Hi Guys,

I need serious advice.
I am a senior construction project manager with 20 years experience.
I have done a part time MBA - half heartedly 15 years ago.
Now I am badly stuck in my career due to few wrong career choice. As I have lot of experience, I have decided to do full time Fast track MBA ( one year duration ) to change career to consulting. Please advise me on the following -
1) Is there any good MBA COURSE globally which I can join without taking GMAT ?
2) It should be an accredited MBA and has to be in the range $ 10,000 to 15,000.
3) Is there any MBA specializing in Real Estate and Big Infrastructure projects, investment and Financing which will help to join consulting firms ?
4) Will MSc in place of MBA add same value ?
5) As I already have one MBA for namesake , should I opt for any short term courses ?
Will that really boost my knowledge and propel my career ?

I know it is a long shopping list ....so friends ...I'm asking for serious advice.
Hope any kind hearted will show me the light.....

You need to prioritise your criteria. There is no MBA that needs these criteria.

Are you a Canadian?

No Duncan.....

I am an Indian.
I am pretty messed up.
So if I go for cheap and best accredited fast track MBA as it will give me strength to take electives in project management may be.... and Finance ....
Please help me to stream line my thought process...I find u r an expert

Where do you want to work? With your limited budget, an MSc or intensive language course will give you better options than an unaccredited MBA. Take a look at the Financial Times preexperience MSc in Finance ranking.

My objectives are
1) To change my career path to project and infrastructure consulting firms like PwC , E & Y , Deliotte in India. As India sees a huge boom in economy, with massive growth in urban development and infrastructure sector, I wish to re-align my career accordingly.
2) I wish to take a full time fast track MBA to come out of this setback.
3) Initially I selected a certificate program in Leadership in Infrastructure ( LIM ) ..Refer link http://www.isb.edu/leadership-programme-in-infrastructure-management.
Problem in this course is that it is not recognised as masters degree and it is a part time like residency of 10 days every six weeks spread over one year charging Euro 14,000
4) Initially I selected another full time Masters course - MSc in Urban Management and Development costing Euro 12,000 ( Refer link http://www.ihs.nl/education/ihs_programmes/msc_in_urban_management_development/ ).
Problem is that this course is not accredited outside Holland .Please advise.
Also the last date of submission has also expired.
5) I wish to take up an International full time course - MSc as u rightly advised this will be a smarter and cheaper option. But how to find a good one ? Also I will prefer to have an internship as part of the course which may later help to get work exposure in that country..
7) Greatest fear is how should I select a course and school which is relevant and gives a good knowledge and provides me a good job in the end ? Should I sit for GMAT then ?
6) I hope all the above info helps u to advise accoordingly..

thanks Duncan

What makes you think that the IHS degree is not accredited outside the Netherlands? As long as you study in the Netherlands, then it is accredited by the NVAO.

Do you want work in another country, or in India?

For your budget, the Lancaster campus in India comes to mind: http://gdgwi.gdgoenka.com/our-programmes/management/post-graduate-management/msc-in-management-full-time-and-part-time/

Just a little more on this: I used to work for Deloitte, but I won't know what sort of people it hires for infrastructure consulting. I suggest you use LinkedIn to find people, ideally who studied at your undergraduate university, and work for those firms in those roles. Find out about their backgrounds and the path that led them to those roles. Perhaps also ask those firms about the schools they prefer to recruit from. I don't think a degree from outside India is a necessity. Surely those people will mostly have studied in India? Also consider if there is a professional institute for people in those roles? What qualifications do their members tend to have?

Yes, it certainly makes sense for you to start to prepare for the GMAT.

Hi Duncan,

Thanks for your sincere effort to guide me.
I checked Lancaster in India. They r only offering MSc in Marketing asonly one yr course .Rest are two yr courses.
What is your view about http://www.isb.edu/leadership-programme-.....Is it worthwhile to take a part -time course like this ?

You are mistaken. The MSc in management is also a one year degree.

The LIM looks like a good course but I think only the PGP, PGPMAX, and MFAB are alumni-status programmes. Perhaps check that: I might be wrong.

