Master of Business Administration (MBA)

The Glasgow MBA will empower you with crucial skills and knowledge and provide you with the networking opportunities you need to accelerate your career, either as a manager within the private, third or public sector or in developing your own entrepreneurial ambition. We give you one-to-one support to help develop you into a successful leader.

Why this programme?

• We have been teaching the MBA since 1976. Our programme is AMBA accredited, which means our MBA is internationally recognised to the highest standard.
• We purposefully recruit a small yet diverse cohort of students. As a result, you will receive dedicated 1-2-1 teaching and support whilst also being able to take the time to learn from your fellow students’ experience and skillset.
• ‌Classes are interactive, striking the right balance between tuition and discussion.
• Throughout the year we host a series of social, networking and guest speaker events to enhance your learning experience and help you get the most out of your MBA.
• We offer an MBA in Professional Development and Employability Award. This is a unique initiative which includes an opportunity for you to be mentored by one of our MBA alumni.

Programme structure

The Glasgow MBA begins with laying the foundations of leadership through three core-learning experiences. You are then given the opportunity to specialise in finance, marketing or strategy. You may also explore additional business subjects such as entrepreneurship, international business or supply chain management and business sustainability.

An important part of our MBA is the team-consulting project that happens towards the end of the year and is an opportunity for you to bring theory into practice and tackle real-life business challenges. The final stage of your MBA is your graduation project (dissertation). You will work on this from June to August on a topic agreed between you and your supervisor.

Core learning experiences

1. Decision making under uncertainty

You will learn about the intellectual perspectives and methods that underpin the practice of making decisions essential for business management. In this course, you will explore the many different disciplinary and methodological traditions that should inform effective analyses of the business world. You will also learn how informed thinking and analysis will assist you in making decisions and delivering better business outcomes.

2. Business strategic management

This section of the programme covers five key business disciplines from a strategic perspective which is covered in five individual courses. These are strategy (Strategic management), HR and operations (Managing resources), marketing (Marketing management), finance (Financial information and analysis), and business environment (Global economy). You will develop the skills expected of senior managers and be capable of developing a career in any leading organisation. This learning experience ends with a week-long intense team-consulting project where you will be challenged to cover and to integrate the areas/subjects studied both in the core courses as well as in the electives.

3. Strategic foresight

This course is designed to broaden your perspective by encouraging you to listen and think about tangible strategic challenges, in both local and international contexts, which are presented to you by experienced business leaders, entrepreneurs, consultants and/or public servants. Guest speakers cover issues such as:

• How is technology and innovation shaping organisations? Is it disruptive?
• Is globalisation still alive in the twenty-first century?
• How are millennials changing or influencing organisational cultures?
• To what extent do local (national) procedures and regulations support or inhibit a business internationalisation agenda?
• How do risk management and responses to uncertainty present themselves in day-to-day strategic implementation?
• How are Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Environmental Protection and/or Ethical Behaviours embraced and introduced during strategic discussions?

Through guided discussions after each presentation and case-discussions complementing these topics, you will learn to develop skills to articulate previous and potential future responses to strategic challenges and the likely effectiveness of these responses.

Following the core courses, you will pick five optional courses, enabling you to specialise in finance, strategy or marketing. The courses on offer vary each year and are taught by a range of leading academics and practitioners, based on their research or personal experience of the corporate world.

Entry Requirements

• 2.1 Honours degree or non-UK equivalent in any subject and a minimum of 3 years managerial work experience.
• A personal statement and a detailed CV describing your work experience with specific emphasis on managerial roles and responsibilities. (Managerial work experience should include and highlight responsibility for planning business aims/objectives and prioritising workload to deliver these. Communicating these to the team you are managing and relevant colleagues. Please note it is a requirement to have at least a team of 3 reporting to you).

If your application successfully passes through the first stage of the admissions process, you will be invited you to take part in an interview by Skype (if you are abroad) or face-to-face (if you are in the UK).

The interview is relatively informal, lasts between 30 and 45 minutes and seeks to evaluate your suitability for the Glasgow MBA, as well as discuss your application and expectations. The interview will enable the MBA team to get to know you and provide you with an opportunity to understand how the Glasgow MBA works. The interview may include interaction with other candidates and you may be asked to prepare a brief presentation on a particular topic.

Focus will be on the following competencies: motivation, commercial and business awareness, team working, project management, creativity, resilience and flexibility, business ethics and communication.

Although the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) is not a standard requirement of our admissions process, strong verbal reasoning and numerical abilities are critical for the MBA and we may ask you to undertake such a test.

International students with academic qualifications below those required should contact our partner institution, Glasgow International College, who offer a range of pre-Masters 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

• two sub-tests no less than 6.5, no sub-test less than 6.0

• or equivalent scores in another recognised qualification:

Common equivalent English language qualifications

All stated English tests are acceptable for admission for both home/EU and international students for this programme:

• ibTOEFL: 90; no sub-test less than:
  • Reading: 20
  • Listening: 19
  • Speaking: 19
  • Writing: 23

• CAE (Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English): 176 overall; no sub-test less than 169

• CPE (Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English): 176 overall; no sub-test less than 169

• PTE Academic (Pearson Test of English, Academic test): 60; no sub-test less than 59

• Trinity College London Integrated Skills in English: ISEII at Distinction with Distinction in all sub-tests

For international students, the Home Office has confirmed that the University can choose to use these tests to make its own assessment of English language ability for visa applications to degree level programmes. The University is also able to accept an IELTS test (Academic module) from any of the 1000 IELTS test centres from around the world and we do not require a specific UKVI IELTS test for degree-level programmes. We therefore still accept any of the English tests listed for admission to this programme.

Pre-sessional courses

The University of Glasgow accepts evidence of the required language level from the English for Academic Study Unit Pre-sessional courses. We also consider other BALEAP accredited pre-sessional courses.

Career prospects

As a Glasgow MBA graduate, you join the ranks of successful and influential professionals making a mark on organisations around the world. Our dedicated MBA Careers Manager supports you throughout the year, helping you plan for the next stage of your career and equip you with the tools and strategies to compete effectively within the global job market. Many of our graduates have senior roles specialising in management, marketing and finance, across all industries and sectors; whilst others have established their own business. Recent alumni have gone on to employment with companies including but not limited to:

• Apple
• Amazon
• Rolls Royce
• IBM
• Unilever
• Clydesdale Bank
• Ernst & Young
• Halyard Health
• Goldman Sachs
• The Scottish Government