According to a recent research, made by Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), for the last five years, the number of unique GMAT test taker increased with 29 percent for the Middle East and 47 percent for Africa. Although small compared with other global regions – 6,640 unique test takers living in the Middle East and 3,207 in Africa in Testing Year 2011, many countries in the two world regions are growing rapidly and show promise for continued expansion. This, combined with the increase of construction projects in the Middle east will create job opportunities and need of highly educated managers in the two world regions.
Chisholm adds, that Economic growth “should create job opportunities and increase the ability of families to afford graduate education,” said Alex Chisholm, GMAC director, statistical analysis. “When combined with significant growth in the number of 20- to 29-year-olds in Africa and growing participation in higher education across both regions, it’s clear that several student demand factors are aligning in a positive way.”
The GMAC’s mba.com Prospective Students Survey reveals also other interesting facts and tendencies for the both regions. For example the differences in motivation. In the Middle East, the increased job opportunities are the top reason why the citizens want to pursue graduate management education. On the other hand the African citizens want mainly to improve their skills.
There are also big differences among countries in Middle East and Africa. For example, women represent 60 percent of the Kenyan GMAT takers, but only 23 percent of Saudi Arabian residents.
But MBA demand is high in both regions, compared with the global numbers. 73 percent of GMAT score reports sent by both African and Middle Eastern citizens in TY2011 were directed toward MBA programs, compared with 67 percent globally.
