The University of Manchester-Dubai has welcomed the first of two cohorts in 2025 of Global Part-time MBA (Global MBA) students from the Middle East. Comprising 20 nationalities, the new cohort students are experienced professionals working in a range of industries including Banking & Financial Services, ICT, Construction, Manufacturing, and Consulting. Almost 80% of the cohort reside in the region – predominantly Saudi Arabia and the UAE – and women comprise almost 20% of the intake. The new students will position themselves for a buoyant regional market for MBA holders with the problem-solving, communication and strategic thinking human skills that are highly valued in the era of AI.
The Manchester Global MBA is delivered by the University’s top-ranked Alliance Manchester Business School (AMBS). Students follow a flexible hybrid MBA programme which includes rigorous academic content, alongside a focus on practical group work based on real-world case studies – a hands-on consulting approach known as the ‘Manchester Method’.
According to research from Graduate Management Admission Council – GMAC™, (Middle East: Corporate Recruiters Survey 2024*) one-third (or more) of Middle Eastern employers planned to expand the hiring of MBA, data analytics, marketing, and industry candidates in 2024. It added that consideration for hybrid MBA programmes has significantly grown in recent years. Across the globe, total applications to graduate business school programmes increased 12 percent in 2024, compared to 2023, according to the annual survey released by GMAC). The data shows the rise in applications was mainly driven by renewed interest in full-time, in-person offerings. Despite this, programmes with more flexibility were also in high demand. Roughly two-thirds of online and flexible MBA programmes reported application growth.
The FT Global MBA ranking 2025 placed the AMBS Careers Service 3rd globally and top in the UK and Europe. The regional Careers and Alumni team in the Middle East supports students and alumni with a comprehensive range of personalised services, from mentoring and coaching to careers workshops and personal development support, networking and corporate engagement, all supplementing the global tools and resources available.
Randa Bessiso, Director – Middle East at The University of Manchester-Dubai, comments: “We are very pleased to welcome all our Global part-time MBA new students in the Middle East. It’s a talented and diverse cohort which brings a lot of breadth and depth of knowledge across a range of industries and experience of different organisational and social cultures. They will enrich each other’s learning experiences and also refresh and enrich our alumni community, which is very active in the region. Students from the region are top performers within the global cohort of part-time MBA students that the University supports, with around 70% graduating with a merit or distinction.
“MBA students are positioning themselves for a continually transforming regional and global economy (strongly influenced by AI and data analytics) with the benefit of an internationally recognised business qualification, very active careers services support, professional networking and engagement with our corporate and social responsibility partners. MBA candidates’ main career goals are generally a higher income, senior-level positions, management and entrepreneurial opportunities. We aim to give our students an edge in human skills development and in building fulfilling and rewarding careers with purpose and wish them all every success.”
The University of Manchester’s Alliance Manchester Business School offers two MBA intakes per year (January and July) for a range of faculty-led, flexible learning Manchester part-time MBA programme options – Global Part-time MBA, Finance Accelerated MBA, Global Executive MBA. The Global Part-time MBA offers options to accelerate study and as much face-to-face time with faculty as many full-time MBA programmes. The University’s Middle East Centre offers a dynamic master’s portfolio including specialist part-time programmes – MA Educational Leadership in Practice, and MSc Financial Management – alongside a range of executive education short business courses.
Alliance Manchester Business School’s (AMBS) full-time MBA is ranked 46th in the world, 14th in Europe, and 5th in the UK in the 2025 Financial Times (FT) Global MBA Ranking. The FT also ranks AMBS 1st in the UK and Europe and 3rd globally for Careers Service. AMBS marks its 60th anniversary in 2025 – the school was one of the first two business schools established in the UK, in 1965.
