MBA tuition fees have generally risen by more than 100,000 yuan. Is it worth studying as an on-the-job graduate student？
In recent years, the number of people taking the postgraduate entrance examination in China has continued to rise, and the MBA (Master of Business Administration) program, which focuses on the working population, has also been sought after. People in the workplace are eager to improve their competitiveness, resulting in an increasing number of applicants and rising tuition fees. As the date of postgraduate entrance examination approaches, many colleges and universities across the country have successively published the MBA enrollment brochures for 2023. The reporter learned from this that MBA tuition fees in many colleges and universities across the country have increased, ranging from 20,000 yuan to 60,000-100,000 yuan. The total tuition fee is generally around 100,000 to 200,000 yuan, and the high is 400,000 yuan.
Then, why do the national MBA tuition fees rise one after another? What factors are behind it? Do you spend hundreds of thousands of yuan on MBA? In this regard, the reporter launched an investigation.
phenomenon
The national MBA tuition fees generally rose, with a maximum increase of 100 thousand yuan.
Tuition fees have always been a concern for MBA candidates when choosing a school. On September 23, the reporter learned from the websites of school officials of various colleges and universities that the tuition fees of MBA programs in many colleges and universities have increased this year. Among them, the part-time MBA of Shenzhen University increased by 100,000 yuan in 2023, from 198,000 yuan to 298,000 yuan/all; In 2023, Jinan University’s MBA part-time tuition fee was raised by 68,000 yuan, from 200,000 yuan to 268,000 yuan/all, with a schooling period of 3 years; The part-time MBA of Beijing Institute of Technology rose by 30,000 yuan, and the tuition fee after the increase was 216,000 yuan; School of economics and management, Antai, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, rose by 60,000 yuan on a part-time basis, and the tuition fee after the increase was 518,000 yuan.
In Sichuan, the MBA tuition fees of University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Sichuan Normal University and Southwest Petroleum University all increased in 2023.
According to the public information on the official website of the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, the tuition fee for the full-time master’s degree of MBA in 2023 is 138,000 yuan/all, and the academic system is 2 years; The part-time tuition fee is 158,000 yuan/total, and the academic system is 3 years. In comparison, the part-time tuition fee for MBA in 2022 is 98,000 yuan/all. Southwestern University of Finance and Economics part-time MBA rose from 98,000 yuan/total to 158,000 yuan. Sichuan University, on the other hand, adjusted the part-time tuition fee from 98,000 yuan to 158,000 yuan in 2022, and there was no change in 2023. The grade 2022 of Southwest Jiaotong University has risen from 78,000 yuan to 98,000 yuan, and the grade 2023 has not changed. Sichuan Normal University rose from 66,000 yuan to 78,000 yuan. Southwest Petroleum University rose from 54,000 yuan to 72,000 yuan/all.
The reporter learned that at present, MBA courses offered by colleges and universities have two training modes, full-time and part-time, most of which are part-time, and the applicants need to meet certain working or graduation years. The academic system varies from 2 to 4 years, and the learning style is flexible. On-the-job learning is carried out on weekdays, weekends, winter and summer vacations. Tuition fees are influenced by regions, school brands, school characteristics, etc. The price ranges from 60,000 yuan to 70,000 yuan/all, while the price ranges from 400,000 yuan to 500,000 yuan/all. On the whole, it will cost at least 100,000 yuan to 200,000 yuan/all.
cause
The market is hot, the number of applicants is increasing, and the tuition fee is rising.
The increase in MBA tuition fees did not appear only this year. In recent years, many colleges and universities have successively increased MBA tuition fees. What factors are behind it?
"Overall, whether it is the whole country or Sichuan, the increase in MBA tuition is a trend." Guo Ying is the president of Chengdu MBA Entrepreneurs Chamber of Commerce and the principal of Pinrui Education and Training School. He studied MBA at Southwestern University of Finance and Economics in 2008, and then founded a joint entrance examination training institution focusing on management, deeply cultivating MBA education industry for 12 years.
In Guo Ying’s view, the increase in tuition fees is mainly affected by the following factors.
First, from the professional nature, MBA will be relatively more expensive. In terms of curriculum module setting, MBA is a teaching mode case teaching, and the training mode is different from academic research; In terms of teacher allocation, many schools are equipped with a dual tutorial system, with on-campus tutors guiding master’s thesis and off-campus tutors guiding career development; In addition, the MBA course builds a platform for resource integration, information sharing and system upgrading, all of which are the cost of running a school.
Second, the policy impact. In 2016, the Ministry of Education issued the "Notice on Coordinating the Management of Full-time and Part-time Postgraduates", which distinguished full-time and part-time, and gave the part-time MBA program more room for market operation. The tuition price was adjusted from the examination and approval system to the filing system.
Third, MBA majors have a wide range of applications and a large demand. The number of applicants has increased year by year, and tuition fees have also risen.
Fourth, the tuition fee rises, lowering the threshold and improving the quality of training. Guo Ying said that in the direction of postgraduate training, academic master’s degree is to cultivate academic talents, professional master’s degree mainly solves applied talents and problems in practical work, and the examination is relatively easier, while MBA is a professional degree. "In the future, there is no need to train too many academic masters, and more professional masters and applied talents. This is also a trend."
