THE number of women studying MBA programs has increased recently, reflecting a growing trend for equality in society. And, as Liang Yiwan discovers, some of these female students have ended up with much more than a qualification as a result of their studies.

The best-selling novel "Du Lala's Promotion," later adapted into the popular film "Go, Lala, Go," tells the story of modern young Chinese women who are climbing the corporate ladder and breaking the "glass ceiling."

With the rise of women in the corporate world, more female white-collar workers are appearing in local MBA classrooms.

The HKU-Fudan IMBA general stream program saw a striking 12 percent increase in women students this year. They accounted for 53 percent, exceeding the number of male students.

Bessie Du, a student of the program, said that she quit her original job for the MBA studies to improve her future development prospects.

Xie Hao, Fudan MBA program executive director, attributed the rise in female students to the Chinese family's emphasis on education.

"Women are given the same education resources due to the one-child family policy," he said.

Unlike many Western women who stop working and become housewives after marriage, Chinese women have to work to help support their families.

Xie said that most of the HKU-Fudan IMBA program female students have worked for three to seven years in international corporations, the "golden time" to develop their career.

In addition, the gift of female communication made them competitive prospects for international MBA programs, Xie said.

The newly launched Shanghai International Studies University MBA program reported a very balanced gender ratio, as female students accounted for 48 percent in a total of 120 students.

The balanced ratio of student genders has also helped develop some romantic stories.

Six couples got to know each other and fell in love on an MBA program at Fudan last year, officials said.

Many highly educated and well-paid women found their ideal spouse in the MBA class.

However, not all the MBA programs receive the same favor among female students.

Shanghai Jiao Tong University's Antai College of Economics and Management saw a drop from 31 percent to 22 percent in female MBA students this year.

The East China Normal University MBA program and Tongji University's Shanghai International MBA program reported a steady proportion of female students, ranging between 36 percent to 39 percent in recent years.

"Women students generally prefer MBA programs related to the modern service industry instead of engineering and the manufacturing industry," said Fang Ying, an official with the East China Normal University MBA education center.

The male-female ratio in MBA enrollment, probably indicates the gender ratio in the related industries excluding the managerial field.

East China Normal University has put forward background checks and launched interviews before written exams in enrollment this year to help students choose the most suitable programs and be better prepared for their studies.

Jack Chen, program coordinator at Shanghai Jiao Tong University MBA office, said that the college will consider to increase the number of female students intentionally to make the gender ratio more balanced in future enrollment.

School officials believe that more female students will be found in various MBA programs as the gender ratio becomes more balanced in the managerial field in the future.

Together with the growing desire for MBA studies, applicants will find a large rise in tuition fees for 2011 MBA programs.

Fudan's most expensive program, the executive stream of HKU-Fudan IMBA program, will cost 228,000 yuan (US$34,077) next year, compared with this year's 180,000 yuan.

Some of the full-time MBA programs' tuition fees won't rise, school officials said.

Antai's part-time MBA tuition fees will rise almost 60 percent next year. The part-time MBA tuition cost is 118,000 yuan this year and will rise to 188,000 yuan next year.

A local MBA's tuition fees rise was announced after Tsinghua University raised the 2011 MBA cost by up to 60,000 yuan and Peking University raised by up to 40,000 yuan.

The increased tuition fees will be mainly put in the improvement of classes and studying materials, many school officials said.

Zhou Lin, director of Antai college, said in the Third International Business School Conference in October that the college has improved programs focusing on high-tech tracking and innovation as a response to the financial crisis.

Schools have also improved their scholarship pool to help students with financial difficulties.

Fudan increased the scholarship to more than 2 million yuan for newcomers and about 50 full-time students will be covered.

Antai plans to allocate 2 million yuan to 4 million yuan annually to help students start up their own businesses.

However, some questioned whether it's still worthwhile to have an MBA degree at such a high cost.

