Member News

The University of Manchester’s Middle East Centre in Dubai has enrolled 81 new part-time MBA students from across the region on to the top ranked blended learning programme from the University’s Alliance Manchester Business School. Alliance Manchester Business School rose 14 places in the Financial Times MBA ranking 2020, and is now ranked 5^th in the UK, 11^th in Europe, and 45^th in the world. The two-year Manchester Global Part-time MBA was recognised as the ‘Best MBA Programme’* at the Forbes Middle East Higher Education Awards 2019,

The new cohort comprises students of 27 nationalities; many of them already hold a master’s or doctoral degree, and the majority are self-funded. They work in roles from board to senior and middle management positions and functional specialists, or as consultants in all the region’s major industries, as well as academia and 

government ministries /public sector. All the students are experienced working professionals and almost 25% of the new cohort are women professionals – one of the highest ratios since the programme was launched in the Middle East, in 2006. Around 75% of the new students reside in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

The new cohort was welcomed by the team from the University’s Alliance Manchester Business School and Middle East Centre in Dubai, during an induction session in Dubai. 

Randa Bessiso, Director – Middle East at The University of Manchester, said:

“We are delighted to welcome our latest cohort of students to a very demanding MBA programme, which offers immediate benefits as they apply their new skills and knowledge in the workplace. The MBA will help accelerate their professional development and achieve their career goals, as well as build a professional network in the region and beyond. It’s exciting to welcome so many talented women to the programme and who will benefit from the flexibility of the blended learning format.

Ultimately, our aim is to support all our students in building sustainable and fulfilling careers.”

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 Centre has developed into the largest and fastest-growing centre in the University’s international network comprising six hubs in key business cities around the world. It is also the most diverse, with students of over 100 nationalities. The Middle East Centre has supported more than 2,700 part-time MBA students based in the region and has graduated more than 1,700 MBA students since opening in 2006.

The University of Manchester focuses on teaching, research and social responsibility and reached its highest-ever position in the QS World University Rankings 2019, which now lists Manchester as the world’s 27th best university. QS university league tables also position the University at 6th in the UK and 8th in Europe. The University of Manchester was awarded a 5-star rating by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority in Dubai’s first higher education classification, in 2019.

Media contact: 

Jonathan Walsh, WPR Dubai, jon@wprme.com, +97150 4588610