24months, 18months or 12months MBA Programme?
Atwo-year MBA can be a daunting prospect: two years of lost earnings, seven- digit tuition fees, and the specter of being lumbered with loans for the foreseeable f u t u r e . Older students in particular may be drawn to the idea of storming through their MBA in just one year, particularly if they have families to support. But for anyone serious about getting the most out their studies, financial costs should be balanced against finding a program that can really advance their careers.
The decision to embark on an MBA program may be about gaining the skills to take a step up in the industry you currently work in, or it may come with the realization that you want to take a new direction in your career. Students should consider their motivations for getting an MBA when deciding on the duration of the p rog ram . For students in the 12month program the work experience they have is more in line with their career goals and they really want to advance in a similar field,” says the course director of Oxford College of Business (OCB), who currently offers the Best MBA program in the country. “The 12month MBA program has been around in various forms for a long time,” says MBA course director at OCB. “It’s not a reaction to things happening in other countries, but more an evolution of what we’re seeing in terms of student needs. I think the desire of today’s students is for more flexibility.”he also says that “opting for a 12month MBA to switch careers or to get their desired promotion is now becoming the norm in Sri Lanka. A surprising number of students who has graduated with the 12month MBA come to me once they’ve got their promotion and they say
“Surprisingly I really didn’t have time for a lot of networking” says Perera. “I had a great time, but to me a
one-year program seems a better choice as it is more efficient in terms of the skills you acquire, and saves times. I feel the 1st year of the program is very theory based which does not in any way help a person working in a senior management position, but more ideal for a person who has just completed his first degree and
has no work experience,”
that the program has helped them immensely in standing out from the rest of their co workers and performing at exceptionally high levels.”
Weather it is 12, 18 or 24 months an MBA is an MBA, the intensity of the workload for an MBA is a universal, meaning that whatever a student’s goals, they must be extremely focused. Suraj Perera a student who graduated with an 18 month MBA decided to prioritize a speedy return to by opting for an 18month program. “Surprisingly I really didn’t have time for a lot of networking” says Perera. “I had a great time, but to me a one-year program seems a better choice as it is more efficient in terms of the skills you acquire, and saves times. I feel the 1st year of the program is very theory based which does not in any way help a person working in a senior management position, but more ideal for a person who has just completed his first degree and has no work experience,”
Suraj tellingly describes the pace of his program as “brutal.” “And although anyone involved in a 18month MBA program will argue that the workload is certainly challenging, it is often spread over a wider variety of activities which are very hypothetical and has very little relevance to the day to day work we carry out.” For Kapila Weerasinghe, a student on the two-year program said, that variation and freedom to invest energy beyond the classroom has been a beneficial aspect of the two- year program. “I am able to do a variety of different extracurricular activities, and obtain leadership roles,” says Kapila. “As I intend to be an academic scholar the program has immensely helped me in rounding out my skill sets and helped me obtain a detailed understanding of the academic side of business.”
Meanwhile Eardly Kern, who opted for OCB’S 12month MBA calls it the “cocktail” of all MBA’S ! Mainly because it has the right blend of everything and designed for people who work full time. He admits that the connections he has made with fellow students have been one of the most rewarding aspects of his MBA experience. “The 12 Month MBA is offered as one subject per month. This means that we need to focus on just one subject at a time, in addition to our usual personal and professional obligations. The fact that t h e exami- nation is just a month away from the start of each subject has contributed to high completion rates, as the students are continuously motivated. If you are looking at career progression to improve promotion prospects within a company or industry, to start a company the 12Month MBA program is the ideal choice. Furthermore the kind of students that join the 12month MBA at OCB need to have at least 5 years of managerial experience as OCB is of the view that a cohort of experienced students simply make for a better MBA program. The logic is that students with more experience f e e l m o re comfo r t abl e speak- ing up in class and engaging in deeper discussions with classmates, while using concrete examples, which can naturally lead to better insights.”
“After all, one of the main benefits of an MBA program is peer learning,” says the MBA course director at OCB. “Our opinion is that without the experience, the program becomes far too academic. Of course, it’s not all about the number of years in terms of work experience; the quality of experience also plays a large role. A person with less experience, but who has a variety of responsibilities under their belt is also considered a strong candidate” he added. These could be seen as the main reasons why the 12month MBA at Oxford College of Business is rated the best MBA in the country and the most sought after MBA program today. For more information contact the Malindu Ranasinghe - 0714151547 or visit www. 12monthmba.
com.au