The Newcastle College MBA: Building 21st century leaders

“Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” – Warren Buffet, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway

According to PostGrad.com, the number one site for European Postgraduate courses, the Master of Business Administration (MBA) programme is among the most popular academic routes for continuing education students – hardly a surprise when you consider that MBA graduates tend to receive higher starting salaries, greater networking opportunities, and an incredibly vast array of knowledge and rich catalogue of expertise.

“After working in the office for two or three years, and gaining adequate experience, you will realise that you were in fact stuck in a comfort zone,” the publication writes. “By doing your Masters of Business Administration course, you will soon be forced out of your comfort zone and learn how to deal with the latest issues…You will get a better overview of the business world and a deeper understanding of the changes that occur in the business environment.”

Known to be one of the largest colleges in the UK, Newcastle College has earned a reputation for providing elite business-centred programmes. Serving more than 20,000 students from a diverse range of backgrounds at its main Rye Hill Campus in Newcastle upon Tyne, on top of a number of satellite sites across the UK’s North East, the College provides a practical, career-focused environment that allows students to progress to higher education, or otherwise take a powerful step in their professional career.

Image courtesy of Newcastle College

Newcastle College provides a rich and engaging business catalogue to cater for students of all levels and abilities. All courses are specifically-designed to help students thrive within their chosen industry, while regular programme reviews ensure graduate skillsets remain up-to-date and relevant. In addition to expert teaching and unparalleled experiential learning opportunities, business students have access to cutting-edge facilities, reaping the benefits of the College’s £18 million development of the Parsons Building, as well as other outstanding learning facilities that give students a real taste of a working life environment.

To complement the College’s world-class business portfolio a new MBA programme both challenges and inspires learners has been developed. As well as being globally-recognised, the course is known to be highly experiential and interdisciplinary, as well as being built on the foundations of collaboration as students share their varied work experiences, knowledge and expertise. Specially-tailored to shape reflective, forward-thinking and adaptive learners, the course motivates experienced managers and leaders to reach the top of their game.

“The students on our MBA programme come from a wide variety of countries and business backgrounds,” says Dr Boris Pajkovic, MBA programme leader at the College. “Open classroom discussions, workshops, seminars and tutorials allow us to harness the wealth of experience from the learners and to examine business practices from all over the world.”

Image courtesy of Newcastle College

Not only do business students at Newcastle College study in high-end facilities, they also have access to valuable industry links, allowing them to build extensive networks of potential employers long before they graduate. Students have the option to select a Work Related Project as part of their programme which highlights the institute’s commitment to experiential learning. The module provides students with an opportunity to conduct work based informed research from within a working environment via six month work placement. The project module encourages practice of analytical skills alongside theoretical principals in a workplace environment and the College assists students to find a suitable work placement opportunity.

“Choosing to study at Newcastle College for my MBA course is by far the best decision I ever made,” says Farah Nafees Ahmed who completed her MBA qualification in December 2016.  “I was attracted to Newcastle by its reputation, competitive fees and the City Life. The work placement opportunities are so wide here and work placement team really supports you.” Farah concluded.

Having studied accountancy at Newcastle College, Aniq Anwar wanted to expand his knowledge of business and strengthen his future career opportunities. At the age of 32, Aniq already had a foot firmly rooted in the professional business sphere, but he made a conscious decision to continue his professional education with the College’s MBA programme.  Fully supported by his employer his working hours were amended so he could earn the MBA and continue to progress in his career. Aniq completed the MBA with a distinction, knowing this postgraduate qualification would now allow him to pursue top-level job opportunities – those that had not been open to him before.

“There were aspects of the MBA that were quite tricky,” he says, “but my tutors were always on-hand to support me and it was never a problem to approach them for additional help and information.”

Aniq soon realised his unique skill set and experience, supported by his MBA degree, opened a path he had not previously considered – teaching. The business-minded graduate therefore approached Newcastle School of Education, a recognised centre of excellence in teacher training to discuss suitable options, and subsequently enrolled on a PGCE course.

Image courtesy of Newcastle College

“I’d recommend Newcastle College…the College tutors have been superb,” Aniq concludes. “You’ve got to be motivated and want to succeed in order to complete a postgraduate qualification and I’ve done that. I have gained invaluable skills and knowledge that I will be able to carry into my future career.”

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