25 February 2013 (Dubai, United Arab Emirates): Manchester Business School (MBS) Middle East Executive Centre at Dubai Knowledge Village, has enrolled 101 new part time MBA students (27 nationalities based in 15 countries) in the January 2013 intake, with a rise in the proportion of female MBA students - 18 per cent for the January intake versus an average of 12 per cent in previous intakes. Just over half the new students are resident in the UAE and all are experienced working professionals. The Middle East student base has now grown to more than 1,400 part time MBA students and is the largest student cohort in the international network of Manchester Business School. MBS was ranked 29th in the world in the Financial Times MBA ranking for 2013, published in January 2013.

New student snapshot - of the 101 new MBA students:

• More than 50 per cent are resident in the UAE, almost 20 per cent in Saudi Arabia

• More than 20 per cent are educated to Master's level

• More than 50 per cent are of Middle Eastern nationality

• The main industries in which the students work are IT/telecoms, utilities, and financial services

• The average age of the cohort is 34

• The new intake includes one married couple

All the MBS students are experienced working professionals joining one of four part time MBA programmes with entry criteria including a good first degree and a minimum of three years' managerial experience. Many of the MBA students are employed by the world's leading multinational companies, as well as local and regional companies, and are active in a wide range of sectors - public and private - from government to consulting and marketing.

Speaking on the sidelines of the new student induction sessions and first workshops in Dubai, Associate MBA Director (Manchester Business School Worldwide), Xavier Duran said: "We are very impressed with the quality of our new students, with many already holding a Masters degree, and also encouraged by the increasing number of female MBA students in the Middle East. The Manchester Global MBA is a very tough programme and a major commitment but the great advantage of this part time MBA is that students can immediately implement what they learn in the workplace, as well as build their professional network through face to face contact with their student peers." 

Ms Randa Bessiso, Director Middle East at Manchester Business School, added: "The demand for our part time MBA programmes remains very strong and we are delighted to see more women enrol with us; we currently have around 150 active female students and they are amongst some of our most accomplished students - and alumni - in the Middle East. The Global MBA programme is designed to offer a high degree of flexibility and face to face contact time with faculty and peers, which has a strong appeal for working professionals in the region. The quality of our students and the value of the programme are assured through our ranking and accreditations, and by applying the same high standard of entry criteria applied by Manchester Business School globally. All our students are awarded the same Manchester MBA."

The Middle East International Executive Centre is the largest in the school's international network of six international executive centres outside the UK (Hong Kong, Singapore, Shanghai, Brazil, Miami and the UAE). The MBS Middle East Centre offers four pathways on the Global MBA programme - Global MBA (General), Engineering learning pathway, Finance learning pathway and the Project Management pathway.

The next intake for the Global MBA programme is in July 2013.

Manchester Business School is the UK's largest campus-based business and management school. It provides a comprehensive range of undergraduate, postgraduate and custom-made executive programmes, for organisations from both the private and public sectors. Manchester Business School holds triple MBA accreditation - AMBA, EQUIS, AACSB. All successful MBA students are awarded a degree by the University of Manchester and no distinction is made between the different learning formats - all have reached the same high standard expected of a Manchester MBA.

Issued on behalf of Manchester Business School Middle East Centre by WPR.

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WPR
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© Press Release 2013