The Middle East Centre has welcomed 85 new part-time MBA students in the first intake of 2019 – the university offers two intakes each year, in January and July – and the group assembled for an induction session in Dubai recently, guided by members of the faculty from the University campus.
Working professionals of 29 nationalities based in countries across the region enrolled in January, with the majority of new students residing in the GCC. The majority of the new students fund their own studies.
Female professionals account for more than 16% of the new students, and 12% of the new cohort already hold a higher degree – a Masters or Doctorate.
All the new students are experienced business people (many are already in senior roles including c-level and specialist functions, in addition to entrepreneurs) with many already working in some of the best-known local, regional and international companies in a range of industry sectors that are key to the regional economy.
The flexibility of the learning format attracts many working professionals to the programme by offering the part-time, blended study option while allowing them to continue to work and earn. Part-time MBA students also have the opportunity to apply their new learning and skills quickly in the workplace,
In addition to all the learning benefits, part-time MBA students also have the chance to build a professional network of contacts and benefit from the support of a career services team which can offer advice on career planning and guidance on the development of ‘personal branding’.
Most MBA students are motivated by a desire to accelerate their existing careers, make a career switch or even to develop an entrepreneurial career, and aim to help achieve this by taking more control over their own professional and career development..
The Manchester Global Part-time MBA is a 2-year blended programme offering flexible study options and with as much face-to-face time (faculty-led workshops) as most full-time programmes. The programme is based on four practical themes - Management in Practice; Value Creation in Business; Tailoring Your Journey; Professional Skills for Business; and students can tailor the programme further through a range of electives. The accelerated study route enables experienced senior managers to complete the programme in as little as 18 months. There is also the 18-month Accelerated Finance Pathway option for candidates with professional accountancy qualifications.