Strathclyde Business School has been offering postgraduate programmes in the UAE since 1995, when its renowned MBA programme was launched in the country. Now based at Knowledge Park, Dubai, the premier education brand is delighted to welcome new students every year onto its MBA programme at the UAE campus.
David Hillier, Associate Principal and Executive Dean of the University of Strathclyde Business School, says, “We have over 50 years of experience in MBA teaching and offer it via full-time and part-time learning. Our Executive MBA in the UAE is delivered in such a way that it allows busy executives to combine their career and family commitments together with the demands of their MBA studies.”
Strathclyde Business School is triple accredited by the three international accrediting bodies, AMBA, EQUIS and AACSB, with its MBA programme being specifically accredited by AMBA. In the UAE of course, the institute is also accredited by the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.
“Accreditation is important because it means the programme has been assessed in detail in terms of quality and standards of faculty, curriculum and student experience,” says Hillier. “We have also recently gone through the Research Excellence Framework (REF), which assessed the research being carried out across the University.
“All our teaching is supported by the strong research carried out by our faculty - almost 90 per cent of research produced by the University of Strathclyde was rated “world-leading” or “internationally-excellent” in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021.
“We have seen many wonderful students graduate from our UAE campus over the years and we look forward to seeing many more.”
Shaping tomorrow’s business minds
Marisa Smith, Senior Lecturer at Strathclyde Business School is proud about the fact that the premier institution is pioneering, shaping and developing the business minds of tomorrow. “We pride ourselves on our collaborative approach, working alongside industry and building mutually beneficial relationships that add value to both organisations and individuals alike. Our research influences academic thinking, business practice and policymaking,” says Smith.
The Strathclyde EMBA is a post-experience degree that stimulates students to re-think their management practices. “Often, our EMBA study is often described as life changing due to the effect it has on our students world view and reflective practice, this is achieved though the stimulating interplay between theory and practice we design into our teaching,” says Smith.
The environment that most businesses face is becoming more volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous, meaning the skills, capabilities and practices of future leaders need to adapt. “We know that strategic thinking and progressive leadership practices, which focus on adaptability and resilience, will enable individuals and organisations to survive and thrive in this ever-changing environment,” says Smith. “Our EMBA focuses on current managerial theory, models and frameworks but with a strong practice focus.
“The design of the Strathclyde EMBA ensures that the fundamental foundations of running a business is covered but the real value that our MBA brings is the strong focus on strategic leadership development. This allows us to develop strategic leaders that are able to lead their organisations through times of uncertainty with compassion, learning and a strategic mind set.”
Helping acquire new skillsets
Strathclyde Executive Education and Development (SEED) is the Business School’s centre for designing, developing and delivering Executive Education and Development. Moustafa Shalash, Regional Head of Executive Education at Strathclyde Business School GCC/MENA, believes the extensive experience offered by SEED while collaborating with high profile organisations across various sectors in the UAE could benefit UAE students for the long term.
“In this highly complex and uncertain world, organisations across sectors have become more agile to meet the demands of an ever-evolving digital world. In turn, executives are looking to acquire new skillsets,” says Shalash. “We have a wide portfolio of programmes offered to corporates in the UAE, and we ensure executives gain a global perspective and the analytical rigour to expand on business knowledge.”
Elaborating on the three main principles applied to Executive Education programmes at SEED, Shalash says, “Firstly, we have adopted the 70-20-10 model for Learning and Development, a formula used within our training for optimal learning. The individual obtains 70 per cent of their knowledge through experiential and practical customised programmes, 20 per cent from interactions with others and 10 per cent from academic theory.
“Secondly, we merge market-lead experts with our academics, and finally we apply adult learning and gamification methodologies to keep individuals engaged. At SEED, this has proven to be one of the greatest values in maximising effectiveness in learning.”
