60% Rise in One Year MBA Applicants at Imperial College, London

Popularity of the one-year MBA has been on the rise, as could be seen in the 60% increase in the number of applicants to the programs at Imperial College Business School, London.

Diane Morgan, associate dean of programs at Imperial College Business School, says she has found a 60% rise in applications for the full-time programme in her two years at the post.

For the prospective students, the one-year option opens up an avenue for doing all that a traditional two-year program offers like improving knowledge and awareness about their chosen field, prospects of fast-track movement in career profile and saving time and money by way of lesser duration of having to stay away from regular work and tuition and other fees.

The one-year format is also particularly attractive for women. Morgan says almost 45% of the students in the latest batch are women.

For the prospective students, the one-year option opens up an avenue for doing all that a traditional two-year program offers like improving knowledge and awareness about their chosen field, prospects of fast-track movement in career profile and saving time and money by way of lesser duration of having to stay away from regular work and tuition and other fees.

The short duration of the course in no way constraints students from developing a good network with their colleagues as well the alumni, enabling them to reap rich dividends later in the form of personal friendship, career advise, employment opportunities or business relations.

Morgan claims that more than 90% of Imperial students secured positions within three months of graduating, several of them also changing location, sector and function, a testimony to the skillset they develop during the program.

Internships in London and other European locations expose them to diversity in culture and opportunities, much needed attributes in modern business. The class itself tend to be international with students from all over the world.

While the 2-year MBA program provides students lots of time to think over and choose the most appropriate streams to match their skillset and also go in for summer internships, the one-year students may very well find themselves in the middle of their internship as well as having to study for the finals.

Morgan describes one-year MBAs as those that thrive on pace and energy, with a clear sense of their career objectives, choosing the shorter format to achieve their career goals faster.

Since the one-year format maintains the same academic rigour as the longer version, students have to put in more work in less time, including practical projects that have to be completed within a timeframe. The program is best suited for those prepared to hit the ground running as soon as the program starts, work hard throughout and remain entirely focussed on achieving their goals. (Image Courtesy : ja.wikipedia.org)