Are you planning to study MBA Courses in UK? Can’t decide whether to go for Cambridge MBA or Oxford MBA? Or got a call from Oxford and Cambridge both and need to select one? If yes, we are here to help you decide which one because we know how daunting this task can be. It is really very difficult for the uninitiated to choose between Oxford or Cambridge, the two schools which are ranked similarly and are part of the two equally renowned universities. So, how to decide? What factors one need to keep in mind while deciding between the two? Read on, to know more about MBA in UK and the factors like Oxford MBA Reviews, Cambridge MBA Reviews, Cambridge MBA Acceptance Rate, Oxford MBA Acceptance Rate, Oxford MBA Requirements and Cambridge MBA Requirements you need to evaluate.
The UK is known for the legacy of academic excellence with high-class faculties and technology. Every year a large number of international students enroll for the various courses in the UK Universities. MBA is the most coveted degree these days and many students are flying to pursue their dream degree in prestigious colleges. There are many reasons for pursuing MBA from UK. the top being the cost of the program and the duration of the course. One can complete MBA in shorter duration as compared to the other countries and thus save time and money. Also, the fee is less costly than the USA. The UK is also home to many prestigious B-Schools.
Cambridge MBA or Oxford MBA: Which is Better?
While deciding about the MBA from University of Oxford or MBA from University of Cambridge, one needs to evaluate the below factors:
Reviews
The first and the foremost, thing you should be doing is checking the Oxford MBA Reviews and Cambridge MBA Reviews. You can use the internet to check the reviews shared by the people who have attended these schools in the past or get in touch with the alumni and ask for their opinion about the programs at Oxford and Cambridge. These reviews will give insight into the course structure, faculties and the actual conduct of the course.
Brand Recognition
We know that the Said and the Judge both Business Schools are relatively young as compared to the other established B-Schools. They rely on the brand name of their parent universities for brand recognition.
If we talk about brand recognition, Oxford has an edge over Cambridge and if you are the one who is more brand conscious, you should choose Oxford.
Alumni Network
The class size at Cambridge’s Judge is 150 while at Oxford’s Said it’s 250. This implies that every year Said’s alumni network broadens by 60% more students as compared to that of Judge. The Said’s alumni-network is well-established and broader as compared to that of the Cambridge’s Judge.
So, if you are looking for a better alumni network, you should head to Said Business School.
Average Age of Peers
The average age of MBA students at Cambridge’s Judge is higher as compared to that of the Said’s MBA students. If you have a work experience of about 7-8 years, you should be looking for the Cambridge whereas if you have 5-6 years of work experience, you should be looking for Said Business School. So, your chances of getting selected also depend on upon your work experience.
Recruitment
The major motive for most of the students pursuing MBA is to get their dream job. As both the universities have similar rank, they attract a similar type of recruiters and most likely will provide you similar job opportunities. It is very important for the student to check the recruitment rate for both the institutes. As per the reports, Judge has a better recruitment rate as compared to that of Said.
Entrepreneurship
These days lot of start-ups are booming as more and more MBA graduates are choosing entrepreneurship over corporate jobs. If you want to explore entrepreneurial opportunities during your MBA in the field of social entrepreneurship, Said should be on your list. On the other hand, if you are interested in technology entrepreneurship, Cambridge’s Silicon Fenland” will be your bet.
Conclusion
If you are a candidate with less than 6 years of work experience, Oxford will be a better place to be. Whereas, Cambridge is likely to be better suited for the candidates who are approaching 30 (or 30+). However, the minimum requirement is 3 years of work experience at both Cambridge and Oxford. The average number of years work experience at Oxford is 5.5 years, whereas it is 6.0 at Cambridge. The average GMAT score are very much neck to neck – 686 at Cambridge and 690 at Oxford.
So Cambridge is a better place for more matured candidates.
The Said Business School at Oxford has got a larger MBA class size (340) in comparison to the Judge Business School (173) at Cambridge. The larger class size also influences the diversity. This current Cambridge MBA batch has got 42 nationalities represented against 54 nationalities at Oxford. However, Cambridge has got 33% female candidates in their batch against 31% at Oxford.
Oxford is better in terms of large class size, networking and diversity.
In terms of local employment (landing up with a job offer in the UK after finishing MBA), Cambridge is slightly ahead than Oxford. But, when it comes to Social Entrepreneurship, Oxford is ahead (thanks to the famous Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship). The Entrepreneurship culture (especially Social Entrepreneurship) at Oxford is slightly ahead than Cambridge. On the other hand, if you are interested in technology entrepreneurship, Cambridge’s Silicon Fenland” will be your bet. Then there is the Cambridge University Entrepreneurs Society (Judge), which runs very successful business creation competitions. Moreover, Cambridge has also launched a Master of Studies in Social Innovation.
Cambridge is slightly ahead in terms of job placements though both Said and Judge Business Schools have got more or less similar profile of recruiters. Oxford is ahead in terms of Social Entrepreneurship; but Cambridge has got the edge when it somes to Technology and Innovation.
So, while choosing between the two MBA Courses in UK, it is always advisable to talk to the alumni and admission officers of both the schools and check for the acceptance rate and other requirements. We hope this will help you to decide which better-suited program is as per your career goals.