Dear Duncan,

I am doing lot of research on internet.
Few of my observations are below -
1) I want a career path change very quickly. So need a specialised degree in my core area to build upon my experiences ( like management + finance together ).
2) In India , good schools demand very high GMAT score ( 750 ) charging around $ 27000. For senior professionals like me, I want a world class education at a cheaper price and that too very fast.
3) Primarily, I want to study in foreign schools where senior professionals like me get GMAT waiver due to vast experience and at least 50 % scholarship and rest for tuition and living expenses, I plan to manage through Prodigy loans.
My target is to get into a reasonably good course with triple crown accreditation latest by September '2016.
4) Few of my choices are
a) MSc in Finance and Management course from Cranfield University, UK starting in September 2016 charging £22,000. ( this is from the list u sent me )
b) MSc in Finance, Accounting and Management from University of Bradford, UK starting in September 2016 charging £14,500 .
c) MSc in Infrastructure Investment and Finance from UCL Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment, UK charging £25,000. ( Duncan ..how is this college ??)
d) MFin programme from Cambridge Judge Business School charging £ 41000
e) MSc in Finance from University of Liverpool , charging £17,550
f) MSc Real Estate Economics and Finance from LSE charging £20,736 ( Found this course to be good and promising ...Only question if GMAT can be waived ??
g) Masters in Finance from London school of Business , charging £ 41,000 ( LBS has mentioned that those who donot come from strong Finance background , shouldnot opt for the course ...????)

In the end , I am thinking that masters in UK , near to London should be my target.
What do u advise Duncan ????
Thanks
Santa

These are good schools. LBS, Cambridge and Cranfield are excellent. The Cambridge MFin probably is more demanding than the LBS one for someone without a finance background. They won't admit you if you can't make it.

Teaching at the LSE is famously bad so if you already had the knowledge but wanted the network I would recommend it. But without it you should consider, if you want a real estate programme, some with RICS accreditation like http://www.gla.ac.uk/postgraduate/taught/internationalrealestate/#/accreditations The UCL programme hopes for that accreditation. Obviously UCL is a more global university, but Glasgow is ancient (established in 1451) and very well respected.

Bradford's perhaps not so good as those, but certainly has a much better alumni network than Liverpool.

PS Of course, the Real Estate Finance degrees at Cass and Cambridge are also worth looking at.

MSc at University of Glasgow is now closed for international students.....
Also I find from the website that MSc - International Real Estate has narrow scope and visibility.
Another interesting fact , I found that MSc from LSE fetches average annual salary of £ 26000 only.
So if I prioritize , It will be like 1st is Cranfield , 2nd is UCL ,.........3rd is ......... LBS.
Dear Duncan,
Could you throw some light on these three for their pros and cons ?
I shall appreciate your final take on the school in terms of brand , value for money , location and recruitments.........
Thanks & Regards.......
SANTA

OK ..LET ME CHECK THE Real Estate Finance degrees at Cass

If LBS admit you then you will be able to succeed there: they are an excellent judge of applicants. It should certainly be your top choice.

Cranfield is also strong, but not as strong, because the LBS MFin is aimed at more experienced students, and the career services and course flexibility are also better at LBS.

Cranfield and LBS are discussed so much on this site. I have nothing to add.

I have friends who studied at the UCL Bartlett. It's a strong school but I don't think it will have strong support for placement. It's hard work and a big emphasis on self-managed learning.

Glasgow: that page I linked to says "International applications (non-EU): 22 July 2016 ".

Thanks Duncan....you are more than help !!
God bless you...
Last two question for you:
I ) If you were to join one year Full time MSc in or near London by October '2016, which school would you choose, considering that the schools have lesser entry requirements like only IELTS but have above average ratings and rigorous syllabus ?

2) If you were to join one year Full time MBA in or near London by October '2016, which school would you choose, considering that the schools have lesser entry requirements like only IELTS but have above average ratings and rigorous syllabus ?

Thanks and regards,
SANTA

I found that CASS Business school is not having good reputation.....
please check the link http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1834667

I don't know what you mean about lesser requirements.

