MBA Program
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The Asia School of Business MBA curriculum reflects the rigor and quality of MIT Sloan combined with the insights and perspectives of Asia. The program includes an MIT Sloan Immersion and Industry Treks that expose future leaders to businesses across various industries. Action Learning is at its core, allowing students to gain hands-on experience working with global partners on impactful business challenges.
Introducing the MBA 3.0
The first MBAs learned from industry veterans first-hand through the sharing of “war stories.” The MBA 2.0 model was focused on learning through discussing case studies.
We believe these are models of the past, and that an MBA 3.0 curriculum based upon Action Learning is the future. ASB’s MBA 3.0 blends theory and practice at every level, with ongoing opportunities to apply classroom-based theories to a broad range of organizational challenges.
ACADEMIC CALENDAR
Our full-time, 20-month MBA program features a core curriculum taught by MIT Sloan and ASB faculty, complemented by Action Learning projects with organizations across Asia and beyond.
The curriculum includes a four-week MIT Sloan Immersion in Cambridge, Massachusetts, as well as two week-long Industry Treks during which students will visit companies and institutions of interest in the US and China.
COURSE OFFERINGS
Our MBA program provides students with a well-rounded curriculum to strengthen their understanding of all functional areas of business. See below for examples of courses taught throughout the program. The actual course schedule and availability are subject to change.
Core Courses
- Advanced Strategy
- Applied Economics for Managers
- Building Successful Careers and Organizations
- Business Dynamics at MIT Sloan
- Business Research Methods in Action Learning
- Communications
- Competitive Strategy
- Corporate Finance
- Corporate Governance
- Data, Optimization Models and Decisions
- Entrepreneurial Strategy
- Ethics and Corporate Accountability
- Financial Accounting
- Financial Statements Analysis
- Global Management
- Industrial Economics
- Leadership in Times of Crisis
- Macroeconomics
- Managerial Accounting
- Marketing Management
- Operations Management
- Operations Practicum
- Organizational Processes and Leadership
- Practical Wisdom in Negotiation: Resilient Leadership Strategies
- Quantitative Methods
- Strategic Management of Financial Institutions
- Topics in Accounting and Finance
Elective Courses
- Advanced Data Analytics
- Data Science for Managers
- Digital Marketing
- Energy: Markets, Public Policies, and Sustainability
- Evolutionary Entrepreneurship
- Financial Analytics and Innovation
- Fundamentals of Services Marketing
- International Law and Global Business Strategy
- Macroeconomics
- Operations for Entrepreneurs: Nailing, Scaling, Sailing
- Platforms, Auctions & Competition through Games
- Political Economy: Politics and International Business
- Strategic Brand Management: BrandTech
- Supply Chain Management
- Sustainable Business
- Zero to Entrepreneur: Developing Entrepreneurial Attitudes and Aptitudes
ACTION LEARNING
At ASB, Action Learning is embedded into everything we do. Every semester, students can select from over a dozen Action Learning projects spread across the world depending on their industry and subject of interest.
With site visits spread throughout the semester, students have the ability to immediately apply what they have learned from their coursework to relevant business challenges in Southeast Asia and beyond.
Our projects leverage our world-class curriculum and faculty to deliver measurable results to our Action Learning partners, providing our students with opportunities to find their passion, and perhaps even their future employers.
ENTREPRENEURIAL ETHOS
Through our Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center, students have access to a fully equipped FabLab as well as an entrepreneurship-focused curriculum, including:
- Two-day MakerFest program during Immersion
- Entrepreneurship Track during the Summer Associate Program
- Action Learning project focused on product development
Our students also get their hands dirty outside of class through founding student organizations, running on-campus start-ups, and creating podcasts and publications.
It is this entrepreneurial ethos inside and outside of the classroom that makes ASB a fertile environment to turn your passion into reality.
MIT SLOAN IMMERSION
In addition to learning from visiting MIT faculty in Kuala Lumpur, students spend four weeks on MIT Sloan’s Cambridge campus, taking additional courses offered by MIT faculty and engaging in Sloan student activities.
These courses are some of the most sought-after at MIT, covering subjects from Bill Aulet’s 24-step program in Disciplined Entrepreneurship to Nelson Repenning’s unique System Dynamics framework.
Upon finishing the Immersion Program, students receive a Certificate of Completion from MIT. Students also receive Affiliate Alumni Status upon graduation from ASB.
Learn more about the student experience during the MIT Sloan Immersion program through our Student Stories blog.
INDUSTRY TREKS
An essential part of ASB’s MBA experience is our week-long Industry Treks, during which students visit companies and institutions of interest in different regions, with a focus on areas with a high density of relevant businesses.
This flexible program offers students opportunities for in-depth exploration of the industries they most want to pursue. Students will have the opportunity to embark on Industry Treks to the United States and China.
MBA CLASS PROFILE
Have you broken any rules lately? At ASB, we value MBA candidates who have pushed boundaries and love to explore new frontiers.
