis program in terms of the educational philosophy ? What kind of reputation does Globis have in Japan and which are the key values that made you chose Hitotsubashi ?

Hi Noeru,
I am not going to be able to help you much. I did not know Globis before applying to Hitotsubashi ICS. And Globis is a part-time MBA while Hitotsubashi ICS is a full-time one. I was looking for a full-time programme. I honestly don't know the reputation of Globis in Japan so I cannot comment much on this MBA.

But as a foreigner, if i had to choose again, I would pick Hitotsubashi ICS any day: it's much cheaper, there are lots of scholarships available, it is attached to an old and reputable university (Hitotsubashi),the pool of students is more international...

Hi Seb_in_japan,

I have got 690 in GMAT and 7 years of work ex.
Right now I am into IT and looking for a managerial role after my MBA.

What do you suggest ... should I apply to ICS?

Thanks

Hi "go_for_it": I guess your GMAT and work experience are good enough to apply. But it depends on where you want to work after graduation, on your expectations. Tell me more about you and I will try to be more helpful.
BR

Hi Seb_in_Japan,

Thanks for your reply.

I am an Indian working in India. I am working in IT as a Technical Leader .. Basically, at this point of my career, I want to have oversees exposure. For that I would like to do an oversees MBA plus would like to continue to work oversees.

I have got prior oversees exposure but that is purely technical. Now I would like to have some banking business domain exposure with any of the major banks. Also in the run, I would like to make good money too because staying in India and building wealth is simply impossible for me.

So in brief, my requirements are:
1). Good oversees exposure
2). Earn big bucks.

Please advise.

Also tell me about yourself too.

Thanks,

@go_for_it
I would encourage you to apply to Hitotsubashi ICS but at the same time to have realistic expectations. Switching both countries and career is very ambitious even after graduating from an MBA. So if you intend to land a front- office position for Goldman Sachs in Tokyo right after graduation just because you have an MBA, you may end up being disappointed.

You will have more opportunities with smaller players or you may want to start for a big bank but in a back office or middle office position and try to get noticed to move front at a later stage.

If you plan to do the MBA in 2 years, make sure you use the second year to spend a semester at London Business School (strong reputation for Finance and one of Hitotsubashi partner schools) and then spend the rest of your year interning in financial institutions. You may also join a CFA Program or equivalent: the 1st year at ICS will be very busy but you can basically use the 2nd year the way you want.

I am not working in Finance but in Business Development. So my insight is limited. People working in Finance could probably be of more help.

Good luck.

Hello,
Could you help me regarding whats the employment % in Hitotsubashi ICS MBA in average?

Is there any good partner schools for Marketing?

Hi there,

Regarding partner business schools with strong marketing reputation, you could probably consider spending one semester at HEC Paris or UCLA Anderson.

I am not sure what you mean by employment % ? I don't have proper stats but as far as I know, all my classmates had a job within 6 months after graduation and about 80-90% before graduation: admittedly some of them were company sponsored so had a job secured. I graduated in 2009 (at the peak of the crisis). So situation is probably even better now.

Hi there,

Regarding partner business schools with strong marketing reputation, you could probably consider spending one semester at HEC Paris or UCLA Anderson.

I am not sure what you mean by employment % ? I don't have proper stats but as far as I know, all my classmates had a job within 6 months after graduation and about 80-90% before graduation: admittedly some of them were company sponsored so had a job secured. I graduated in 2009 (at the peak of the crisis). So situation is probably even better now.