Having worked in Dubai for over five years and possessing an ambition to move towards senior managerial roles, 33-year-old Areef felt that his career was beginning to plateau.
Though a tech graduate from a prestigious Indian institute in Mumbai, he realized that it was imperative for him to begin upskilling to accelerate his career progress. After some consultation and exploration, he decided to pursue a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA).
Whether you are a fresh graduate or a seasoned professional looking to break through a career plateau, or transition into a new career or industry, an MBA degree can help you fast-track your growth. QS gives you an opportunity to explore MBA options at the QS MBA & Masters Premium conference in Dubai on February 28 at the Dusit Thani. Register online for your pass at www.topmba.com/Gulfnews
Market Trends
The global employment market is changing quickly, characterized by its volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. Business leaders seeking to succeed in this environment must possess strong soft skill competencies, and cross-domain expertise. Today it’s simply not enough for an engineer to be a subject-matter expert – he must also be an effective project manager, a negotiator, marketer, and a strategist.
A comprehensive MBA programme prepares learners to be resilient, flexible, and creative. It hones communication skills, critical thinking, and commercial acumen. It enables students to cultivate international professional networks – the sort of skills invaluable to any business in an ever-more-global world.
The higher education consultancy Quacquarelli Symonds – in their QS Jobs & Salary 2018 report – found that, despite the uncertainty faced across the world, employers are seeking MBA talent in greater numbers than ever before. Indeed, it is to these aspirational alumni that anxious organizations are turning, acknowledging their unique skill sets and outstanding networks.
An MBA from a top-tier institute can incur costs of a few hundred thousand dirhams – a substantial expense for any entry-level or mid-senior level professional. When one also considers the concomitant costs incurred by foregoing a year’s salary – or more – the real cost of the degree only increases further. As a consequence, it would be entirely natural for anyone considering an MBA – no matter their skills or ambition – to ask themselves: is this a justified investment in my future?
QS’s independent dataset suggests that, while there are invariably financial and opportunity costs associated with taking an MBA degree, there is much to recommend doing so. The QS Education trust offers scholarships opportunities to potential candidates, your first step to become eligible to access the pool of scholarships is to attend the QS MBA & Masters event in Dubai on 28th February.
Choosing the right MBA Programme
At all stages of one’s MBA journey – from choosing a school to calculating the return on investment (ROI) of a degree – it is imperative that one’s decisions are reflective, circumspect, and data-driven.
With today’s complex contemporary work environment making lifelong learning an imperative, professionals – whether early and mid-career or senior management – are becoming increasingly conscious that, in seeking to continue progressing, continuous upskilling is crucial. The world’s business schools have responded with alacrity to these market needs, supporting a professional’s desire to re-skill in ways conducive to career enhancement through pedagogical innovation.
It is true that traditional instructional methods such as classroom tuition, case studies, guest lectures, and seminars continue to form central elements of an MBA’s pedagogical processes. However, QS are also observing that novel teaching and learning methods are increasingly common. These include interdisciplinary and live project-based learning, role-play, simulation, and gamification, and are designed to directly cultivate the skills required by top employers in the contemporary workplace.
Those keen to explore the possibility of an MBA further can learn more at the Premium MBA & Masters conference organized by QS on February 28 at Dusit Thani in Dubai. It will offer advice designed to help students make the optimum choice for their unique needs and discern between the plethora of programs available to them.
The payoff
After investing in an MBA, however – with its concomitant costs – those taking them may also wish to consider the immediate return on that investment.
The QS Return on Investment Report offers a wealth of data to ensure that – whatever decision an aspiring MBA candidate eventually reaches – decisions are well-informed and evidence-based. One metric they offer is an indication of the ten-year return on investment an MBA graduate can hope to accrue – and the data is in favour of MBA graduates. Data sourced by QS from MBA alumni across the world indicates that the average global 10-year ROI of an MBA is $390,751 (Dh1.4 million). Stanford offers the world’s best ROI - $1 million over ten years. Imperial College, London offers Europe’s highest ROI ($870,200), and the University of Hong Kong offers the largest ROI of any programme in the Asia-Pacific region ($845,350).
Those planning to explore post-study work opportunities in the US are also well-remunerated, with graduates receiving an average starting salary of $102,100. Generous compensation packages are also available for MBA graduates seeking to work in France ($98,500) or the United Kingdom ($92,400). In the Asia-Pacific region, compensation packages are not as large by comparison, but are still generous: Australia leads the way with an average remuneration rate of $98,400, followed by Japan ($80,000).
If MBA is of an interest, attend and meet MBA admissions directors from top ranked institutions including Alliance Manchester Business School, Imperial College of Business, Indian School of Business, Warwick, Cass Business School, ESADE, Edinburgh Business School - Heriot-Watt University (Dubai), HULT International Business School, The Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management & many more.
Additionally,
- Attendees will get access to scholarships worth $7 million (Dh25.7 million)
- Receive a complimentary copy of the QS TopMBA Career Guide – for the first 100 attendees only
- Get your CV reviewed by an expert from Elite Resumes
- Network with industry experts & MBA Alumni
You can register online to book your spot at www.topmba.com/gulfnews
Alternatively, if you are looking for an International Masters, attend the QS World Grad School Tour event, where you can meet and network with admissions officials from INSEAD, EDHEC, ESSEC, MIP, Bocconi University, University College Dublin and more in Dubai on the 28 of February at Dusit Thani. You can register online for free at www.topuniversities.com/gulfnews
QS will be organizing a premium MBA networking event in Abu Dhabi on the 26th of February at the Beach Rotana Hotel, where you can speak face-to-face with admissions directors from This is an invite only event, so interested candidates are requested to upload their CV in English while registering for the event www.topmba.com/gulfnews
