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MBA - SG
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DBA - SG
Thesis

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

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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. "

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Extracted from Straits Time 2nd April 2008

 

THERE have been recent media reports about the establishment of Singapore campuses of foreign universities.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) would like to take this opportunity to clarify that there are four local universities (Nanyang Technological University, National University of Singapore, Singapore Management University and UniSIM). In addition, seven foreign universities have been established here as part of EDB's Global Schoolhouse programme and they are: Chicago Graduate School of Business, DigiPen Institute of Technology, ESSEC Business School, Insead, New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, S P Jain Center of Management and University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Together, these institutions provide a wide range of high quality programmes at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Many foreign universities are also offering degree programmes through local agents which are considered by MOE to be private education organisations (PEOs). However, these PEOs do not have university status in Singapore.

Members of the public are welcome to check the type of establishment regime of educational institutions at MOE's web page, http://www.moe.gov.sg under the heading 'Education System'. Local universities as well as those foreign universities established as part of EDB's Global Schoolhouse programme are listed under the 'Post-Secondary' sub-heading, while external degree programmes are listed under the 'Private Schools' sub-heading.

Perry Lim
Director, Higher Education Ministry of Education

 

 

According to The Times Higher Education Supplement, the top Australian universities in the
world ranking are:

Number 16:     Australian National University
Number 27:     University of Melbourne
Number 31:     University of Sydney
Number 33:     University of Queensland
Number 43:     Monash University
Number 44:     University of New South Wales
Number 62:     University of Adelaide
Number 64:     University of Western Australia
Number 168:   Macquarie University
Number 195:   Queensland University of Technology
Number 199:   University of Wollongong
Number 200:   RMIT University

 


 

 

 

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                                    Last modified: 04/06/2008              Website hosted since 1995