The much anticipated SMU MBA – Master of Business Administration – was announced on 22 January 2008 by Professor Tan Chin Tiong, Deputy President and Provost of SMU, Professor Pang Eng Fong, Dean of the Lee Kong Chian School of Business and Doris Sohmen-Pao, Director, SMU MBA programme. The decision to wait eight years before offering the MBA has been an important one. By concentrating on building up SMU’s Master degrees, PhD and undergraduate programmes the university has been able to establish the faculty base needed to support an MBA, as well as create a curriculum that meets the needs of globally focused professionals.

The SMU MBA is unconventional in delivery and design. It is offered in two programmes – a 16-month Flex-time and 12-month Full-time MBA starting in September 2008 and January 2009 respectively. Both are intense and accelerated, and focus on leadership and communication, with a solid foundation in the traditional functions of management. To make the most of in-class time a pre-course study of basic finance and accounting concepts has been developed. The MBA itself includes core subjects, such as negotiations and ethics, which are traditionally offered as electives, and a choice of 10 electives from a broad selection of subjects to enable either a broad scope of study or the opportunity to specialise. Through four sector focuses, which include Family Business and Entrepreneurship, Finance, Energy and Technology, participants are provided with a broader knowledge of these areas. The sector focuses are incorporated into the programme not only in the classroom, but through company visits and exposure to various industries. Through this, graduates develop a deep understanding of these growing sectors and their impact on an increasingly complex global market.

The MBA is offered by the Lee Kong Chian School of Business, but taught by senior faculty members selected from the more than 200 faculty across SMU’s six schools. Notably, this team of distinguished faculty obtained their PhDs or professional degrees from established international academic institutions. This includes faculty who are recognised specialists in areas such as negotiations, brand strategy and marketing, hedge funds, leadership, technology and product development, innovation, risk management and wealth management. The teaching team includes faculty such as Associate Professor of Finance Annie Koh, Practice Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour Michael Benoliel, Practice Associate Professor of Marketing John Davis, Practice Associate Professor of Management Adel Dimian and Assistant Professor of Management Neil Jones.

Through its unmatched connection with the business community in Singapore and Asia, SMU is able to offer MBAs a unique opportunity to interact with recruiters, board members, donors, research partners and guest lecturers. In the past three years SMU has successfully achieved a 100% job placement on the undergraduate level and built relationships with over 700 businesses. The close physical location of SMU to the central business and civic districts will benefit MBAs who choose to pursue the 16-month Flex-time MBA while continuing to work.

The timing of the introduction of the SMU MBA is perfect. The MBA sector has become more robust recently, plus the global spotlight is on Asia. Strengthened by the number of already successful postgraduate programmes offered at SMU and the level of interest generated in the local business community – 300 professionals attended the information sessions hosted by SMU in February and March 2008 – the University looks forward to welcoming its first cohort of professionals.