Are you looking for a hands-on, customizable and intimate MBA in the heart of one of the world's great research universities? Darren sits down with Mark Lockwood, MBA Director of Recruiting, Admissions, and Alumni Affairs, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to discuss the program's key advantages and admissions process. At only $66,000 USD for a 2-year program, the Illinois MBA offers sneaky good value for a top-ranked MBA.

Go to http://www.touchmba.com/illinois-mba-admissions-tips for a full breakdown of the program's key advantages and fast facts about admissions, financing, and careers at the Illinois MBA program.

What is relatively unique about the HKUST MBA?

• #1 ranked Asian MBA program in the world by Financial Times past 5 years
• Finish the program in 12 or 16 months
• Most international MBA program in Hong Kong, usually 25-30 nationalities represented in 120 person class; 95% of class is from outside Hong Kong
• HKUST has great exchange relationships - participants are guaranteed exchange spots with nearly 60 MBA programs around the world
• Financial Times rated HKUST's faculty #1 for research in Asia
• Strong reputation for Finance - 40-50% of graduates work in Finance

A Good Fit for You if:

• You are interested in careers in Hong Kong and China - even though 80% of the class is non-Chinese, 50% of graduates stay in Hong Kong to work and 23% work in China
• You want to live, study and work in one of Asia's financial capitals; Hong Kong hosts over 6,000 MNCs and 70 of the top 100 banks
• You're looking to build a career and network in a fast growing region with a lot of potential upside, and get the prestige of a top-ranked program

About Our Guest 

Sean Ferguson is Associate Dean of Masters Programmes at HKUST Business School. Prior to joining HKUST in 2013, Sean was Assistant Dean of Degree Programmes at Rice University's Jones Graduate School of Business. Before to moving to the higher education industry, Mr Ferguson had a distinguished in corporate career working at PROS, Cap Gemini Ernst & Young (CGE&Y), and Procter & Gamble (P&G). He currently serves on the board of GMAC and got his MBA from Rice University.

Here at Touch MBA we help you find your best-fit business schools. But what about getting an MBA in the first place? How can it help you? Do you need an MBA to become an entrepreneur? What should you consider when choosing between 1 and 2 year programs? And will the MBA be as valuable in the future?

I sat down with Prof. Franz Heukamp, Associate Dean of MBA Programs at IESE, to get his thoughts on these very important questions. Getting an MBA is a massive investment. As Prof. Franz points out, applicants should think about the long-term ROI – and not just financial ROI – of the degree. I enjoyed his direct answers, and think you will too.

Enjoy the show and we'll see you next Friday!

About Our Guest

Franz Heukamp is Professor of Managerial Decision Sciences and Associate Dean of MBA Programs at IESE Business School, where he teaches in the MBA, Executive MBA, and executive education programs. He got his PhD from MIT and his main area of research is behavioral decision-making with a special interest in the area of Neuroeconomics.