Take your time

Picking up an MBA at the speed of light can leave your mind in a spin, writes Dr Ronald K Chung

One "must-ask" question about an MBA programme is, "How long will it take for me to finish?" Two years? 18 months? 12 months? It depends? ASAP?

ASAP is not really an answer. Why? Time is money. This concept is well understood by people in Hong Kong. That's why, when they take a 10-day holiday in Europe, they visit eight countries. Whether that works is a matter of opinion, but coming back more tired than before isn't my idea of a vacation.

When it comes to education, we naturally apply the same principle - navigating through the education landscape at warp speed. This may be necessary; most readers think they need a degree to move their career forward, so must have it to hand ASAP.

Unfortunately, just like going on that 10-day vacation to eight countries, this does not work. Ultimately, you will (1) be exhausted and (2) have an MBA diploma, but (3) have not much of substance to talk about. Need I say more?

In my experience, no one needs an MBA ASAP. I have not met anyone:
1. With a job offer that is on condition that they get an MBA;
2. Who takes an MBA because their company promises to promote them as soon as they get one;
3. Who has been fired because they do not have an MBA;

The correct answer is, therefore, "it depends". Beware of anyone telling you otherwise. Only people who don't care about you and your future or lack a full view of your problem will give a simple answer. The time it takes for anyone to finish an MBA really depends on their ability to learn or the hours they have to squeeze in study alongside a full-time job.

So, how long an MBA takes depends on you and your chosen programme. Typically, it includes anything from 10 to 16 courses. Each should come with 32 to 40 hours of class time - meaning 320 to 640 hours in total. Theoretically, each class hour requires a minimum of three hours' preparation and however long it takes to follow up with studies and course work. That comes to a minimum of 960 hours' work.

Thus, if you work full-time on your MBA (assuming that you work a 40-hour week), you will need 24 weeks to complete everything. As a result, the standard length of time required to earn an MBA is one year full-time, if you are a business undergraduate, and two years full-time if you are not.

That said, due to the high cost of travel for faculty members, most off-shore MBA programmes are compact. This means meeting for a full day for one or two weekends a month to cram in each course's 32 - 40 hours. What's nice about this model is that you obtain all your class hours quickly ... and quickly progress with your degree. The down side is that most people probably suffer from mental indigestion. The moral of the story is that it's a trade-off and you are the only one who knows what's best for you.

Be prepared for tomorrow. Until next time, work hard, play hard.

Acknowledgement Dr Ronald K Chung is academic development director of the ET Business College, a member of the Hong Kong Economic Times Group. He has worked for a number of private companies and universities in the United States, as well as Hong Kong's Consumer Council. To contact Dr Chung, please write to DrChung@etbc.com.hk.

Taken from Career Times 2003/11/28