EDUCATION REPORT - Foreign Student Series 22: MBA Programs

EDUCATION REPORT - Foreign Student Series #22: MBA Programs
By Nancy Steinbach

Broadcast: Thursday, January 27, 2005

I'm Phoebe Zimmermann with the VOA Special English Education Report.

We continue our Foreign Student Series with a report this week about M.B.A. programs in the United States. An M.B.A. is a master's degree in business administration¹. Students learn to deal with all kinds of business situations. They develop skills needed by many different industries.

M.B.A. programs teach about economics². They also teach about the structure of organizations, and about other subjects including finance³ and marketing⁴. Students do more study in areas that interest them.

It usually takes two years to get an M.B.A. if you attend school full time. People who have jobs might choose a part-time program that takes longer. There are also executive⁵ M.B.A. programs which might be completed in as little as eighteen months. Classes generally meet on weekends.

Business is one of the most popular areas of study for students who come to the United States. To be admitted to an M.B.A. program, foreign students must have a bachelor's degree. They must show a clear understanding of English by doing well on the Test of English as a Foreign Language. Most students also take the Graduate Management Admission⁶ Test. Most of the one thousand five hundred M.B.A. programs around the world use these test scores.

The Graduate Management Admission Council⁷ has some advice for foreign students. It says they should investigate in detail what different schools could do to help them find a job. For example, ask how many companies that come to the school are willing to hire international students. Also ask if summer internships are possible. The council says even the best schools may have a lower average of job placement for international graduates than for others.

One example of a school that offers a part-time M.B.A. program is the University of Maryland University College. Students have a choice. They can do all the work over the Internet. Or they can work online and also attend traditional classes. The Web site for more information is umuc.edu.

Information about other M.B.A. programs can be found from the Graduate Management Admission Council at mba.com. This VOA Special English Education Report was written by Nancy Steinbach. I'm Phoebe Zimmermann.

1 administration   

n.经营，管理；行政，行政机关，管理部门

参考例句：

• Who is in charge of the administration of your company?你们公司的行政工作由谁负责？
• The teachers are responsible to the school administration.教师向学校行政负责。

2 economics   

n.经济学，经济情况

参考例句：

• He is studying economics,which subject is very important.他正在学习经济学，该学科是很重要的。
• One can't separate politics from economics.不能把政治与经济割裂开来。

3 finance   

n.财务管理，财政，金融，财源，资金

参考例句：

• She is an expert in finance.她是一名财政专家。
• A finance house made a bid to buy up the entire company.一家信贷公司出价买下了整个公司。

4 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

5 executive   

adj.执行的，行政的；n.执行者，行政官，经理

参考例句：

• A good executive usually gets on well with people.一个好的高级管理人员通常与人们相处得很好。
• He is a man of great executive ability.他是个具有极高管理能力的人。

6 admission   

n.允许进入；承认；入场费，入会费，入场券

参考例句：

• We attached a condition to his admission to our school.我们对准许他入校附加了一个条件。
• By her own admission,she was responsible for the accident.她自己承认，事故应该由她负责。

7 council   

n.理事会，委员会，议事机构

参考例句：

• The town council passed a law forbidding the distribution of handbills.市议会通过法律，禁止散发传单。
• The city council has declared for improving the public bus system.市议会宣布同意改进公共汽车系统。