The Glasgow MBA will teach you the skills and tools needed to be a successful manager, which is only the beginning. The Glasgow MBA matches an ancient tradition of academic excellence with exposure to contemporary business practice. The international experience that our MBA provides will give you a broader perspective on the challenges facing future leaders and managers working in an ever changing world.

Programme overview

• MBA: 12 months full-time; 3-4 years months part-time

• Part-time Pathway: We are now offering a modular part-time option for the MBA programme. For  For further details please download the Glasgow MBA Part-time Pathway Flyer or contact the programme convener.

The Glasgow MBA is structured to enhance your personal and academic development.

The programme includes orientation and induction sessions ahead of the core courses to address your individual needs as you set out on the MBA programme.

The core courses are followed by specialist optional courses, allowing you to focus on the areas of learning that are most suited to your future development. You will have the opportunity to follow one of three specialist tracks in Finance, Strategy or Marketing.

The programme finishes by offering you the considerable practical benefits of a consultancy project, as well as the in-depth and applied analysis of a dissertation.

Mentoring, personal development, reflective practice and leadership sessions are provided throughout the programme to help you reflect on your progress and enhance your potential. In addition, a range of social, networking and guest speaker events run throughout the year to enhance your learning experience and to help you get the most out of your MBA.

An important part of the Glasgow MBA is the Consultancy Week - an opportunity for you to put the theories you’ve learned during the programme into action.

What do we mean by Modularity?

Both Decision Making Under Uncertainty and each of the components of Business Strategic Management can be taken independently. This can be done by students either seeking to expand on existing knowledge or as a taster for students who are unsure whether to start the full MBA. We offer courses in the following subjects:

1. Decision Making Under Uncertainty

2. Business Strategic Management

2.1 Dynamic Strategic Management

2.2 Financial analysis and decision making

2.3 Developing leadership skills with people and resources

2.4 Global economy

2.5 Strategic marketing

In turn, taking subsequent courses will lead to a part time MBA. Alternatively, all elective courses comprising the Finance, Strategy and Marketing tracks can be offered independently when prerequisite knowledge can be demonstrated.

Full-time MBA programme

1. Leadership Foundations

• Introduction to the MBA
• Learning objectives
• Methods of delivery
• Support services

2. Decision Making Under Uncertainty

• Understanding the external environment
• Introduction to research methods
• Decision-making tools
• Developing creativity and criticism.

3. Business Strategic Management (Core MBA courses)

• Dynamic strategic management
• Financial analysis and decision making
• Developing leadership skills with people and resources
• Global economy
• Strategic Marketing

4. Strategic foresight

• Political contexts (geopolitics, corporate responsibility, scenario planning)
• Economic contexts (regulation and international markets, risk management, social and environmental accounting)
• Social contexts (the importance of place, personal and corporate ethics, cross-cultural management)
• Technological contexts (innovation, ICT and global communications)
• Environmental contexts (climate change, energy)
• Legal contexts (changing roles of the state, citizen and consumer rights).

5. Specialist optional courses

• Finance
• Strategy
• Marketing

6. Mentoring, personal development, reflective practice and leadership

• Mentorship in leadership and employability
• Personal development planning
• Consultancy project or exchange
• Research techniques
• Dissertation

Career prospects

We know that career prospects and the development of transferable skills are important factors in choosing your MBA, particularly in the current economic climate. That’s why we have developed Consultancy Week. Whether you want to change fields, advance in your current role, or move into consultancy, the Consultancy Week projects help you cut your teeth in new areas while providing tangible benefits to local organisations.

Our MBA creates leaders who can think critically, and who have the ability to lead companies and organisations and their people at the highest level.

Our graduates are in constant demand and find jobs in senior management or consultancy roles very quickly. Companies and organisations that have recently hired our graduates include American Express, Amazon, Morgan Stanley, Pepsi, Lloyds TSB, JP Morgan, British Gas, Nationwide Building Society, General Motors, IBM, among many others. Our graduates use their experience on the MBA to move ahead in their organisations, move into consultancy, or to make a major career change. Within 6 months of graduation, 93% of graduates find their career path or go on to further education.

The University Careers Service and the School’s own Postgraduate Support Officer aim to enhance the employability of our students and graduates, and help them to develop and make appropriate use of career management skills, thereby enhancing their ability to identify options most appropriate to them.

In addition to personal development and CV workshops, the School offers networking opportunities throughout the year, which attract students, alumni, staff, entrepreneurs and business leaders from the public and private sectors engaged in debates on important current issues, such as the economic downturn, innovation and technology, and managing high performance teams.

As a Glasgow MBA participant, you will have free membership of AMBA. Membership of the Association of MBAs will give you access to a suite of careers, networking and knowledge services that go beyond what any one individual business school can provide. AMBA has extensive links with MBA employers and executive recruitment agencies and the career and networking resources they offer will allow you to develop highly-effective job search strategies – even in an economic downturn.

Academic entry requirements

Entry requirements for postgraduate taught programmes are a 2.1 Honours degree or equivalent qualification (for example, GPA 3.0 or above) in a relevant subject.

Applicants require three years' relevant work experience in addition to standard entry requirements.

International students with academic qualifications below those required should contact our partner institution, Glasgow International College, who offer a range of foundation courses.

English language requirements

For applicants whose first language is not English, the University sets a minimum English Language proficiency level.

International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic module (not General Training):

• overall score 6.5
• no sub-test less than 6.0
• or equivalent scores in another recognised qualification (see below)
   

Common equivalent English language qualifications:

• ibTOEFL: 92; no sub-test less than 20
• CAE (Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English): B minimum
• CPE (Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English): C minimum
• PTE Academic (Person Test of English, Academic test): 60; no sub-test less than 59

Pre-sessional courses
The University of Glasgow accepts evidence of the required language level from the Language Centre Pre-sessional courses. We also consider other BALEAP accredited pre-sessional courses:

• Language Centre, University of Glasgow
• BALEAP guide to accredited courses 

FAQs

Visa requirements and proof of English language level

It is a visa requirement to provide information on your level of English based on an internationally recognised and secure English language test. All test reports must be no more than 2 years old. A list of these can be found on the UK Border Agency website. If you have never taken one of these tests before, you can get an initial idea of your level by using the Common European Framework self-assessment grid which gives you a level for each skill (e.g. listening B1/writing B2 etc.) However, please note that this is not a secure English language test and it is not sufficient evidence of your level of English for visa requirements.

If you require a Tier 4 student visa, your qualification must be one of the secure English language tests accepted by UK Border Agency:

• UK Border Agency Tier 4 English Language requirements
• UKBA list of approved English language tests [pdf]

For further information about English language requirements, please contact the Recruitment and International Office: pgadmissions@glasgow.ac.uk

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