The University of Manchester Middle East Centre in Dubai has welcomed the July 2023 part-time Manchester MBA cohort of students from across the Middle East. The new intake comprises 80 students, with almost half residing in the UAE and working in the Finance, Consulting and Technology sectors and the majority already working in executive management or senior management roles. There was an especially strong (36%) female representation in the cohort.
The University of Manchester’s latest part-time MBA intake for the Middle East attracted students of more than 20 nationalities from across the region, with almost 50% based in the UAE and around one-third residing in Saudi Arabia. More than 20% already hold a doctoral or master’s degree, or other post-graduate qualification. The vast majority of the new students are self-funded.
The University offers two MBA intakes per year (January and July) for a range of faculty-led, flexible learning Manchester part-time MBA programme options – Global Part-time MBA, Finance Accelerated MBA, Global Executive MBA. Most students joined the Global Part-time MBA. The Middle East Centre is the largest in the University’s international network and supports working professionals in the region develop knowledge and skills through a portfolio of part-time Master’s programmes.
The Middle East Centre hosted an induction session in Dubai for the new cohort and the students then started their first MBA interactive workshops led by visiting faculty from Manchester and focusing on case studies and real-world examples.
Randa Bessiso, Director – Middle East at The University of Manchester, comments: “Our latest part-time MBA cohort in the Middle East is outstanding and has immediately impressed the Centre team and faculty with the quality and depth of its experience, and strong motivation. This is a distinctive feature of the Middle East cohorts that we continue to attract – very diverse and experienced students and very committed to learning and self-development, and with a relatively young age profile. The July intake attracted a very strong set of female students and one of the highest proportions (36%) of professional women we have welcomed at the Centre. We are working hard to sustain this level including helping prepare women – and all students – coming back to the classroom after a long break to learn ‘how to learn’ again, so they all get the best possible start to their demanding new academic programmes.”
The University of Manchester’s Global Part-time MBA is a two-year programme with options to accelerate study further, with as much face-to-face time with faculty as most full-time programmes. The programme is structured around four practical themes – Management in Practice; Value Creation in Business; Tailoring Your Journey; Professional Skills for Business; and with options to tailor further. An accelerated study route allows senior managers to complete the programme in 18 months. There is an 18-month Accelerated Finance Pathway option for candidates with professional accountancy qualifications.
The Middle East has developed into the largest and fastest-growing centre in the University’s international network comprising five hubs in key business cities around the world. It is also the most diverse, with students of 105 nationalities. The Middle East Centre has supported 3,200 part-time master’s students based in the region and graduated around 2,100 since opening in 2006.
The University of Manchester is ranked among the world’s top 50 universities and one of the world’s leading universities for impact towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Alliance Manchester Business School’s full-time MBA has been ranked 46th in the world, 13th in Europe, and 5th in the UK in the 2023 Financial Times Global MBA Ranking, which also ranks the school 1st in the UK and 7th globally for Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), recognising the proportion of teaching hours dedicated to ethics, social and environmental issues.
