Hi Duncan,
Im trying to find a good ranked university in the UK for full-time MBA program that would provide a great placment/internship or work opportunity post MBA graduation.

My GPA is 2.4 (low I know) and dont have GMAT yet but I do have 6 years of work experience in project management (PMO).

My career goal is to work in project managment field.

Would appreciate your input and guidance on this.

Take a look at https://find-mba.com/board/general-forum/best-schools-for-international-students-placement-35651

Perhaps an MSc in project management would be an option?

Yes it can be but based on my research (not that much of an expert) it seems that MBA weigh more in the job market than MSC and the future return is much better. I have seen that post but having doubts about the ones I would have a good chance in admission with due to my low gpa and not sure if my GMAT score would be above the average!

I'm also planning to continue my academics and get PHD degree later on.

What's your advice in this regard? Any picks from that list that I have chance with? I really respect and appreciate your input!

[Edited by MBQ on Feb 18, 2018]

Why a PhD? If you want one, why find a PhD scholarship and start on that?

I did not search anything in regards PhD as I had very shallow view of some of the admission requirements for PhD degrees and a Master degree was main requirement for admission.

Which UNIs from the list you think I have good chance in admission with in regards to the MBA?

Admission depends on your GMAT. Start with a masters in research. Many top business school have them, including the University of Edinburgh, where I am, and Manchester where I did my BA.

[Edited by Duncan on Feb 19, 2018]

I would say, if you're serious about a full-time MBA at this stage, you'll probably need to contact the universities to see if they think you'd be a competitive applicant with your GPA.

It's rather low but of course their expectations depend on your undergraduate school and grading procedures. For Imperial for instance if you're from the US they generally require at least a 3.0 to a 3.25 on a 4.0 score. If you went to school in India they look for 8.5/10 in general, with exceptions for IITs - if you went to an IIT they'll look at your application even if you scored 7.5/10, simply due to the rigor and competitiveness of these programs.

But like Duncan said GMAT will also be important. Have you taken a practice GMAT?

Alright, time to give back to the community a bit since I received some excellent help when I was applying.

Current Imperial MBA here, I got in with a 2.5 GPA from some unknown university in North America. Couple key factors:

1. you need to explain it in your personal statement in your application to any program you are applying to.
2. how competitive are other applicants from your country? Also, is your background unique? your gender?
3. Your Gmat score.

Your Gmat score is probably the most important, since it needs to be high enough for them to consider the first two factors, but that's just my educated guess from my application process last year with different business schools.

That's great advice. Were they concerned about the GPA? Did they ask you about it in the interview, etc.?

I'm truely and completely lost with choosing which university would be good for me. I'm looking for good MBA degree and program that would be close to the project managment work field of mine abit or a program that will be valued more for employment in UK and has good salary. All these rankings etc are just making it hard/confusing to choose from.

Will an MBA program with internship have a higher chance to secure a job more than one without?

Also like Birmingham MBA in International business? Thats different from normal MBA?

Need guidance on which University to apply to honestly!

You do seem to be a bit all over the place.
Here is a checklist of things to do, to get sorted

-Check out the FT ranking for MBA: http://rankings.ft.com/businessschoolrankings/global-mba-ranking-2018
-Tick the box Int. Mobility
-Check out which ones have good international mobility, which is an indicator if you have good chance to find job in another country
-Visit their websites and check which ones are within your budget
-Contact them and ask if you GPA is a problem, and if they need GMAT
-Make a list or excel table of the schools that you can afford, their ranking and int. mobility ranking, and if your gpa is accepted there, if they need gmat, and if they offer internship

This should narrow it down for you :)
Usually people apply to more than 5 universities. And you will most likely need decent GMAT score

P.S. for UK schools since you plan to work in UK

[Edited by George Patsoulis on Feb 28, 2018]

Alright, I just recieved offers from: Aston, Loughborough , Leeds and Birmingham.

Which ones would you recommend for MBA? And better work opportunity and finding job in UK?

Do you already have authorization to work in the UK?

None of these schools are particularly notable for their ability to place non-EU citizens into UK roles.

Leeds is the only one currently ranked in the FT, and here, their international mobility stat - the success of having graduates switch from one country to another - is absolutely dismal, the worst of all UK schools in the ranking.

I'd say if you're looking to work in the UK, and aren't an EU citizen, these schools are all qualitatively similar. Look at location - is a school in a place with more firms that you're interested in working for?

Also, have a fall-back plan for after graduation.

Duncan, can you share with me your kind opinion?

I already have done. George is generously giving you great advice.

I have done that but unfortunately all of the schools listed in the FT ranking requires GMAT score of 600+ and I'm afraid of not being able to secure the GMAT before their deadline. Even though I'm trying, but for now I recieved offers from the following: Loughborough, Aston, Birmingham, Leeds, Southampton. I wanted your opinion on what is between my hands from offers right now from 1 to 5. If you can rank them based on your experience please.

I would appreciate that alot.

I am really not sure that any of these will meet your goals, especially since they seem so unlcear, but on the basis of the graduate employability scores on the CUG I suggest: Loughborough > Birmingham > Leeds > Aston > Southampton

Loughborough's internship option is helpful.

https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings?o=Graduate+Prospects&s=Business+%26+Management+Studies

Wow..thank you so much Duncan, this is very helpful and I didn't know how to use the UCG league table before. Thanks once again for the guidance, I will go with your advice.

PS: I'm preparing for my GMAT, hope I can make it before the deadlines to get a better offer from an FT ranked UNI. I persume FT ranked UNIs are better always than those not on it, correct me if im wrong please!

Also, what do you think of these rankings?

1- http://www.best-masters.co.uk/ranking-master-in-united-kingdom/master-mba-full-time.html

2- http://www.eduniversal-ranking.com/business-school-university-ranking-in-united-kingdom.html

Are they reliable for MBA?

[Edited by MBQ on Mar 16, 2018]

Those both use QS data, which is not as good as FT data. The MBA ranking is disasterous. Helpful sometimes but generally rankings are not as useful for you as clarifying your own career goals and finding realistic options.

[Edited by Duncan on Mar 16, 2018]

I must say you are a gold mine Duncan, thanks once again.

Will be posting my updates as I progress further with any new offers.

Your inputs are very valuable to me personally!