The Manchester Global Executive MBA

Once you've been offered a place on our MBA programme and paid a reservation fee, you can take our Manchester MBA Preparation course.

This online course helps you understand what it's like to study at Manchester, how to go about writing academic assignments and most importantly, what 'Learning by Doing' really means.

You'll have the opportunity to:

• Rediscover key study skills
• Undertake Business Essentials courses in Marketing and Operations Management
• Meet the teams that will be supporting you.

The course takes around 15 hours in total and you can complete it at your own pace. There are lots of opportunities to apply your skills and new knowledge throughout.

Contemporary businesses face two major transition challenges:

1. To re-evaluate the purpose of the firm in the 21st century and transition to a stakeholder value-driven firm
2. How to re-design the business model in global transition to a net zero economy.

Environmental, social and governance (ESG) is the formal tool that companies use to manage these two transitions. On this course, we cover why these two major transitions are happening by covering concepts and analytical tools such as:

• Financialisation
• Shareholder value maximisation
• Corporate governance
• Firm purpose.

Then we analyse the rise of ESG as a mechanism for firms to achieve social and environmental responsibility and to transition to a net zero economy.

In this core course, you'll examine the field of organisational behaviour, evaluating questions such as:

• Why have contemporary management practices and organisational forms been adopted?
• What is their effect on people's behaviour?

You'll learn how to respond to contemporary management and organisational challenges, by applying the latest research, ideas, frameworks and practical case studies.

This course is delivered through a four-day workshop in Singapore and online learning. It will provide you with key knowledge about operations management and marketing.

We'll encourage you to consider the interactions and potential tensions between these areas, and to critically evaluate the application of theory to real-life contexts. You'll also work in multinational groups to develop solutions to marketing and operations management challenges.

This course is delivered through:

• A three-day workshop in Dubai
• One virtual workshop
• Online learning.

The course will introduce you to the two main areas of accounting:

• Financial accounting
• Management accounting.

We'll introduce you to the content, role and usefulness of financial reports. You'll then learn how to interpret, analyse and understand financial information. Alongside this, you'll develop an understanding of the theories, techniques and practices of management and cost accounting.

You'll also explore the design of management accounting and control systems.

This course is delivered through a four-day workshop in Manchester and online learning.

The interdisciplinary course will help you develop a cutting-edge approach to strategy and competition that is fit for purpose in today’s changing business environment. You'll explore key areas of interest, such as:

• Competition
• Global instability
• The sharing economy
• Technology disruption
• Traditional, dominant schools of thought.

The course will blend theory and practice, with an emphasis on teamwork and real-time case analysis.

This course is delivered through a three-day workshop in Dubai and online learning.

It will boost your understanding of ecommerce, allowing you to deal with rapid changes in technology and business practices.

As well as studying core economic and internet market theory, you'll consider the effects of technology and Artificial Intelligence on key industries such as:

• Advertising
• Financial markets
• Insurance
• Healthcare
• Venture capital
• Retail.

You'll also learn how to design new platform firms and develop strategies to take traditional corporations into the digital age.

This course is delivered through:

• Two workshops in Manchester - these will take three days in total
• A workplace application
• Online learning.

Today's senior executives are increasingly required to be more reflective about:

• Their own practice - for example, their responsibilities
• Their decision making in situations that are uncertain and complex.

Applying this dual perspective to senior managerial practice, this inquiry-based course will help you explore aspects of your own practice - for example, senior managers' responsibilities. The course will enrich your practical knowledge and skills for cultivating a more reflective approach to decision-making.

This project is delivered through a one-day workshop in Manchester and group work. It takes six months in total to complete.

You’ll collaborate on a live, interdisciplinary business project, for a sponsoring 'client' organisation, potentially from the not-for-profit or social value sector. Organisations are normally student-sourced, with the final approval of client organisation and project scope choices by the course unit director, to ensure you have a viable project.

Guided by a supervisor, your team will develop a strategic plan, leveraging insights and models from your MBA coursework, to address real-world business challenges.

This project culminates in a professional presentation and report, delivering actionable recommendations to your client and showcasing the depth of your learning and expertise.

You can choose two electives. Each elective is delivered through:

• A three-day workshop (minimum) in Dubai, Hong Kong, Manchester, Shanghai or Singapore
• Online learning.

Elective courses are your opportunity to gain more expertise in an area of your choice or explore a new field of interest. Choose electives tailored to your interests and career goals, and combine electives to create your own pathway - for example, in marketing, digital business or finance.

Our suite of electives is continuously refreshed to ensure it balances traditional core business principles with current and emerging topics such as fintech, sustainability and data science.

You can attend workshop residentials for electives at any of our global centres: Dubai, Hong Kong, Manchester, Shanghai and Singapore. This gives you more opportunities to widen your international network and business perspectives.

Current electives

• Big Data Analytics
• Business-to-Business Marketing
• Digital Marketing Strategy
• Engaging Human Talent
• Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management
• Fintech, Digital Banking and Blockchain
• Information Systems and Digital Strategy
• International Business Strategy
• Managing Disruptive Technologies
• Negotiation Skills
• Platform Ecosystem Strategy
• Practical Investing
• Strategic Financial Analysis
• Strategic Project Organising
• Strategic Supply Chain Management
• Venture Capital and Private Equity
• Work Psychology for Managerial Success - this elective is offered until January 2026.

To give you added flexibility, we offer some electives that are entirely online or that include longer/shorter face-to-face workshops.

GEMBA+ is a suite of extra-curricular experiences that will help you:

• Define your goals
• Enhance your interpersonal skills
• Build your corporate connections
• Raise your profile across the world.

Running in parallel with the academic programme, GEMBA+ activities are not credit bearing. They are designed to give you targeted support and motivation to help you through the MBA and beyond. The Global Executive MBA includes a number of exclusive options:

Supporting professional discussions

Our team are on hand to facilitate introductions to senior alumni to enhance your learning and career progression. Drawn from our extensive network of business contacts from across the world, they'll work with you to:

• Define your goals
• Build your confidence
• Increase your global corporate contacts.

Next-level networking

To help you make those vital global business connections, our Global Careers Service and Alumni Relations team offer a range of extra events exclusively for GEMBA students. These include a welcome dinner, guest speaker and networking events, and visits to high profile global organisations.

In addition to the above, you'll also have access to the MBA+ extracurricular activities that we offer across all our part-time MBA programmes, including:

• Online careers seminars
• Employability sessions
• Careers guidance
• Alumni introductions
• Alumni socials
• Alumni speaker events
• Alumni groups, and more.

Most courses include an intensive, three-day workshop residential.

In the first year of the course, you'll attend four core workshop residentials in Manchester, Dubai and Hong Kong. You can then choose your own electives at any of our global centres for the remainder of the course.

Workshop dates for January 2025 intake

Specific dates for September 2025 onwards will be added to this page when confirmed.