The objective of this page is to provide some
general information about MBA and DBA.
It is a tough decision to
choose a MBA or DBA program as it involves a lot of
committed costs and time. I have provided some resources and hope that the
information is useful for your decision.
However, I am not in the
position to
recommend a specific program or school as
each individual has different
preference and objectives of pursuing the study.
The intention for this website is to provide
my personal view on MBA and DBA
and not meant for commercial
purpose.
Q:
Is MBA Worth the Investment ?
A:
It is difficult to answer this question
as MBA is in no way to guarantee you to get a job,
a promotion nor salary increment.
However, if you look at other perspective, MBA does have a
competitive advantage for
you to enhance your career path. For example, if you are an Engineer
or IT specialist with
a technical degree, it is worth to consider MBA to widen your career path and scope.
For
those who like to venture into consulting line, it is worth consideration for an MBA.
The
question now is the return of investment. Are you going to spend 100,000 dollars for a
prestigious
MBA or 20,000 dollars for an average MBA or less than 10,000 dollars for an
online MBA?
Whatever amount you are going to invest
in the MBA, it will take about 3 to 5 years to break even.
As such, it is recommended the
investment amount is within your financial limit. Ideally,
your employers are sponsoring
the MBA program for you.
The MBA aspirant should look into a
longer termed benefit as the knowledge gained from the program
is valuable and beneficial
for life.
Q:
Can you recommend a MBA program?
A:
Choosing a MBA is not an easy task at
all as there are so many available programs in the
education industry either from public or private institutions. It is
recommended to take a recognized
degree from a
reputable University or Institutes. There are
several means to evaluate the campus:
a.
Does the campus has a “.edu” website?
b.
Is the campus has more than 3 years history?
c.
How many MBA graduates and what are the number of current students?
d.
Is the program recognized by government sector and private sectors?
e.
Is the program taught by qualified lecturers or Professors?
f.
Are there any references of the MBA program?
Based on the above, I believe you should
be able to filter some programs and choose the one that suit you most.
I prefer to stay
neutral in my position and not to recommend a specific MBA program.
Q:
Which MBA Study Options Should I take?
There are many study options like on campus, part-time,
distance learning, action learning, research and online program
etc.
First of all, choose a recognized program
and then think of the study mode.
The study options are depending on your
time and cost commitment.
Once you have decided, go for the
option till completion unless you have make a very wrong choice.
Q:
Should I take a General MBA or MBA with
Specialization?
It really depend on your interest and objective of taking the MBA program.
For an IT Specialist who does not know much about management subjects,
it may be
more comfortable to take a MBA program
that is geared towards technical subjects.
There are some MBA specialized in
Accounting which you may get advance standing in
CPA that is worth considering.
Again, it is depending on your interest and career objectives.
Q:
Can You Compare ABC MBA with XYX MBA ?
I will prefer to leave this
homework research to youself.
You need some due diligence in
short-listing and making a decision on the MBA
option.
Get as many materials
you can for the both programs and do a strength and weakness analysis.
It is “You” to decide the
decision and hence you have to be comfortable with the program you selected.
One
tip is to ask the graduates of the particular program for comments.
Q:
Should I take MBA or DBA?
For the young graduates without much working experience, go for the MBA and
consider the DBA
at a much later stage.
For senior managers with many years of
working experience, you may consider to skip MBA and
go for DBA if you are
qualified for that. However, do take note that the natures of MBA and DBA
are very
different. MBA teaches the framework of management subjects while DBA is more
research oriented.
For senior managers with technical
backgrounds who want to enhance their management and business skills,
I will
recommend MBA instead of DBA.
Q:
How Do
I Decide between an MBA or PMP?
Hmm,
I cannot compare Apple with Orange and both are different discipline.
MBA is an academic program while PMP is an
professional certification
for the project management discipline.
It might be difficult for a Project
Manager to decide which route is better for him or her.
Both MBA and PMP are beneficial for
those who are working in project management areas.
First of all, you have to identify what
is your personal aspiration and goal before making a commitment
to an academic degree
or certification. If you are already working in a middle or senior management
capacity,
MBA might be more valuable and useful. The general management
knowledge from MBA program will assist
you in your management operations. If you are
an experienced Project Manager and will like to excel in
project management
areas, PMP might be more applicable. However, the general
management skills learnt
from MBA is useful in running a project
while the specific project management knowledge gained from
PMP is
valuable as well.
There are number of people frequently asking about whether Singapore
government recognize
distance learning / part-time degrees from overseas universities.
I have extracted some information from the Civil Service page hope
it is useful:
" FOREIGN QUALIFICATIONS
Does the Civil Service accept overseas qualifications for graduate appointments?
Generally, the Civil Service will consider any candidate with a degree from a University
accredited
by the home government of the country where the university is situated. For
professional qualification
e.g. accountancy, engineering and law, the degrees must, in
addition be registrable with the respective
professional bodies in Singapore, to be
considered for Civil Service graduate appointments.
How do I know if my degree from overseas is acceptable for employment in Singapore?
There is no government authority in Singapore that assesses or grants recognition to
degrees awarded
by overseas universities for employment purposes. Each individual employer
(in the private or public sector)
decides on the criteria for recruitment based on its
organisational strategies. This includes the type of qualification
acceptable for
employment in each organisation.
For candidates with degrees from US universities, they can be considered for appointment
in the Civil Service
as long as the University is accredited by one of the following 6 US
accrediting Associations in USA:
1. Middle State Association of colleges and Schools
2. New England Association of Schools and Colleges
3. North Central Association of Schools and Colleges
4. Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges
5. Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
6. Western Association of Schools and Colleges
Where do I go to check on overseas studies and accreditation status?
You can check the information from relevant guide books readily available
at the National
Libraries or inquire at the education centres. "
