Top business jobs in Asia: What roles can an MBA in China lead to?

If you aim to kickstart a global career in a vibrant business environment, there's no better place to do so than in China, with its diverse range of thriving sectors.

With an MBA-level education, you acquire essential business knowledge, technical skills, and influential connections. This combination can unlock a myriad of career opportunities in this bustling hub of possibilities.

Find out what jobs you could get after an international MBA in China and how top business schools can help you land a role in your dream industry. 

Consulting

Careers in consulting are exciting, ever-changing, and highly stimulating—a great route for ambitious MBA grads.

Pair a career in consulting with Asia, one of the most dynamic regions in the world, and you’re looking at a career that’s full of exciting challenges.

The Guanghua Global MBA program at Peking University (PKU) Guanghua School of Management offers courses, such as ‘Critical Thinking’ and ‘Strategy Management’, that are geared towards helping students build communication and leadership skills, which will allow them to thrive in the consulting profession. 

PKU Guanghua MBA also offers a ‘Career Development Strategy’ course, where guest speakers from top consulting firms such as EY, Deloitte, and Roland Berger are invited to speak with MBA students.

MBA grad Xinyi Qin used her business school degree to leap into a consulting career at top consulting company Arthur D. Little, pivoting from her pre-MBA background in auditing.

Investment banking

Due to its great career progression, high salaries, and promotion opportunities, investment banking is one of the most sought-after careers for business school graduates.

Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s Antai College of Economics and Management has a strong reputation in this sector. The school's prominent Commercial Bank Association provides careers advice on entering the field. 

As the association comprises students and alumni within Shanghai's banking sector, it also offers strong networking opportunities.  

Shanghai Jiao Tong's career center facilitates connections between students and prospective employers through networking events. One such event is the Industry Community Class, where students have the opportunity to interact with industry leaders and recruiters.

"Antai is very supportive from the start in maximizing each student's exposure to opportunities, whether these are job fairs, online portals or competing in cultural and professional prizes," says Anais Pothon, an alumni from the Antai MBA. 

Healthcare 

As well as being a global financial hub, Shanghai has a lesser-known reputation as the city that offers some of the best healthcare services across all of mainland China. The city houses biotech firms that are driving technological change in the sector, while you can also find healthcare multinationals operating throughout the city.

In the PwC Chinese Cities of Opportunity Report 2023, Shanghai ranks second for urban resilience, which factors investment in healthcare services, public safety, medical resources, public pension, and disaster prevention and emergency management.

Around 8% of graduates from Fudan University School of Management’s International MBA land jobs in the healthcare sector at companies including Autobio, a specialist in medical laboratory technology; developers of surgical robotics, MedBot; and MediTrust Health Technology Co., a company that develops medical payment systems. 

David Wong leveraged his Fudan MBA degree to launch a career in healthcare after graduation, first taking up a role in Shanghai before later moving to work for a leading neurosurgery firm based in California. 

“It’s life-changing,” he says, describing the impact his MBA in Shanghai has had on his career.

Technology

China has become one of the fastest-moving economies across the world, and it remains at the forefront of innovation. 

As one of the major exporters of tech products in the world, and home to multiple innovative e-commerce platforms, China serves as an attractive launchpad for business school careers in tech. 

Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management (Tsinghua SEM) has embraced these developments and numerous students excel in tech skills leading them to careers in the ever-growing sector. In fact, 30.5% of Global MBA students go into technology, internet or telecom roles.

Matt Situ is an alum who leveraged his MBA to build a career at Tencent—China’s leading internet and technology company.

“What I enjoyed the most were the guest lecturers that were invited to speak on their real-life experiences, business challenges, new ideas, and provoking thoughts. This gave a real look through the lens of someone that’s in the action,” Matt says.

Matt describes how on the course ‘Creation and Growth of Technology Enterprises’, the vice president of Microsoft in the Asia region spoke to the cohort about the challenges of creating artificial intelligence (AI) products.

Entrepreneurship

While innovation thrives across China, Hangzhou is an entrepreneurial hub often referred to as China’s answer to Silicon Valley.

Hangzhou has an impressive 37 unicorn companies—privately owned companies worth more than $1 billion—as well as the headquarters of Alibaba, the world’s biggest e-commerce platform.

Hangzhou is home to Zhejiang University School of Management, offering a Global MBA that elevates students’ understanding of innovation. The Zhejiang Global MBA offers an entrepreneurship management track designed for those who are eager to develop knowledge and understanding of startups and entrepreneurship. 

Zhejiang Global MBA Rong Chen, who secured an internship with Tranvic Group, discusses how the school fosters an innovative mindset.  

“Learning about innovation in these real-life cases—as well as during courses on the program—gives the opportunity to analyze what is going on in the business world right now and see what is working,” he says. 

Financial management

Finance is one of the top sectors for post-business school careers, with 37% of prospective students looking to launch their careers in the industry.

If you’re looking to launch your career in finance, China is an ideal place to do it. China is the largest banking country in the world and Chinese banks hold the top four largest banks globally: ICBC, China Construction Bank, Agricultural Bank of China, and the Bank of China.

Renmin University of China’s Renmin Business School offers an International MBA program that prioritizes finance education with a financial management career track. 

Thise track includes courses such as Behavioral Finance, Private Equity, and Applied Corporate Finance, which prepare students to enter China’s booming financial market.

“A standout feature of the program is its emphasis on experiential learning. The school offers various opportunities to apply classroom learning to real-world situations,” says Kareem Abdelkader, a current Renmin International MBA student.

This article is part of a series of sponsored content which has been supported by the featured schools.