China launch for world-leading Otago MBA
programme
The
University of Otago online Master of Business Administration (MBA) programme is
set to launch in China next year.
The
announcement comes on the same day CEO
Magazine confirmed the Otago programme has retained its third place ranking
in its annual Global MBA Rankings.
University
of Otago Executive Programmes director Ian Lafferty says both announcements are
evidence of the consistent quality of the programme.
The online
MBA will launch in China in partnership with Beacon Education, he says.
¡°Beacon
Education has developed a comprehensive online platform which delivers
in-country student outreach, marketing and social media, student recruitment,
programme delivery and local support. Otago will provide the content and the
teaching for the programme.¡±
The first two cohorts of a total of 50
students will start in 2020.
¡°China offers a great growth opportunity for
Otago. There are vast numbers of business graduates seeking a quality MBA from
an international university,¡± Lafferty says.
¡°This
will be significant for Otago. The university currently has around 500 students
from China, so this would represent an approximate growth of 10 per cent per
year on that number – from just one programme.¡±
This is the fourth year the Otago online
programme has been running and the third consecutive year it has been ranked in
the top four online MBA programmes globally.
CEO
Magazine has been ranking business schools since 2012.
This year 71 online MBAs were ranked from business schools around the world.
¡°I think
it is about real engagement with students. The lecturers, the Zoom team and the
programme management team build strong relationships with the students
throughout their MBA, from start to finish. This is as easy to do with online
students as it is with on campus students,¡± Lafferty says.
While ranking third
- behind the EU Business School and SBS Swiss Business School – is something to
celebrate, Mr Lafferty says there is no room for complacency.
¡°We came third, which means we still have room for improvement. We need
to maintain and grow the quality of our teaching team as this is the most
important criterion in the CEO Magazine
ranking.¡±
Otago Business School (OBS) Pro-Vice Chancellor Professor Robin Gauld
says the ranking is a ¡°stunning achievement¡±.
¡°Otago¡¯s online MBA was ranked third last year, and fourth the year
before. Retaining third in a very competitive global market is something for
our MBA programme and OBS to be very proud of, particularly as the number of
ranked programmes is considerably more this year than last.
¡°This also suggests that the CEO
Magazine rankings are being noticed by MBA providers and prospective
students,¡± Professor Gauld says.
The rating should not be taken lightly, he says.
¡°The CEO Magazine rankings,
like others such as QS (an annual publication of university rankings), are
important as they look at various elements of the MBA programmes that are
ranked. The higher-ranked programmes, such as Otago¡¯s, are obviously performing
better across the range of key areas of interest, meaning that the quality of
the programme is high, along with its reputation.¡±
For more information, contact:
Ian Lafferty
Director, Executive Programmes
ian.lafferty@otago.ac.nz
(03) 479 8165
Professor Robin Gauld
Pro-Vice Chancellor, Division of Commerce
Otago Business School
robin.gauld@otago.ac.nz
(03) 479 8632
Lea Jones
Media adviser
Department of External Engagement
lea.jones@otago.ac.nz
(03) 479 4969
021 279 4969
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