Aiming at the Top Business School in Asia

Since the graduate programs of Sogang Business School were founded in 1980, the school has been vigorously moving forward and leaving a significant mark on the history of Korean business schools. The school’s vision is to nurture future business leaders with high moral standards and cutting-edge management knowledge and skills. Over 9,000 students have graduated so far, with its alumni found in various leading areas of the Korean business world, including corporate, academic and public sectors. Under the goal “GLEE” which stands for Globalization, Leadership, Excellence and Ethics, the school’s MBA programs strive to meet rapidly changing trends in education by providing students with the skills needed for them to become global business leaders no matter where in the world they find themselves.

Sogang Business School is evaluated as being the most globalized among all business schools in Korea., with the school’s MBA programs scoring the highest while winning the government grant, called BK (Brain Korea) 21 in 2009. BK21 is a government grant awarded to the best four business schools in the country with the aim of fostering graduate-level business management programs equivalent to or above and beyond those of global level business schools. Under grant program, the SBS MBA programs, including its flagship full-time MBA course, as well as its Evening MBA and Executive MBA course will receive 1 billion won in funds annually for two years, highlighting both the government’s and scholars recognition of the SBS MBA programs. The SBS MBA program is the only business school program in Korea to be selected for both BK21 and WCU (World Class University) Project, another program financed by the Korean government that invites international scholars with advanced research expertise to collaborate with Korean faculty members. “Being selected as WCU in April 2009, Sogang Business School selected and invited six outstanding professors from overseas schools and will establish new graduate school programs in 2010. Furthermore, we secured 2 billion won in annual funding after being selected,” said Prof. Suh Chang-juck, Dean of Graduat School of Business at Sogang University.

Sogang Business School operates three MBA programs; SIMBA (Sogang International MBA), a daytime, full-time MBA; Pro-MBA (Professional MBA), an evening program for those who have daytime jobs; and SEMBA (Sogang Executive MBA), a weekend program for mid-level managers. These three programs are uniquely designed and operated to fit students with different needs and in different situations. However, all three have one common goal, that being these three programs all aim to nurture ethical global managers.

SIMBA consists of three different tracks; AB (Academic and Business Leader Track), which is a two-year full-time track, combining MBA curriculum with on-site internship or thesis; C Track (Collaboration Track) which allows students to study one year full-time and the rest part-time, this allowing students to work and go to school at the same time; and D track (Dual Degree Track-Global MBA), which allows students to obtain dual degrees by studying one-year at Sogang and another year at a sister school in a foreign country. Each track allows students to choose from four majors and offers them the option of choosing from between a one-year and four month intensive MBA program and a two-year program with more academic contents. The majority of lectures are conducted in English, and case studies on international corporations are highly emphasized in order to help students acquire a global business sense and become familiar with these practices. Those students wishing to earn dual degrees can participate in dual degree programs affiliated with schools in the U.S. and the U.K.

Pro-MBA, the evening program, is a popular program among those wanting to hold their jobs while taking MBA courses, and boasted a competition ratio for admission in the 2010 academic year of 8:1. Over the past 28 years, this program has been training and educating students already on the front line of the business world, helping them to become business professional that now lead Korea’s work forces. Since the Pro-MBA was launched in 1980, the program has seen approximately 2,700 graduates, most of whom are now leading various business sectors. The program also runs in conjunction with international cooperation programs during breaks, striving to offer practical and global curriculums, including conducting some lectures in English and by foreign professors.

SEMBA, which was launched three years ago, targets mid-level managers, executives and CEO’s who have been holding their jobs for at least the past three years and aims to help them become experts in their field of management. SEMBA classes are offered on Fridays and Saturdays, perfectly designed for those who are fully occupied with jobs during the week. This program’s curriculum features market-based case studies and up-to-date management theories, providing students with practical know-how and business ethics that they can apply in their daily business decision-making processes. The program accepts new students during the summer, with its academic year starting in September, and following the curriculum of business schools in the U.S.

Sogang Graduate School of Business has the demanding goal of becoming the best graduate school of business in Asia by 2012, and aims to accomplish this by striving to offer distinguished, top-end education programs to the future business leaders. Furthermore, the school’s academically superior Ph.D. programs nurture academic scholars and researchers in eleven areas of management.