Universities will no longer be able to select their own students for Executive Master of Business Administration programs under a new regulation issued by the Ministry of Education.
The China National MBA Education Supervisory Committee announced over the weekend that, from next year, a nationwide exam will be the only way to apply for an EMBA course.
EMBA programs in China have been described as richmen's clubs, and some institutions offering them have been criticized for alleged corrupt practices.
In 2014, senior officials were banned from taking part in expensive training courses such as EMBA programs.
The committee did not give details about the new exam. However, a report on ThePaper.cn said it was likely to include languages, math and logic, in line with the national exam for China's MBA programs.
China Daily contacted the EMBA programs at Tsinghua University, Peking University and Renmin University of China for comment on Tuesday but did not receive a response.
Zang Jiajie, 34, who works at an automobile company in Shanghai and is taking an MBA program, said: "For an employee like myself, a business degree will be helpful in securing a promotion to a managerial position. But the executives attending the EMBA courses no longer need a degree to prove their ability."
In March, the Ministry of Education disqualified 50 degree programs at 42 colleges in China, including five MBA programs.
Wang Yong, president of Beijing-based consultancy Top Brand Union, said: "It is reasonable for the ministry to strengthen regulations on EMBA programs, but I don't think a national exam is a good solution."
The new regulation will only cover programs that grant graduate-level business degrees recognized by the ministry.
"Like me, many students attend different programs for different reasons. You can receive systemic academic training at Peking University, learn practical management tips at the China Europe International Business School and develop your social network at the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business. It does not make any sense to pass a unified exam at these different institutes," Wang said.
