The Manchester Global Executive MBA

How will I learn?

The Global Executive MBA is taught through a combination of highly-participative online learning and five global workshop residentials (26-35 days of face-to-face teaching based on number of face-to-face classes you take). This blended learning approach is ideal for fitting your studies around your work and home commitments, while still getting an equivalent amount of on-campus teaching time as many full-time MBA programmes.

Global workshop residentials

Most courses that you will study include an intensive, three-day workshop residential. These are a chance to immerse yourself in your studies, away from the distractions of daily life, focus on what you want to achieve and build a strong, supportive cohort. At the workshops, you will experience a challenging mix of experiential learning from renowned business experts and practitioners, and group work focusing on real business problems. Plus there’s the opportunity to network, socialise and make connections that could transform your career. To give you extra flexibility, for elective courses we offer some courses that have more online or face-to-face learning to suit your commitments.

Travelling cohort

Unlike the Global MBA, where workshops for core courses take place at your 'home' centre, our Global Executive MBA will immerse you in our global study locations. You will attend four core workshop residentials as a cohort in Manchester, Dubai and Singapore for greater exposure to international business culture, then choose your own electives at any of our global centres. We will provide 26 nights of accommodation across the three core global workshops locations.

Workshop schedule

January 2024 intake

Online learning 

Our online teaching, learning and student support includes:

• Dedicated online learning and support hub
• Live online lectures and virtual workshops to support face-to-face workshops
• Virtual office hours with world-leading academics
• Online student surgeries
• Digital library
• Discussion forums
• Pre-sessional study skills and foundational review courses 
• Virtual guest speakers and networking opportunities

Typical course unit

• Delivered online + three-day face-to-face workshop (either at the start or around the middle of the teaching period)
• Typcially studied over a six-month period (some are shorter) with a total of 150 hours of study per unit
• Taught from an applied perspective using practical elements, such as problem-solving, case studies, interactive activities and online quizzes, so you can apply your learnings immediately
• Assessed by ongoing coursework with no exams (you will typically complete two individual/group assessments per unit) 
• Informed by the latest cutting-edge research
• Taught by world-leading academics with extensive expertise and teaching experience

Entry requirements, fees & scholarships

The Global Executive MBA is for our most senior MBA candidates, places are limited and entry is competitive. We aim to admit a cohort of senior leaders from diverse cultural and professional backgrounds. 

Typical class profile

• Cohort size: 25
• Average age: 41
• Average work experience: 17 years
• Average management experience: 12 years
• Female candidates: 23%
• Nationalities: 35

Please note that many of our most senior executives still choose to study our two-year Global MBA. For example, they may prefer to study over a longer timeframe for personal or professional reasons, or they may not be able to accommodate the mandatory travel that is part of the Global Executive MBA in their work schedule. On our Global MBA programme, the average age is approximately 36 with an average of 12 years of professional experience, which is comparable to many Executive MBAs offered by other schools.

To apply, you will need to demonstrate:

Substantial and significant professional experience in management roles

Applicants should currently be in a senior leadership position influencing the company’s strategy, decisions and goals. They should also:

• Typically, have held a P&L responsibility for a minimum of two years or been part of a team with clear P&L accountability for four or more years.
• Be in senior leadership positions with substantial accountability such as:
  • President, vice president, chairman, managing director, board member, CEO, COO, CFO, CIO, other C-level post within a Corporate, NGO, or mid-market sized business and is, or will become, an officer of the company.
  • General manager, divisional manager, or senior manager with high-level accountability for a business unit/country/region, within a corporate ownership structure, large family-owned family business with formal management structures, public corporation or NGO.
  • Senior management position with high-level cross-functional responsibilities e.g. director of functional department but as part of the organisation’s senior leadership team.
  • Successful established entrepreneur, who has scaled a business or businesses for growth or is developing strategies to enable and support growth of a business.
• Have aptitude and leadership talent to make a real difference in today's global business world with a strong commitment to corporate social responsibility and sustainability values.

