The University of Manchester, one of the world’s top 50 universities, has hosted its annual Graduation Celebration for 70 business Master’s degree students from the Middle East, graduating from the Alliance Manchester Business School’s Global Part-time MBA – triple-accredited and ranked among the world’s leading schools. Most recently, Alliance MBS retained its position as one of the UK’s leading business schools in the 2023 QS Business Masters Rankings.
The University’s graduating class of 2022 in the Middle East comprises a total of 143 new business Master’s graduates of 26 nationalities - 70 of these attended the Graduation Celebration hosted by the Middle East Centre. The vast majority of these new graduates were awarded degrees with a Merit or Distinction; more than 50% reside in the UAE; and around one third of the new graduates are female.
The new Master’s in business graduates are all experienced and highly qualified working professionals in executive, management or specialist roles in various industry sectors across the region including Engineering, IT and Telecoms, Consulting, and Financial Services.
Professor Fiona Devine CBE, Dean of Alliance Manchester Business School, led the celebration and gave the keynote address on behalf of the University. The Graduation Celebration was organised by the University’s Middle East Centre and was attended by families and friends of the graduates, and partners of the Centre.
Speaking at the Graduation Celebration, Professor Fiona Devine, Head of Alliance Manchester Business School, said: “Today more than ever, we all have a responsibility to create a more sustainable future and to make a real difference globally. The University is committed to playing its role through teaching, research and social responsibility.
"I would like to invite every student and all alumni to join us in this effort and in the University’s commitment to answering the grand societal challenges that we face. This celebration also welcomes you to a lifelong relationship with the University, as part of our alumni community. You are in very good company, as you join our community of 60,000-strong alumni, based across 170 countries. Wherever your career takes you, you will never be far from the support, advice and networking opportunities offered by our extensive local alumni groups and our international centres.”
The University of Manchester opened its Middle East Centre at Dubai Knowledge Park in 2006 and, today, it is the largest and fastest growing of the University’s international network of five centres based in key business cities around the world. The Middle East Centre has supported a total of more than 3,000 part-time business Master’s degree students in the region, and graduated over 2,000.
The Middle East Centre represents the University’s entire range of activities in the region and manages a dynamic portfolio of part-time, flexible learning Master’s programmes for working professionals. This currently comprises three MBA options (Global Part-time MBA, Kelley-Manchester Global MBA, Global Executive MBA) MA Educational Leadership in Practice, and the MSc Financial Management.
Critically, these faculty-led, part-time programmes provide the opportunity to tailor content and learning to meet individual student objectives and offer as much face to face time as many full-time Master’s programmes, along with the networking opportunities that students and alumni value so highly.
Students can opt for accelerated learning pathways and choose to attend faculty-led workshops or course conferences in other regional centres, with exposure to other business cultures and the opportunity to extend professional contacts and networks.
The Centre has established a network of corporate collaborations across the region through Strategic Talent Partnerships with local and international companies. These connections with industry help enrich the learning experience of students and also highlight potential career opportunities for students and alumni, while benefitting partners through access to a regional pool of executive talent.
The University’s students and alumni in the Middle East also benefit from a range of career services provided by the Centre in Dubai – these can be tailored to meet personal career objectives and range from 1-2-1 sessions with careers advisors to more general support through help with cv writing, interview preparation and presentations, and personal-branding and the use of professional social media platforms.
Randa Bessiso, Director - Middle East, The University of Manchester, commented:
“Graduation is a very special occasion and we are delighted to be able to celebrate this with our students in the region. Our part-time business Master’s degree programmes are very demanding and the achievement of these graduates is especially impressive given recent disruption to lives and work.
"Our students from the Middle East are also top performers and the vast majority earn their degrees with a Distinction or Merit. Graduation is the start of a new relationship with the University as part of our global alumni network. Our aim is to help students and graduates build successful, fulfilling and sustainable careers through a lifelong relationship with the University.”