Our students have started businesses, earned advanced degrees, and moved abroad to expand their companies.
They come to ASB to experience working life in different countries, learn new skills, and gain the confidence and experience to launch new ventures.
Do you think you have what it takes to become a change-maker? If so, apply for our next MBA intake.
ABOUT OUR STUDENTS
What ties ASB students together is their unique backgrounds. Our students come from diverse countries, industries and functions and bring remarkable experiences to the table.
Download Biotables
During university, Marina worked with Amnesty International in London as well as refugees in Calais, France. She has worked for design firms and non-profits and helped produce the 29th Southeast Asian Games.
After serving for six years as a Captain in the United States Marine Corps, Michael and his wife started the first Crossfit affiliate in Cambodia, turning it into a successful enterprise within a year.
An Ex-Googler, Jishnu worked with top global advertisers to enhance their online marketing, managing the performance of 500 specialists at global professional service companies.
UNPARALLELED DIVERSITY
At ASB, we pride ourselves on our unparalleled diversity, not only in terms of gender, race, and nationality, but also in terms of industry background, skills, and outlook.
Our students and alumni come from all over the world, representing over 30 countries from six continents. Diversity deepens their MBA experience by encouraging unique perspectives and enabling innovative solutions.
STUDENT STORIES
From career moves to Action Learning projects, our students weigh in on the most exciting and transformative aspects of their ASB experience.
An ASB Student Shares How to Become the “World’s Best Networker”
Tawanda’s (’19) classmates call him the “world’s best networker,” and though he seems like a natural, he thinks networking is a learned skill. Find out what skills helped him create his post-MBA opportunities.
I Went From Multinational Agency to Full-Time Entrepreneur and Never Looked Back
After graduation, Fiona (MBA ’19) embarked on what she thought was her dream career. Now, she realizes she was meant to be an entrepreneur. A jill-of-all-trades who picked up even more skills from her MBA, she has since launched a web design company.
How My MBA Made a RM 500K Impact on My Business
Student and entrepreneur Michael (MBA ’20) weighs the costs and benefits to business owners of pursuing an MBA. He shares how, within his first year, the learnings and connections he made at ASB led to a RM 500K impact on his business.
STUDENT CLUBS AND ACTIVITIES
Your ASB education does not end when you leave the classroom. Our close-knit cohorts keep busy with clubs and activities on a regular basis.
Our students have diverse interests, so no matter what your passions are, there is likely a group at ASB that is a perfect fit for you. And if a group doesn’t exist, we invite you to start one!
MBA CAREER PATH
Are you Asia-ready? Southeast Asia is the fastest-growing region in the world in terms of GDP, with the highest relative salary increases for MBA graduates due to a significant talent deficit.
Accelerating your career in Asia is a smart move, and the best way to do so is through earning an MBA degree from the school that knows the market best.
At ASB, we maintain deep relationships with over 150 corporate partners in the region, and our career development curriculum is designed for Asia’s hiring environment.
That’s why many of our graduates from all over the world transition into management positions in Asia, further strengthening the global ASB network year after year.
The Process
At ASB, we know that each student’s career journey is unique, so we have created a bespoke process to ensure success regardless of career goals.
We provide insider access to prominent Asian and international companies via Treks in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Dubai, as well as a comprehensive career development curriculum.
The Results
Over two-thirds of our job-seeking graduates are located in Asia, primarily in Southeast Asia, primarily with multinational or prominent Asian companies.
Many company-sponsored scholars have had the opportunity to transfer to a new location or advance in their positions when they return to their companies.
As Alumni
Our career support doesn’t end at graduation. Our alumni services include one-on-one career coaching, exclusive webinars and workshops, and ASB’s internal job board.
Additionally, ASB students can leverage alumni connections, as well as MIT connections, to maximize their career opportunities.
CAREER OUTCOMES
At ASB, we have demonstrated that the hiring market is receptive to our unique approach to career development. We compete favorably with our peer institutions in terms of adjusted salaries (see chart below).
We hope to improve our outcomes as we strengthen our partnerships with over 150 companies throughout the region. The data below are based on our graduating Class of 2019.
Annual Salary (USD)*
| Malaysia | ASEAN | Rest of the World | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median | 113,899 | 139,865 | 103,661 |
| Average | 134,871 | 150,480 | 85,161 |
*Salaries are adjusted for Purchase Power Parity based on World Bank Purchase Power Parity Conversion Factors, March 2018
STUDENT TESTIMONIALS
One of the key elements of succeeding in my new job is bringing a perspective to the table and backing it up with logic and evidence. Because I went through so many AL experiences with so many diverse teams, I felt comfortable sharing my perspective early on and had the problem solving skills and business acumen to back up my ideas.
When ASB came about with a focus on the Action Learning agenda, I was initially unsure of how it could be used across different industries. Now in retrospect, having gone through the entire process, I have found it be of immense value to me at my current workplace – to the point that I believe I would not be able to do my job without.
