Korean Job Discussion Forums

[pkang0202]

I think being a AACSB accredited school OUTSIDE of the US is a big deal.

There are hundreds of Business Schools in the US and Canada that are AACSB accrdited, but there are only a couple dozen Asian Universities that are.

I belive Japan only has 2 MBA programs that are AACSB accredited.

Korea has 4, SNU, KAIST, KU, and Sejong.

[Juregen]

The G-MBA is not only AASCB accredited, it also has EQUIS accredited.

http://biz2.korea.ac.kr/academics/mba/global1.jsp?d1=3&d2=6&d3=1

[Wizdumb78]

haha. Hey Yaya, relax. So negative. It's just school.

[DaeSung]

I'm pretty sure this isn't the place to find the most support for a K-MBA. There are alot of factors that go into the "value" of an MBA program and in the end its what you make of it.

But this an open forum and people are entitled opinions thats what you're going to get peoples opinions... I'm pretty sure thats what you came to find anyway. If you agree great, if not then you just disagree. Probably the best idea is to talk to someone that is actually doing it, for example Juregen.

My personal take is alot of it depends on who you are. Are you a Kyopo? Are you a Caucasian American? What kind of work experience do you have?

I'm a Caucasian American with 3 plus years of work experience in Korea, I also speak Korean fairly well, and while I have thought an MBA in Korea would be fun, as far as I can tell most Koreans prefer a MBA from the US to K-MBA or Global MBA.

An MBA to me is the opportunity to move beyond what I'm currently doing. I currently work at a large Korean company and a K-MBA would be great if I wanted to continue to work for a large Korean company. But as an American with no Korean heritage I feel it would be very difficult to explain in an interview as to why I chose to study in Korea over the US. I think many employers would feel like studying in Korea was an "easy out" and that the candidate might not have been able to do an MBA in the US. That�s just me.

Honestly, I don't think I would gain anything by doing a K-MBA right now. I don't think that companies in the states would be excited to hire me after I finished. I'm not sure if people interested in doing a K-MBA have reflected on this but it would be helpful to see some statistics on placement including salary and origin of the company. I've personally found that most companies find my experience in a Korean company unique but then very quickly realize that Korean companies in no way compare to other MNC.

Personally I don't value a K-MBA, it seems like a waste of money and time, to me. I don't think it would work right for me. IF you think different then go ahead and do it. Make the best of it and I'm sure you'll find something that suits you. I'm looking to go to a 20~30 ranked school in the states and to me that seems like a much better option than going to a top 4 program in Korea.

I find it hard to believe that a degree from SNU will be worth as much as a degree from a 20~30 ranked US school in the USA. If you plan on staying in Korea for 5 years after you get the MBA and working for a major Korean company then maybe you do want to go to a K-MBA. I'd rather go the states for my MBA, work for a respectable MNC in the states and then come back to work in Korea as a VP.

Just my opinion but working at large Korean company is "okay" and other people might consider them to be a MNC. I don't. Korean chaebols (Samsung, Hyundai, LG, Posco, 기타 등등) are all Korean companies with offices overseas. They are not true global companies; they just don't meet the standards they should yet. They aren't bad companies, they just aren't global either.

If you can get into a top 20~30 school in the states then I would seriously consider the advantages of going there over going to a K-MBA program. Oh and have fun studying for the GMAT ~~;;

[Yaya]

Yep, considering Korean int'l MBA schools don't require the GMAT, accept just about anyone with a half-decent GPA and the like, it's probably better to go elsewhere.

I don't doubt that some who graduate from Korean MBA schools get jobs abroad and not necessarily with a Korean company, but perhaps other factors not mentioned were involved. I have a Korean buddy who works for the Int'l Labor Organization and is based in Jakarta. He got a master's from the Korea Univ. GSIS in economics but he was able to work at a hakwon from 3-9 p.m. Monday through Friday because he was bored. Mind you, he'd grown up abroad, was fluent in three languages and went to UPenn. I also asked him if the GSIS degree helped him get his NGO gig, and he said while it didn't hurt, he felt it didn't help either.

And 45 mln won a year for KU's MBA program? Still shaking my head on that ridiculous example of a ripoff!

[gruegoo]

Wow this thread is still going... sort of. Well I'm back after an almost 2 year absence. At the time I first started reading this thread, I was trying to decide between doing an MBA in Korea or doing one locally (Canada). I ended up choosing local and I've been in the program since Fall of 2007. Anyways here's my attempt at an impartial analysis of my experience so far in the program.

Also I should mention that I'm not an ESL teacher, although I first came to this forum because I was planning on teaching in Korea. So please keep in mind my goals may differ from yours.

*NOTE* These are just my personal experiences. Yours may obviously differ considerably.

Hope this helps!

