…So You Should Really Get Your MBA

We’re opening with the hard sell here: No matter where you are in your career right now, if you get an MBA, you’ll be massively bumped up into a new bracket of opportunities in terms of what you do, where you do it, and how much you get paid for it.  As everyone knows, this is why you get an MBA; to open yourself up to senior management and executive positions in an international jobs market and to get the massive salary increase that comes with said positions. 

As straightforward as the reasons to do an MBA are, the reasons not to are also pretty evident: 1) no time; 2) they’re expensive; 3) hard to commit to a long program in Shanghai if you don’t even know if you’re going to be here for long. 

Introducing The University of Manchester’s Global Part-time MBA Program. Priced at far less than comparable degrees at other institutions, this program is part-time — you can earn a world-class MBA degree without leaving your job — and with five international hubs in business centers around the world, you can pursue the degree wherever in the world the next steps in your life and career take you.  

Why an MBA — Return on Investment

At Manchester Global MBA, you’ll encounter the axiom: “Challenge yourself. Change direction. Transform your career.” This, of course, refers to all the directly applicable skills you’ll walk away with, along with your Global MBA degree, that will directly impact your organization: business management skills; critical thinking and problem solving skills; strategy experience and the  communicate across global boundaries, and more.

To develop the axiom further though, why an MBA? To be the positive change you yourself need to bring your career to the next level. The statistic everyone is looking for is this: As verified by the Financial Times Global MBA Ranking in 2021, the average salary increase for Manchester MBA graduates is 101% within three years after graduating.  

In a broader sense, your Global MBA degree can have a profound impact on your career trajectory. With a Manchester Global MBA you can reach a senior position quicker; qualify for advanced positions in tertiary industries; switch careers, job function, and / or job location; meet business contacts from around the world and like-minded people; get equipped with the skills you need to start your own successful business.

Introducing Alliance Manchester Business School

One of the UK’s most storied institutions, The University of Manchester was founded in 1824 and boasts 25 Nobel laureates among its staff and former students, including Niels Bohr, Joseph E. Stiglitz, and Alan Turing. One of the largest campus in the UK with over 43,000 students and 12,000 staff, The University is one of the world’s top research centers with emphasis on energy science, global economics and industrial science, and medical research. According to the QS World Rankings 2023, The University of Manchester is listed as the 6th best institution in the UK, and 28th in the world.

Established in 1965, Alliance Manchester Business School is one of the UK’s first two business schools, with centers in Manchester, Dubai, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore.  Alliance MBS is one fo the few school with triple crowned accreditation from AACSB International, AMBA and EQUIS. They provide world-class, industry-focused education to undergraduates, postgraduates and executives across the globe.

Top Ranked and Recognized Around the World

Alliance Manchester Business School features in the world’s leading rankings and consistently ends in the top tier of lists compiled by independent third party sources:

2022 Financial Times Global MBA Ranking: 5th in the UK, 12th in Europe, 43rd in the world

2021-2022 Bloomberg Best Business School Ranking: 4th in the UK, 10th in Europe. 

2019 Forbes top non-US two-year business school Ranking: 7th in the world, outside of the US

2021 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Ranking: the UoM is ranked 6th in the UK for accounting and finance; 7th for business and management 

QS World University Rankings 2021: 7th in the UK for finance; 2nd in the UK and 9th in the world for business analytics; 1st in the UK and 5th in the world for operations, project, and supply chain management; 3rd in the UK and 9th in the world for marketing; 5th in the UK and 24th in the world for management

2021 The Times Higher Education University Impact Ranking: The University of Manchester is ranked 1st in the world for social and environmental impact

Bridging China and the UK: The University of Manchester China Centre

Coming up on 15 years in 2023, The University of Manchester China Centre is the first established executive center of a UK business school in Shanghai. Upgrading their facilities in 2020, the Centre offers modern, state-of-the-art classrooms and facilities, with their campus located at the newly refurbished high-rise, L'Avenue. 

The University of Manchester China Centre has enjoyed success and recognition over the years, earning numerous national accolades, including ‘Distinguished Brand of Business Education' in 2018 and ‘The Most Valued Brand of Business Education’ in 2020 by Tencent Education. The Manchester Global MBA in particular was voted the ‘The Most Innovative MBA’ by The Best Education of China from 2016 to 2018 and ‘The Most Influential MBA’ in 2019.  

Continuing to attract top executive and entrepreneurial talent in China, since establishing in 2008, the Business School has recruited more than 2,000 students from 30 different countries and currently boats eight different alumni clubs tailored to various industries, including healthcare, marketing, finance, telecommunications, and entrepreneurship. 

