THE PART-TIME MBA – A Scottish networking experience

In addition to the full-time route, the generic alternative is the ‘Learn as you Earn’ (LAYE) method, which accounts for 90 per cent of our participants. LAYE means that participants study while still working in a full-time job and are therefore still earning. All the LAYE methods have the added advantage of enabling participants to relate their learning directly to their work place. This means that both participants and employers obtain immediate benefits from improved performance at work. LAYE methods also have the advantage of spreading fee payments over a longer period. Many such participants are sponsored by their employers.

Since only a few practicing managers can leave the business world to study full time, USBS has designed the part-time course so that you can gain the benefits of an MBA while still working.

If your are considering combining full-time employment with part-time study you will want to know how realistic it is to combine the demands of work, study and personal commitments.

USBS offers you the chance to gain a valued and well-established management qualification in a way best suited to your professional and personal circumstances. The programme combines the benefits of learning with immediate practical application in your working environment.

Choosing to study on the part-time MBA is a significant step, especially if it is taken at a time when career and lifestyles may change. A major advantage of the Strathclyde MBA is its flexibility and responsiveness to your needs. If you change your job or move away from the area, it is still possible to complete the degree by transfering to the flexible learning route. If your progress is delayed or disrupted, or you are prevented from completing the course, it is possible to substitute credits from the flexible learning route.

Seventeen years on from the start of the part-time MBA, the range of companies represented on the programme has greatly widened. Public sector organisations, financial services, IT services and service industries are all now well represented.

When you join the programme you will attend evening sessions twice weekly. You will be part of a single group of like-minded individuals (maximum intake of 65 course members each year), progressing through each of the three years at USBS. Classes run from October to June each year, with holiday breaks at Christmas, Easter and in the summer.

During your three years of study you will also attend around four weekend-schools, each lasting two or three days.

The programme is taught in the evening between 18.30 and 21.30. You will normally attend the two sessions each week and sometimes another session for group assignments. The sessions are designed to be as participative as possible. When you consider the accumulated wealth of knowledge on a part-time MBA programme you will see that it is sensible to take advantage of it. During evening sessions teaching staff encourage both lively and stimulating debate. As a member on programme, you will be expected to participate in these debates – after all, it is your opportunity to test your own learning.

As well as the two evening sessions you will attend each week, you should be prepared for a significant amount of study time. In total you should expect to put in about 15 hours per week. A lot of the work you will be asked to undertake will be in small study groups, and you should take into account the timing and logistics associated with this. If you value regular contact with tutors and course colleagues as well as the enriching experience of being able to immediately apply new concepts to your work, then the part-time route is the ideal choice for you.