-SCHOOL DETAILS-

School: Top 4 Canadian School (Not mentioning for privacy reasons)
Program: Part-time MBA while working, then Full-time MBA (switched part-way through)

Pre-MBA Salary compared to Latest Salary*: $25k increase over 1 year
*right before I quit my job to go to school full time

Focus: International Marketing

Goal: To one day work for a large corporation in either Canada or Korea. Ideally working in a Canadian office, then transferring to Korea for a while before going back.


-ANALYSIS-

Salary: A definite improvement. I had gone up $25k in the first year of being in the program, which was the direct result of 2 promotions. The real question is, would I have gotten those promotions without the MBA? In my opinion yes, but not nearly as quickly. I found that since people knew I was doing the MBA, my opinion had more clout in meetings. I also got the opportunity to apply what I learned in real-life scenarios, which directly resulted in a big campaign success (which gave me the 2nd promotion). Luck of course played a big factor, as it always does.

Looking forward, I'm currently interviewing for jobs that pay in the $90-100k range that specifically ask for an MBA (I'll be done later this year). In that sense, yes it's worth it for me financially. I'm hoping to be making $120-140k by the time I'm 30. So again, while I might have reached my current salary level without the MBA, I feel I'm advancing faster because of it. Required? Maybe not, but definitely helpful.

Knowledge Gained: I did not do business in my undergraduate degree. Therefore everything I've learned so far was new to me. I am specifically using the MBA for a career change into Marketing, so I found it very helpful. If you're looking to continue in your current career and you already have significant work experience, it may not be as helpful for you.

Connections: HUGE. I cannot stress enough how incredible it's been meeting people in high places over the last year. For example, my professor is good friends with the CEO of a "Big 5" bank (in Canada) and he's offered to introduce me to him when I graduate. Similarly, many of my classmates and part-time professors are senior management at large corporations (P&G, Microsoft, Sony, etc). I see this as the biggest selling point for the MBA degree. The value of the actual degree and knowledge gained from it can be debated. However, I feel the benefits from the connections gained cannot be argued. I don't know about Korea, but in Canada many, many of the positions available out there are never advertised. It's all about who you know.

Worth It?: For me, definitely yes. The money and time I've invested into this degree has already paid off. However, there are people in my class who feel it's been a waste of money and time. They're generally people who were higher up, i.e. senior manager or director level.

Korea or Not?: I plan on living in Canada for most of my life, so that's why I picked a degree here. If I had planned on living in Korea, then I think a degree in Korea would have been better, because of the connections to be made.

[Paji eh Wong]

Congrats on your degree.

[DaeSung]

I've mentioned a few times on the board I was looking at doing an MBA. It took a year longer than I thought it would but I found out a few days ago that I got accepted to a fairly good program in the states ^^ (my number 1 pick). My work experince here in Korea was a big plus on my application. Hope everyone else wanting to do an MBA gets into the school they want.

[mises]

[The Hammer]

Here is an article titled A Look at MBAs in Korea (2007-11-06).

http://web.skku.ac.kr/~sktimes/bbs/view.php?id=focus&no=5

What they have

1. Globalization
2. Specialization of Curriculum
3. Applied Business Programs.

What they lack

1.The curriculum itself - Lack of case studies about Korean corporations
2. Lack of classes on �Business morals�
3. Social Recognition - A question of effectiveness

written by Lee Ji-hye_Reporter

[email protected]

[Clinton]

Interesting thread. I was just looking at the SNU and YS MBA programs on a whim. I graduated from college three years ago and worked over a year at a very well-known financial firm (nothing elite, just well-known and respectable) and then quit to concentrate on my own business. I feel like I've tapped the potential of my business after two years and am just bored now. I considered teaching ESL in Korea... But that just doesn't seem like the right fit for me. I also considered going back to school but going for two years and taking on massive debt with no guarantee in this economy... I just don't know.

However the Korean degrees seem to be for one year and the cost seems to be about $32,000 in terms of tuition. I thought it'd be an interesting experience, but who knows.... It seems that a KMBA really doesn't help you get a corporate job in Korea, and I doubt it'll help me get any sort of significant salary increase in America. But on the other hand, studying abroad seems like a great experience. I'll be monitoring this thread, though. YS apparently has a spring program and application period is coming up in a few months.

[Clinton]

Also DaeSung (I'm new so I can't use PM), I was just wondering how you were able to get a job at a Korean company? I am possibly looking for a change in scenery and I thought a KMBA might have been my ticket but I see you are already working for one without an MBA.

[Yaya]

[bobbyhanlon]

CEIBS in shanghai. its a very good school, i did my student exchange there and ended up wishing i'd gone there for the whole MBA. its cheaper than a western MBA, yet ranked number 8 in the world now.
also shanghai is a great, fun city, and not so far from seoul if you need your korea fix once in a while.
if i could turn the clock back...

[coralreefer_1]