Significant international exposure (preferred)

For example:

• Working in a global environment, operating across international borders, dealing with complexity and uncertainty, preferably across multiple sectors, with experience of leading international teams, or managing virtual teams across geographies and time zones.
• Global mindset developed through exposure to new business cultures and experiences, gained on international placements or through living and working in other countries.

You will also need:

• Good undergraduate or master degree or international equivalent
• Satisfactory admissions test:  We accept GMAT®, GMAC Executive Assessment, GRE® or Manchester Admissions Test
• Proof of English competency (assessed throughout the admissions process).All our programmes are conducted in English and participants are expected to have excellent communications skills and English competence to be able to understand, and contribute to, what can be very fast-paced discussions in class.

Admission route for applicants without a degree

If you do not have a degree, it may be possible to gain a place without a degree qualification. Your application will be considered through the accreditation of prior experiential learning (APEL). If you do not have a degree, you need to show alternative evidence, e.g. strong school results, professional qualification and/or training courses, non-degree business qualifications and examples of demonstrating specialist knowledge in your business area. A good admissions test result will be required. We advise you to discuss your circumstances with us before submitting an application.

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Fees

The fee for the Global Executive MBA is £41,500, which can be paid in instalments on a semester-by-semester basis.

The fee includes one complimentary elective post-graduation at any of our global locations.

Accommodation

We will provide 26 nights of accommodation across the three core global workshops locations: Manchester, Hong Kong and Dubai.

Global Executive MBA Scholarships

We offer a number of scholarships for candidates with excellent achievements. Our scholarships also support cultural and professional diversity in the Global Executive MBA programme and the School’s commitment to social responsibility.

Candidates who are selected to the interview stage will be invited to present their case for a scholarship as part of the interview process.

We expect our scholarship award holders to contribute dynamically to all aspects of the programme and become excellent ambassadors to the School and our alumni community. Please note that:

• Scholarships are open to all self-funding candidates.
• We operate a one-discount policy, discounts cannot be accumulated.
• Applicants who will be receiving substantial (over 50%) financial company sponsorship towards their tuition fees will not typically be considered for a scholarship award. Corporates supporting multiple employees onto our MBA programmes may be eligible for a corporate discount, please contact us to discuss.

The following scholarships are available:

How to apply

Stage one: application

• Next intake: January 2024
• Final application deadline: Monday 27 November 2023

1. Apply through the university application portal

Register for an account and select to apply for the Global (Executive) MBA.

Apply now >> 

2. Upload your supporting documents with your application

You will need to prepare and submit the following documents with your application:

• CV / resume
• Degree documents (including English translation if applicable) or
• Supporting evidence for APL if you do not have a degree
• The application form includes an essay question about your senior leadership experience

3. Provide a reference

One professional reference is required.

You will be asked to include the contact details for your referees in the MBA application form. When your application has been submitted we will email your referees with a link to complete our official online MBA reference. The reference form is a simple questionnaire which is quick to complete and when submitted is automatically uploaded to the admissions system.

 4. Take the Manchester Admissions Test

After submitting your application and supporting document, all candidates will be invited to take the Manchester Admissions Test (MAT), unless you already have a valid GMAT, Executive Assessment or GRE score.

The Manchester Admissions Test (MAT), which is designed and delivered by Korn Ferry Group is completed online and you can take it at your convenience in your home, office or anywhere with a good internet connection. You will complete three short assessments (verbal, numerical and logical). They do not require preparation and take around 45 minutes to complete.

We will provide you with a login and password to take the test after you submit your MBA application. The invitation will come from notifications@talentqgroup.com. Please save this email to your contacts so that the invitation does not get delivered to your junk email.

Stage two: interview

The MBA Admission Committee will review complete applications and successful candidates in the initial review will be invited to present to an interview panel.   

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What makes a competitive MBA application? >>