In July, about 60 students will embark on a new Global MBA in Hong Kong. As part of the course, they will travel to at least two of the world's leading business centres.
Manchester Business School has been teaching executive education programmes in Hong Kong for more than 15 years. Its new MBA will build on this background, offering students a chance to study in a global setting.
"We've always been known for two things: our international approach to learning and our very practical approach to what we teach," explains Nigel Banister, chief global officer and chief executive.
As Europe's largest campus-based business school, Manchester is able to stretch its reach globally to offer extensive off-campus education.
About 3,000 students are taking off-campus executive MBA programmes in about 140 countries. With the introduction of the Global MBA, students have the chance to study at one of the school's international study centres overseas.
"We can take advantage of the fact that we have international centres in many of the world's most exciting business locations, such as the United States, Brazil, United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Malaysia, Shanghai and Hong Kong," Banister says.
During the three-year programme, students are expected to study at least one of the modules in an overseas centre. It means that each class will be mixed in terms of nationalities, sector background and experience, especially as each student will travel at least twice.
The programme is taught by block teaching - professors fly out from the school in Manchester and teach intensive study programmes at the centres over long weekends.
"We've always put a lot of stock in project work and this new programme takes this a step further in terms of doing business simulations and working with others across the globe in a very realistic way," Banister says.
Some of the project work is designed so that students can apply their work to their actual place of work. "This gives a great rate of return for their companies, especially those companies that are paying for the student to take the course. It means the project work the student does can directly benefit their company."
Banister explains that Hong Kong is very mature in terms of its executive education market, with the city's universities offering excellent MBA programmes, and numerous overseas schools offering their programmes to local students.
"We believe that what our Global MBA will offer is a genuinely global experience that will be crucial for anyone working for a multinational company, whether in their home country or overseas," he says.
"These companies specifically look for people with up-to-date management leadership skills and those who can take a strategic global view on top of their local knowledge."