The Manchester Global MBA at a Glance

The Manchester Global MBA is a 24-month part-time blended learning degree program (workshop residencies and online learning) designed for professionals from all industries with at least three years professional experience. This highly customizable international degree enables candidates to continue working while studying for their MBA, with year one dedicated to developing core skills and year two reserved for personal focus and individual specialization. 

In addition to online learning, this specialist MBA includes 29 days of teaching across six workshop residencies. You will attend workshops for the core courses in your first year at your home center. For elective courses in the second year, you can attend workshops in any of The University of Manchester’s global centers: Dubai, Hong Kong, Manchester, Shanghai, and Singapore. Over 50% of their students travel in their second year. 

There are two yearly intake dates: January and July.   

If you’re looking to transform your career without even leaving your current job, the part-time Global MBA program presents a unique opportunity to transform your career.  

Original Thinking for Real Business Situations

One of the key strengths of Global MBA is its orientation to real world situations and heavy focus on directly applicable skills.  The program is taught according to a strategy of “blended learning”, which combines online teaching with face-to-face workshop residencies at international study hubs. Online teaching and learning activities are led by Manchester’s highly accredited international staff, real world professionals and advanced degree holders —MBAs and PhDs — themselves. The Shanghai-based workshops are opportunities for students to learn and interact with their peers in seminar-style classes and collaborative projects. 

For the first year, Global MBA students study core principles, accounting and finance, and business practices. Areas of study include “Leading and Managing in a Global Environment”; “Strategy and Competition; and “Operationalizing and Communicating Value”. 

For the second year of the program, students choose three electives through which to focus their area of specialization, and work on an extended live business project for course credit.    

Tailor Your Journey and Boost Your Career

With a wide range of electives available in the curriculum, students go from a broader understanding of global business practice and strategy, into a focused encounter with the specific skills they are looking for to take their learning to the next level. In the second year, in which electives make up for the majority of course work, students group together various electives to concentrate on a specific field of interest.  Current issues facing business professionals are addressed through their lens of specialization, including Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Financial Management, B2B Marketing, Leadership and Management Practice, and Strategy. 

Students can also design their own MBA and engage with topics including Big Data Analytics, Digital Economies, Sustainable & Socially Responsible Business, Business-to-Business Marketing, Fintech, Digital Banking, and Blockchains, and more. 

A Global Education

With study centers around the world and partner universities, Manchester Global MBA enables you the opportunity to take your education with you on your journey.  Alliance MBS is the only UK business school with a presence in five global hubs — Manchester, Dubai, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Singapore — and students are encouraged to take their studies abroad to participate in workshops in new places.   

This is especially relevant to Shanghai-based professionals. For many of us, our time in Shanghai is a transitional period, wherein we’re all looking for the next step in our lives and careers. Wherever you are in the world, a Manchester center is never far away, and the opportunity to initiate your study in Shanghai and continue it down the line at another location wherever life leads you is a great way to travel, experience new environments, and still realize your career goals. 

Student Voices: Matt Whately, Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Current Global MBA Student

Matt Whately: "I'm Matt Whately and I hail from Canada. A sense of adventure brought me to China. I’ve worked lots of different jobs — big companies, small companies, government, nothing stuck. So I struck out in search of adventure and found it in Shanghai. I am currently the Executive Director of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and currently studying the first term, first semester of the Global MBA. It’s a trial by fire.

I chose Manchester Global MBA because I wanted to go somewhere that was a bit different — new connections, new places — and the Global MBA program offered a lot of flexibility so I was able to continue working. I’m enjoying the program because, while I have direct working experience, this kind of gives the theory behind it and fills in some knowledge.

The lessons are very good. The information is very good and when you get down to it and work at it, you can definitely find success. Managing this, managing a social life, managing a family life, it's a balancing act. It’s challenging but at the end of the day, it gets me the credentials that I need to get to take the next step".

Alumni Voices: Tan Lee Lee, SBA Stone Forest, Head of China, Manchester Global MBA, Class of 2018 Alumna

Tan Lee Lee: "My take-aways from completing the Global MBA program is an expanded mindset, really. I feel that this MBA program has brought me to a new level of my career. Certainly in terms of managing my team, I feel that my leadership skills were improved. I’ve learned management skills like how to motivate my staff, and at the same time, I know how to build a career and align my goals with my company’s goals. 