However, with the increasing number of applicants and the younger population, the score of the exam is higher and the competition is more intense. Take Sichuan University as an example. According to official data, there are more than 3,000 applicants for MBA in 2020, and several hundred applicants for MBA in 2021. After the tuition fee for MBA in 2022 rose to 158,000 yuan, there are still more than 2,000 applicants. Nevertheless, the re-examination score of Sichuan University is still 10 points higher than the national line, with 180 points, while the scores for MBA in 2020 and 2021 are 195 points. This score is relatively easy for those who have just graduated, but it is very difficult for some entrepreneurial bosses, corporate executives and other groups in the workplace, because of their particularly busy work, they are older and have relatively weak test ability. "By increasing tuition fees, lowering test scores and raising the threshold for students." Guo Wei said.
affect
Don’t you apply for the MBA price increase? "The impact is there, but the overall impact is not great."
Does the increase in tuition fees have an impact on the application? "The impact is there, but the overall impact is not great." Guo Ying said that the increase in tuition fees did not affect the overall number of applicants, but mainly played a role in stratification and screening. For people who have just graduated for 3-5 years, their income is unstable and they are under economic pressure, they may choose to postpone or choose an affordable school; However, it has no effect on other economically stable people, and the exam is still taken. Take the four universities in Sichuan as an example. In recent years, the total number of applicants is more than 9,000, and the total enrollment is about 1,800, which is basically stable. However, the number of applicants from other institutions has increased relatively in the past two years.
Ms. Yang works in an enterprise service company in Chengdu. After graduating from undergraduate course, she has worked hard for several years to hold a management position in the company. In today’s fierce competitive environment, she felt that the original undergraduate degree was somewhat insufficient, so she had the idea of taking the postgraduate exam. However, due to busy work at ordinary times, if she chooses full-time graduate students, she will not only have insufficient preparation time, but may even quit her job in the future, so part-time MBA graduate students have become her first choice.
At present, Ms. Yang is going to apply for a part-time MBA major at the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, but this year’s tuition has increased a lot from 98,000 yuan to 158,000 yuan. Does the increase in tuition fees have an impact on the application? "No, maybe it will be higher in the future." Ms. Yang said that her job and income are stable now, and her annual salary is about 200,000 yuan. The tuition fees can be paid in batches, which is within the economic range, so it is better to save money by taking an early exam.
Mr. Miao works in a financial department in Chengdu, and the people he comes into contact with are generally highly educated. Therefore, he hopes to improve his academic qualifications by taking a part-time MBA and pave the way for future development. In the process of preparing for the exam this year, he found that the tuition of part-time MBA was a little high, which was a burden for him who had just worked for a few years. Therefore, after careful study, he decided to transfer to MPA (Master of Public Administration). "The content of the exam is the same as that of MBA, and the admission score is similar, but the tuition is much cheaper." Mr. Miao said that his original goal was to apply for the MBA of Sichuan University, but now he has changed to the part-time MPA of Electronic Science and Technology University with a tuition fee of 69,000 yuan.
value
It’s an opportunity
But not everyone.
Can read the results
Is it worth spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on MBA? "MBA is an opportunity, but not everyone can read the results." Diu Diu said that for people in the workplace, the problems they face are career transition at the age of 30 and workplace crisis at the age of 35. At this time, it is an option to break through their career bottlenecks and workplace crisis, but the results must be different from person to person. For 32-year-old Diu Diu, getting an MBA has provided a new direction for her career development.
Diu Diu is currently the head of Yanyou MBA training institution. She graduated from Chengdu Institute of Sichuan International Studies University with a bachelor’s degree and worked as a translator abroad for many years. In 2018, when she returned to China, she faced a fault in her career and contacts. She encountered many difficulties and everything needed to be redeveloped. "Therefore, I want to give myself a buffer time through the MBA platform, meet more people and look for new opportunities. After being admitted to Sichuan University, Diu Diu revised her resume. With the background of MBA in 985 and 211 universities, headhunters soon found her and entered a company. Through continuous expansion of contacts, her WeChat friends rose from the initial 1,000 to more than 8,000. On the MBA platform, she met partners and met investors to start a business.
Diu Diu is mainly responsible for the front-end consulting work of the organization on weekdays, and has contacted a large number of preparation staff. She said that the main purpose of choosing MBA students is to improve their academic qualifications, cross-bank job transfer, promotion and salary increase, expand their contacts and find new opportunities, or entrepreneurial bosses and senior management in enterprises have bottlenecks in management and need to be systematically improved.
In Guo Ying’s view, the students in MBA are cross-majors, industries, functions and age groups, and are also the integration of social resources such as resources, knowledge and assets. Through the platform of MBA, we can change the path of career development, learn the frontier thoughts of business, expand our knowledge thinking, open our horizons and enhance our comprehensive ability. "This effect is determined by its training mode, but it will also vary from person to person."
Behind the MBA craze, related online and offline training institutions are also developing constantly, and there has been a head effect. Guo Ying said that Pinrui, for example, belongs to the head of management training in Sichuan, and the number of registered students has increased from about 160 in 2011 to more than 3,000 in Sichuan and Chongqing last year. The applicants are mainly private enterprises, state-owned enterprises and the financial system, among which 30% students come from the financial system, which is higher than other cities except Beishangguang, which also reflects the active financial industry in Chengdu. At present, the market has stabilized, but its future development will be closely related to the overall economic environment. "Tuition is actually a lever, which plays a role in regulating and filtering stratification."
Chengdu Business Daily-Red Star Journalist Zhang Zhaoting
According to the creativity of the worm