Global Demand Still Strong for U.S. Business Schools
No matter where they are in the world, more MBA candidates (43 percent) would rather get their Master of Business Administration from a school in the U.S. than any other country.
The international business education event organizer Advent Group presented its survey at a press conference in New York this morning, saying it had analyzed MBA data from over 58,000 prospective MBA applicants from 61 countries.
Four out of 10 want an American MBA
Data pulled from MBA candidate profiles across Europe, the Middle East, the Americas and Asia show that the United States is still the most preferred study destination for international business executives, with four out of 10 candidates looking for an American MBA.
Access MBA candidates in Asia and Latin America, particularly in China and Venezuela, are the most likely to apply for an American MBA program. Demand from developing markets is on the rise, with Asia and Eastern Europe showing an increase in interest in U.S. business schools.
“Our candidates in Almaty and Baku, which are fairly new markets for us and for business education in general, are extremely interested in studying in the United States,” says Carolyn Gonglefski, Access MBA’s Event and Communication Director.
Brand recognition still important
This interest reveals that MBA rankings and a program’s name brand recognition are still important factors when applying to business school – factors that place American business schools ahead of their foreign counterparts in the minds of global business executives.
Global mobility appears to be on the upswing and more MBA students are selecting to work in other countries and to have a more global perspective post-MBA, according to Nani Attar, IESE Business School in Spain.
Diversity
Diversity means different things to different business schools. For Baruch College's Zicklin School of Business, diversity means any underrepresented class, while for the IESE Business School, it means anyone who isn't Spanish.
