Dubai-United Arab Emirates: The University of Manchester Middle East Centre in Dubai has welcomed its latest (July 2022) intake of Global Part-time MBA students, including the largest cohort of female students since launching the Centre in 2006. More than 85 students were enrolled with female business professionals accounting for more than a quarter of the total – all the students are experienced and qualified working professionals. The University has two Global Part-time MBA intakes per year (January and July) and the Middle East Centre is the largest and fastest growing in the University’s international network of centres.   

The new Manchester Global Part-time MBA cohort consists of students of 31 nationalities, residing in 11 countries across the region – the majority of which (over 80%) are resident in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. This experienced cohort has an average age of 35, with 11 years of work experience, and 93% bring management experience with them. The diverse cohort also includes very strong female representation - one of the strongest since the launch of the Centre in 2006 – with female students accounting for 27% of the total.

The majority of the new students are following the Global MBA pathway, with others opting for the Finance Accelerated pathway or Global Executive MBA. More than 10% of the cohort already holds a doctoral or master’s degree and more than half are already in senior leadership positions or bring leadership experience to the programme. Around half the new students are currently active in Consulting, Banking/Financial Services, Oil & Gas, or the Pharmaceutical/Biotech sector.

The Middle East Centre team in Dubai welcomed the new students from across the region with a face-to-face induction session, and a video introduction by Xavier Duran, Director MBA Programmes at the Alliance Manchester Business School. The session provided the opportunity for mutual introductions and team building exercises, networking and experience sharing with current MBA students and alumni, and presentations to learn more about the student, alumni and careers services offered at the centre. Most of the new cohort was able to join the induction in person the largest in-person induction since the pandemic began.

Randa Bessiso, Director – Middle East at The University of Manchester, said: “The Middle East Centre is really pleased with the high quality, diversity and numbers of students we continue to attract in the region – and thrilled to see the continuing rise in the numbers of female professionals choosing the programme, as we aim for greater inclusivity. All our students benefit from a very flexible, high quality business programme which upgrades skills, knowledge and helps build a professional network. These are all critical assets in a dynamic economy and changing workplace and we believe these help students build more rewarding, fulfilling and sustainable 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 five 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 over 3,000 part-time MBA students based in the region and has graduated more than 2,000 MBA students 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 is the business school of The University of Manchester. It is currently ranked 43rd in world, 5th in the UK and 12th in Europe, in the Financial Times (FT) MBA global ranking 2022. The FT also ranks Alliance MBS 1st in the UK and 5th globally for Environmental, Social and Governance; and 9th worldwide for the career progress of our alumni.