I don't think you can take that thread seriously. Cass gets great outcomes. It has been the leading undergrad business school in London for at least 30 years. Its part time MBA has also been exceptionally strong because of its location in the heart of the banking district.

In terms of specifics, the PGCE is the qualification for school teachers. I don't know any university academic who holds that. You can see where the Cass faculty get their PhDs from: They come from excellent universities around the world. So do the students. The comment about another world is dog whistle racism, because the high fees and competitive criteria mean there are few British postgrads at Cass (or at other top business schools). That is reflected in the better catering at the school than at the main City campus and in many other ways.

Cass is not LBS or Oxbridge and that does not really feel like much of a criticism. In fact these people are criticising what is good about Cass: Its emphasis on group work; faculty from top global universities; its preparedness to respond on some student boards (but look at that thread if you think Cass does that too much); its strong branding to compensate for the parent university's modest but rising profile; the emphasis on networking and other soft skills.

There are many reasons to not attend Cass, but its strengths are not those reasons. These critics clearly prefer a whiter school with traditional examinations and British teachers. Let them go elsewhere.

Hi Duncan,

I sent my CV to CEU yesterday after you sent me the name of the business school.

Just received offer from Central European University , Budapest to join their one year full time MBA starting from September'2016.
Considering my experience, They have waived off my GMAT.
Content of the offer CEU sent sent me goes like this
" 5. The scholarship deadline for this academic year was 31st May. We are not accepting scholarship applications anymore.
6. Your student visa expires 1 month after you finish your program. Therefore it is advisable to start your job search early into your program. This will allow sufficient time as it takes your employer 3 months’ time to get the work permit and visa.

7. We confer U.S MBA degrees, as CEU is registered in New York State. Further, CEU is also accredited by the AMBA. There are a number of CEU Alumni in India.

9. Budapest is home to the offices of the major consulting firms namely Accenture, BCG, CapGemini, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, Gartner, Gallup, Hay Group, KPMG, McKinsey & Company, SAP, and many more. However, I am not sure if they undertake work in your field of interest from their offices in Budapest.

10. CEU offers a wide range of electives in effect allowing you to shape the program in the way that is most relevant to your career aspirations. "
Summary :
Only problem is that I will not be getting any scholarship as class starts from Sept' 2016. That means I have self Fund my MBA.
So the question is " Is it worth enrolling here "
PLEASE ADVISE URGENTLY............................AS I BELIEVE THAT TIME BEING TOO SHORT FOR OTHER GOOD SCHOOLS , I MAY MISS OUT THIS YEAR SESSION IN OTHER COLLEGES in trying for the best.

Thanks & regards
SANTA

Hi Duncan,

I sent my CV to CEU yesterday after you sent me the name of the business school.

Just received offer from Central European University , Budapest to join their one year full time MBA starting from September'2016.
Considering my experience, They have waived off my GMAT.
Content of the offer CEU sent sent me goes like this
" 5. The scholarship deadline for this academic year was 31st May. We are not accepting scholarship applications anymore.
6. Your student visa expires 1 month after you finish your program. Therefore it is advisable to start your job search early into your program. This will allow sufficient time as it takes your employer 3 months’ time to get the work permit and visa.

7. We confer U.S MBA degrees, as CEU is registered in New York State. Further, CEU is also accredited by the AMBA. There are a number of CEU Alumni in India.

9. Budapest is home to the offices of the major consulting firms namely Accenture, BCG, CapGemini, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, Gartner, Gallup, Hay Group, KPMG, McKinsey & Company, SAP, and many more. However, I am not sure if they undertake work in your field of interest from their offices in Budapest.

10. CEU offers a wide range of electives in effect allowing you to shape the program in the way that is most relevant to your career aspirations. "
Summary :
Only problem is that I will not be getting any scholarship as class starts from Sept' 2016. That means I have self Fund my MBA.
So the question is " Is it worth enrolling here "
PLEASE ADVISE URGENTLY............................AS I BELIEVE THAT TIME BEING TOO SHORT FOR OTHER GOOD SCHOOLS , I MAY MISS OUT THIS YEAR SESSION IN OTHER COLLEGES in trying for the best.

Thanks & regards
SANTA