"I doubt whether MBA graduates will find a great increase in their salaries," said Stan Lee, a local white-collar worker. Business calendar

USC-SJTU Global Executive MBA Forum:

Since 2005, the Chinese yuan has appreciated almost 20 percent, affecting China's export sector greatly. The economic and political climate in the United States is putting enormous pressure on China to let the yuan rise further. What may we foresee for the yuan-US dollar exchange rate, and how will China's competitiveness in manufacturing and other sectors be affected? Guest speakers from USC/SJTU and other industries are invited to share their perspective. Reservation required.

Date: November 6, 4:45pm-6:15pm

Venue: Rm 206, Antai Building, 535 Fahuazhen Rd, Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Tel: 6293-2707

E-mail: uscgemba@sjtu.edu.cn

QS World MBA Tour

The QS World MBA Tour provides an outstanding opportunity for candidates to meet representatives of the world's leading business schools face to face. It is an unparalleled opportunity to help candidates make informed education and career choices, while giving participating business schools the chance to meet a highly targeted audience of the world's brightest young professionals.

Date: November 8

Venue: The Longemont Hotel, 1116 Yan'an Rd W.

E-mail: xia@qs.com

UBC IMBA Trial Lesson

Date: November 11-14

Venue: 535 Fahuazhen Rd, Antai College of Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Tel: 6293-2604

E-mail: mendy.zhou@sauder.ubc.ca

Fudan Blue Ink Learning Program

Fudan University's Blue Ink Learning Program will invite senior HR directors and career experts to share succesful career stories and business philosophy at CBDs in Shanghai.

Date: November 8-13

Address: To be decided

Tel: 5566-4770

E-mail: pdc@fudan.edu.cn

QS World Grad School Tour

The QS World Grad School Tour is a prestigious Masters and PhD fair, bringing together talented prospective students with the world's best universities. The event covers the A to Z of study subjects and entrance is free.

Date: November 14

Address: The Longemont Hotel, 1116 Yan'an Rd W.

E-mail: yang@qs.com

Rutgers EMBA Monthly Seminar: "The Dollar-Yuan Saga, and The Outlook for the US and the Eurozone"

The seminar will provide an update on the yuan-US dollar saga. Topics discussed will include pegging, currency intervention, sterilization of foreign exchange intervention, and speculative asset bubbles. Topics such as the outlook for the Eurozone, and for the US as its Keynesian stimulus falters and as the supply-siders seek to make a comeback will also be discussed. Key similarities between the Eurozone and the post-subprime US will also be explained. 200 yuan for pre-registered guests.

Date: November 17, 6:30pm

Venue: 12/F, Regus Conference Center, 333 Huaihai Rd M.

E-mail: emba_shanghai@business.rutgers.edu

Tel: 5116-0572, ext 0573

Euromed Management Alumni Event: Supply Chain Management in Automobile Industry

Nowadays, automobile industry pays more attention to China market. Business decision-makers should take this opportunity to re-examine their strategic positioning in China, to find initiative in new pattern of the industry, and to adopt corresponding strategy at operation level. This Euromed alumni forum offers a platform of sharing and communicating to those industry's decision makers and managers in this industry.

Date: November 25

Address: 535 Fahuazhen Rd, Antai College of Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Tel: 5230-1653

MBS Mini Information Session

People can talk with Manchester Business School China Center staff about their career development and personal development by studying MBA.

Date: November 27

Venue: Suite 628, 6/F, Shanghai Center, 1376 Nanjing Rd W.

Tel: 6279-8660 ext 5382/5383

E-mail: mba@mbs-worldwide.ac.cn

The NUS MBA Fair Shanghai

The fair will showcase all the MBA and EMBA programs of the National University of Singapore (NUS) Business School. People can hear from faculty, academic directors, students and alumni about the school and its wide array of programmes. This event gives a holistic view of the school and provides you with information about pursuing your MBA or EMBA programs in NUS.

Date: December 18, 1:30am-5pm

Tel: 6426-4183, 6426-4181 ext1031

E-mail: ShanghaiOffice@nus.edu.sg

Address: To be confirmed (details will be available at mba.nus.edu in late November)

Email: yaoyihong@ecust.edu.cn