Communication was definitely something we worked on and something I’ve taken with me. The diversity and internationalism is what drew me to the program initially, and we were able to visit different international centres such as Manchester and Dubai. So there was a lot of interaction with classmates from different backgrounds. And I realized that communication is so critical in everything that we do, academically and professionally.  I think I have come a long way and it wasn't possible without the help of my colleagues and my friends, and as alumni we still stay in touch and support each other.  For me, personally, the whole thing was a life-changing experience. "

From China Centre Director, Sherry Fu

Sherry Fu: "What makes Manchester Global MBA different from other MBA programs in China? Firstly, I think our Global MBA is truly global. When I say that it means we actually have physical centers worldwide, in Manchester, in Dubai, in Hong Kong, Singapore, Shanghai. Whenever our students want to travel to these different places, they can actually join them in face-to-face workshops in our different centers. So, once our students enroll as our Global MBA students, they actually join our global network.

Secondly, I think it's our reputation. The Manchester MBA program is one of the first MBA program delivered by a British business school, and we have over 50 years history of teaching it. And we actually ranked very high — top five in the United Kingdom and top 30 worldwide. And that translates to a return on your investment through an internationally recognized degree, more opportunities, and higher salaries.

Certainly, I would like to highlight our methodology. With the Manchester Global MBA program, we are very proud of our “learning by doing” approach, which means students apply what they've learned in the classroom immediately to the workplace. We work with practical strategies and solutions to help students’ company organizations to overcome challenges.   

Also, lastly, but not least, our alumni and career services are also exemplary. We have lifelong learning programs for our alumni, provide career advice, offer training solutions, and just try to help our students to achieve their career goals." 

Social Responsibility for a Better Tomorrow

One of the world’s leading universities tackling SDGs (sustainable development goals), The University of Manchester China Centre is actively a part of the conversation, participating and supporting the British Chamber of Commerce Shanghai’s Sustainability and ESG Business Summit, and undertaking initiatives in research, practice, and public engagement, with sustainability and social responsibility as core values. Initiatives undertaken by UoM China Center are in keeping with the core values of The University of Manchester proper, which was ranked 1st in the world by the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings for social and environmental impact in 2021.

UoM China Centre was also the sponsor of the 2021 British School Awards for sustainability, the Summit of Women Leadership in International Schools, the 2022 British Business Awards, BritCham Shanghai's ESG China Awards 2022, and actively works with several local charitable initiatives like BritCham Shanghai's Bright Eyes Project and Home Sweet Home. 

An Environment to Meet People and Flourish

In the endeavour to link Chinese and British government organizations and Sino-UK talents, The Univeristy of Manchester China Centre established MCloud. Under this banner, China Center hosts various social and recreational activities and events, including special speaking and lecture events, immersive culture eperiences, the “Beautiful World” photography exhibition, and more. In addition to providing a directly pedagogic environment, UoM China Centre also works to foster an inter-connected community of professionals from a variety of backgrounds and career goals.   

Fees, Fast-Tracking, and Financing You Future

The tuition fee for the Global MBA is 38,500 GBP, paid in four installments. They offer a 10% discount for upfront payments, as well as hold seats for Talent Scholarships. 

For students coming from senior management backgrounds, high level executive positions, or extensive entrepreneurial experience, they also offer two fast-tracked 18-month MBA programs: 1) Manchester Global Finance Accelerated MBA (for professionals with internationally recognized accountancy qualification -- ACCA, CIMA, CPA, or CFA); and 2) Manchester Global Executive MBA (for senior candidates with significant managerial experience and high level executive positions). 

You are, of course, cordially invited to any of the ongoing public information sessions routinely help, as well as encouraged to get in touch directly (see the contact below) to enquire about scholarship opportunities and payment plans. 

Admissions Requirements and How to Apply

The two-year part-time Global MBA program commences every January and July.  For consideration applicants must meet the following criteria:

–  At least three years’ professional experience, plus evidence of strong career progression and a recognized degree, or

–  Eight to ten years’ managerial experience instead of a recognized degree 

–  Successful completion of the Manchester Admissions Test (online)

–  An English language qualification (TOEFL iBT/ IELTS/ CPE/ PTE Academic/ India Standard x 11) if applicable 

To begin the application process, submit your updated English-language CV to your course counselor and fill in the online application form. 

Get in Touch

For more information on the Manchester Global Part-time MBA and the UoM China Center, you can check out their webpage right here. 

You can also contact them directly to arrange a consultation or a visit via telephone (021-6070 1318) or email (mba@uom.ac.cn).

Download the Manchester Global Part-time MBA brochure right here.