What a difference time makes. Kevin Song would not have considered preparing for a master's degree in business administration.

He wanted nothing to do with fads.

"I would not read for an MBA (Master of Business Administration)." Song said. "It's overflowing."

Song, a young manager at Inner Mongolia Yili Dairy Co Ltd, didn't want to be like so many other young Chinese - chasing trends.

Not so today.

Song has changed his mind. He is busy preparing to interview for Tsinghua University's agriculture MBA programme.

"It is suitable for me, and should be practical," he said. "I hope it helps me solve problems in my work."

The agriculture MBA is only one of the latest type of MBA programmes, called professional MBAs, launched by some major Chinese universities.

"Agriculture differs a lot from other sectors, as it involves large-scale businesses with low profits and hard-to-realize industrialization," said Cao Mingyuan, director of Tsinghua University's agriculture MBA programme.

China's agriculture sector, a fundamental component of the national economy, has faced great pressure from economic globalization, especially since China joined the World Trade Organization (WTO), he said.

"Thus, we came up with the idea of this project," Cao told Business Weekly.

The project, China's first agriculture MBA programme, was implemented last October.

"The ongoing recruitment for next March is satisfactory," Cao said.

"Many government officials and managers have called us about the details, and have shown great interest," he said.

Market demand spurred the creation of professional MBA programmes, Wang Fanghua, president of Shanghai Jiaotong University's Antai School of Management, told Business Weekly.

"Advanced managerial talents who specialize ... are preferred by many companies," Wang said.

"But traditional MBA training is comprehensive, without specifically targetting students."

For example, a personnel management case study regarding Coca-Cola cannot be applied in a software development firm, Wang said.

Compared with traditional, comprehensive MBA programmes, professional MBAs are more practical, Wang said.

Antai School of Management, launched last spring, is China's first professional MBA programme.

Students have already signed up for the school's technology management and international MBA programmes, Wang said.

The financial MBA programme, the first in China, is expected to begin classes in September this year, Wang added.

In addition, Antai is establishing MBA programmes in agriculture and medical management.

Half of the school's MBA students are choosing professional MBA programmes, Wang said.

Managers of various health, agriculture and finance agencies in Shanghai are studying in the school's professional MBA programmes.

While overseas professional MBA programmes are mature, they are just gaining popularity in China, said John Yang, dean of the Beijing International MBA at Peking University.

MBA programmes in finance, marketing, media and entertainment and accounting should be emphasized, as talents are needed in these fields, Yang said.

(China Daily Business Weekly ZHU BORU 11-02-2003)