By Dr Prem Shamdasani

I WAS at a party recently where I met a young man in his early 20s and who was just about to graduate from his studies in the United States.

His first question after he was introduced to me by his father and upon finding out that I was a business school professor was whether he should do his MBA immediately upon graduation and which MBA programme he should be applying to. Expectedly, I have been asked this question many times by fresh graduates or young executives between jobs.

The desire to do an MBA in these cases seems to be driven by either a need to get it (the MBA) over with before embarking on a professional career or by the logic that since jobs are hard to find, it is better to do an MBA. These are myopic reasons for doing an MBA and do not take into consideration how a good MBA can add lifelong value to a young executive's academic and professional development and benefit the organisation he or she works for in terms of the management knowledge and acumen needed to compete successfully.

The regular MBA (to differentiate it from the Executive MBA) is generally designed for junior and middle managers with two to eight years of experience in technical or non-technical fields who require management theories and analytical tools to better understand business and organisational dynamics so as to be more effective managers and leaders.

The work experience that they possess is vital in helping them better appreciate and apply management concepts and tools and to crystallise their learning. Without work experience or business exposure, the knowledge gained from the MBA coursework is perceived to be less relevant and meaningful.

With the proliferation of MBAs globally and locally, many a young executive may be tempted by the paper chase, the lure of better financial remuneration or easier job prospects. Many end up disappointed when they realise that companies, when hiring, often look for many other qualities besides the MBA qualification such as personality, confidence, communication skills, emotional intelligence, leadership and managerial skills and, yes, some work experience.

With so many MBAs (accredited and non-accredited), company recruiters are increasingly looking for executives with MBAs from recognised and quality schools with a strong track record of academic excellence, international student diversity and strong and prominent alumni networks.

The traditional MBAs are offered on a full-time basis (12 to 18 months to complete) or on a part-time basis (about three years to complete). Part-time MBAs are usually offered as evening or week-end classes to better suit the schedules of working executives.

Traditional MBAs offer functional specialisation in core fields of business such as finance, marketing and organisational behaviour. Increasingly, many schools also offer MBAs with sector specialisation such as healthcare, real estate, retailing and hospitality management.

Different MBA experiences

For those interested in experiencing learning in two different countries and cultures, many top MBA programmes have dual degree options.

For example, the NUS Business School, in addition to its established and recognised core and part-time MBA programmes, also offers dual degree programmes in collaboration with Beijing University, HEC (France), Korea University and Fudan University.

These dual degree programmes attract students from a broad spectrum of nationalities, backgrounds and professions and provide diverse learning platforms and access to different corporate networks.

In Singapore alone, there are many MBA programmes offered by international and local schools on a full-time, part-time, online and distance learning basis.

The choices increase tremendously when one goes international. Just in Asia-Pacific alone, there are thousands of MBA programmes to choose from. They vary in reputation, programme design and specialisation, fees and the learning experience they provide.

It is important that MBA aspirants do their due diligence and research to identify quality and accredited programmes with a strong academic tradition in their chosen fields of specialisation, good international student diversity, established alumni networks, recognised faculty with strong academic and consulting credentials, good career services and placement record and active student exchanges and corporate internships.

Being an educator for the last 25 years at the NUS Business School, I have taught and interacted with hundreds of MBA and EMBA students.

My personal advice to those aspiring to an MBA is that quality and experience do matter and deciding to do an MBA should be viewed as a lifelong investment in your personal, academic and professional development.

I would discourage anyone who wants to pursue an MBA without some work experience or is motivated by the pursuit of paper qualification or 'nice to have' considerations.

Furthermore, it is never too late to do an MBA. For those who are 'too old' for a regular MBA (in their 40s and 50s), don't give up yet. Some of the best business schools in the world now offer the EMBA, the Executive MBA designed for the senior executive with about 10 years' experience or more and it is offered on a part-time basis.

The EMBA is a great opportunity for senior executives from diverse professional backgrounds to learn and validate their business experience in an environment that is highly engaging and interactive and where peer knowledge sharing and networking further add value to one's academic and professional development.

Dr Prem Shamdasani is professor of marketing, vice-dean, executive education and academic director, Asia-Pacific Executive (APEX) MBA at the NUS Business School. The views and opinions expressed in this article are his own. -tabla!