Are you considering doing an MBA, but confused about the mass of information out there — including the number of such degrees and how they compare?
Especially following the Council on Higher Education’s accreditation exercise, which okayed some institutions’ MBAs, provisionally approved some others and refused accreditation to several, these questions are acute.
A new website now sets out to offer all you might need to know — and keep you supported while sweating your way through the programme you finally choose. It’s called MBA.co.za, and was launched in June by Surreal, an online publishing company. Shaun Kingston, owner of Surreal, says the response to the website has been ‘phenomenal”.
After overhearing a conversation involving an IT manager who wanted to pursue a MBA degree to enhance his business skills, Kingston says he ‘began browsing the Internet for information” on this subject, and discovered there was little information relevant to the South African MBA context. The idea to launch an MBA portal was born.
MBA.co.za provides a wealth of information on choosing the right MBA, how to go about applying for an MBA and a list of accredited business schools — to mention a few. The most popular section on the site recorded was MBA.co.za School Directory.
The list of business schools on the website provides contact details and all of the information about the institutions you’ll need to make a well- informed decision. Though the primary target of the site is prospective MBA students, it is also ideal for business schools, MBA graduates and employers, and members of the media.
In its first month, the site had 1 161 ‘unique visitors” — that is, people who visited the site (not to be confused with ‘hits”, several of which could be made by the same visitor). The site welcomed an additional 1 757 visitors in July.
Registered users receive a monthly electronic newsletter, which is supplementary to the site. It highlights key issues and provides information on the latest articles and events on MBA.co.za in a neat package. The first edition of the newsletter was distributed via e-mail on July 1.
Within the first two weeks of being published, 514 visitors were registered as subscribers. The newsletter includes contributions from the various participating business schools and provides news-making headlines in the business industry.
Anyone in need of advice can contact a panel of experts, who are members of business schools.
MBA.co.za has links with international organisations such as The Princeton Review and Hobson MBA Central. ‘Our relationship with these two organisations is based on a content arrangement with MBA.co.za obtaining permission to reproduce various MBA articles,” comments Kingston.
Visit www.mba.co.za for more information on the site
What MBA.co.za offers
Tips on choosing the right MBA.
A panel of MBA experts to answer your questions.
Latest news and events in the business education industry.
List of criteria business schools look for in a candidate.
Links to sites such as the Council on Higher Education, the Association of MBAs and the South African Qualifications Authority.
Monthly newsletter providing subscribers with the latest articles and events available on MBA.co.za.