Joseph Mbi Tihngang, PhD in Finance

Studying at AIU for the degree of Philosophy Doctor in Finance has been fun. I am grateful that on that fateful afternoon following a very tedious day when I felt like abandoning my job to go back to university, I found the course advert on the web which for the first time made me realize that I could study remotely, at my own pace and still acquire the same knowledge as if I attended full time studies at a conventional university. Yet the opportunity to achieve this goal was just a click of the button away while at the same time carrying on with my day job as though I was not doing anything extra. That is how I got enrolled for the course of philosophy Doctor in Finance at AIU and I have never regretted that bold step. Today, I feel more confident and full of self-esteem and I believe I can inspire other mature students to embark on remote courses similar to the one that I did especially given the advantages to be gained therefrom. The chance to structure one’s own curriculum and perhaps close knowledge gaps at the end of the course of study is an invaluable contribution to the structure of acquisition of knowledge and this is a good contribution by the founders of AIU and deserves mention here. I am glad I got to benefit from this initiative and hope one day, I can also inspire others to benefit from it as well.During my time studying at AIU, I benefited from the wide experience, style and encouragement of the staff of the academic department especially the encouragements from my Tutor, Viridiano, who went to great lengths to ensure I remained focused as my day job takes me to many countries, working as an Investment Officer, structuring hugely complex but enjoyable non-recourse project finance transactions. The flexibility afforded by the course structure and study methodology gave me the ability to do my work from any location where the only requirement was an internet connection and a phone line. Given that I am a father of three children all of whom are in school and I have to pay school fees and look after their every need, I found myself unable to take time off to study for a higher degree until I discovered that AIU had the very unique solution for people with my exact same problem. I am pleased to have spent so little on fees yet have not only acquired the same knowledge but also the same degree and qualification that I could have spent far more in a more conventional university to acquire. This demonstrates the clear value added by the nature, structure and affordability of the courses at AIU. It also demonstrates that low cost does not mean low value and the benefit derived from this course has helped me enormously and I will forever remain grateful.An even more unique advantage is the flexible curriculum. The fact that I was able to tailor my research to benefit further my experience in my particular field is a unique advantage because it will make me more successful in my career given that my studies are more targeted to close the gaps that I had prior to the start of my degree. Today, that experience has helped me to structure two project finance projects for myself with a hedging mechanism that is no different to any transaction put together by a vastly experienced Risk Manager in Wall Street with salient structured Finance experience. This is also in part thanks to the emphasis on embarking on research with practical application in mind and less of theory.Furthermore, studying remotely and self-paced made me work even harder because I do not want anyone from any university anywhere in the World in my particular subject area to think of me as being less deserving of my degree as I have heard people claim that distance learning degrees are not the same quality and I am determined to prove this theory wrong.Lastly, the course curriculum structuring methodology encouraged at AIU will continue to add value in the lives of those who use it wisely to close knowledge gaps and to intensify their knowledge in their particular subject area and I believe this study methodology is here to stay and will only grow more and more in importance and deserves my full support. I will forever remain grateful to the staff of AIU for the chance to further my education and knowledge while continuing my job and fending for my kids and now when I graduate, I will have the chance to compete for better paying jobs that until this point were a distant dream.