MBA programs in RP continue to gain ground

MANILA, Philippines - A little over a year after the collapse of Lehman Brothers, enrollment in MBA programs continue to increase. Fifty-four percent of the international MBA programs surveyed in a recent study reported an increase in applicant numbers. And 61 percent of deans expect increasing applicant numbers for MBAs in the coming academic year as well.

Modern managers are looking more closely at good corporate governance, opportunity screening, strategic stake holder management and global best practices. Despite initial rumors that an MBA may not be as relevant to modern managers as it once was, new business school enrollees, fresh from the lessons of Madoff’s Ponzi schemes, understand that investments that sound too good to be true are probably not true.

Jonathan Te, alumni of University of Western Australia (UWA), who is into several business ventures and consultancy services, shares the following: “Gaining an MBA degree from UWA has enabled me to take my business to the next level. The course has provided me with the confidence to go bolder and be more aggressive in pursuing various business opportunities to help achieve my personal goals. It has also opened windows for me on a global scale. My UWA MBA experience has been nothing but incredible; it was the best two-year investment I’ve ever made.”

Reasons businesspeople have chosen to take MBA have included improving job mobility, whether domestically or internationally; achieving greater financial rewards; personal development, enhancing self-awareness and confidence; setting up a new business; and, of course, establishing valuable networks across a range of industries.

Dianne Goette represents young career women who can balance the demands of family, professional career with a multinational corporation, while devoting time to business school with UWA. She relates: “UWA has allowed me to get a world-class MBA degree while continuing to advance my experience in the corporate world. It has accelerated the expansion of my knowledge beyond my area of expertise, and has linked me to a network of experienced alumni, faculty and business community leaders.”

The UWA MBA in Manila has moved its address at the heart of the Makati CBD. Classes are held at the ground floor of the Makati Stock Exchange Building. The UWA MBA is the only program delivered by a business school accredited by EQUIS, the leading international system of quality assessment and improvement. To ensure quality and the University’s reputation, professors from the home campus in Perth, Western Australia, come to Manila to personally conduct classes.

In addition to being EQUIS-accredited, UWA is ranked among the Top 100 universities in the world and is a member of Australia’s prestigious Group of Eight Leading Universities. This prestige has attracted more than 90 graduates who have completed the program in Manila since 2002. Most of the alumni now hold strategic leadership positions both in local and international corporations, representing various industries, both here and abroad.