Customise Your MBA at Newcastle
Established in the year 1834, Newcastle is one of UK’s oldest universities. Currently, the University attracts over 20,000 students every year, from over 100 countries across the world. The Newcastle University Business School (NUBS), one of their premiere departments, has recently joined the ranks of the global elite after receiving the Triple Crown from one of the world’s leading accreditation bodies, Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). NUBS has joined the ranks alongside Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata (IIM-C) in crossing the milestone.
Elite status
Offering over 21 Business Master’s programmes and two executive MBA programmes, the Department has a number of feathers in its cap. The recent AACSB accreditation now places it among the top one per cent of MBA schools in the world. NUBS offers 11 compulsory modules and a range of electives, which provide students an opportunity to tailor their MBA programme to suit their interest and career path. Newcastle is also a member of the elite Russell Group, a 24-member group that includes UK’s top research-based universities.
So what makes NUBS a coveted place to study? “We offer generic MBA that provides the right mix of industrial exposure and hands-on learning. We have also developed a Global Strategic Design module, which aims to help students engage with the challenges and opportunities when doing business on a global scale. This module is also linked with the University’s aim of international engagement. Business in Action is a theme that runs throughout the MBA programmes and enables students to explore the practical challenges associated with business,” explains Professor John Wilson, Director, NUBS.
Students engage with real-time action learning, in which they have the opportunity to consolidate and apply the learning within constrained time frames, he says.
Internships
Through their Global Experience Opportunity programme, NUBS students apply to undertake a challenging six-week summer internship at an Indian bank. Students undertake project-based work within the key functional areas of the bank, whilst gaining insights into India’s diverse culture and exposure to the fast-paced business environment.
The 2014 programme has become bigger, better and more exciting than before as Newcastle students now have the unique opportunity to work at the Reserve Bank of India, teamed with students all the way from Boston University, United States.
The University offers a career service, which acts as a student’s passport to work. Through dedicated counsellors, students can engage themselves in many paid and unpaid apprenticeships or internships to gain wholesome industrial experience while at school. Apart from this, the University also offers the students 120 hours of paid internship to enhance their business management skills.
Scholarships
The fees for some of September 2014’s Management courses stood at a competitive £16,500 (approx `16.5 lakh). “There are many India-specific scholarships such as Newcastle University Indian Scholarship (for postgraduate studies) and Newcastle University International Postgraduate Scholarship (NUIPS) worth about £5,000 (approx `5 lakh). They are awarded to talented MBA and management school aspirants applying to NUBS. Among several international applicants, two Indians received the scholarships this academic year,” says Preety Bansal, Country Head, India, Newcastle University.
Pursuing MBA is a tough task, getting to pursue it in Newcastle is even tougher, says Bansal. “Newcastle NUBS requires students to have a minimum of three years’ work experience to pursue MBA with us. Utmost importance is given to this aspect while we receive applications, as this is a highly competitive course. Apart from this, the candidate’s Statement of Purpose acts as their selling point. NUBS selects each eligible student after several rounds of short-listing and that is why every class is very competitive.”
If you are someone who goes by numbers, Newcastle University is ranked number 129 in the world QS ranking for 2013, rated number nine for career prospects in UK and has a staggering 91 per cent student satisfaction level.
Affordable cost of living
Another important aspect for students to consider while looking at a university is the cost of living. “Newcastle is among one of UK’s low-cost cities to live in. Accommodation in the city works out more than 20 per cent cheaper than the capital, London, and the business city Manchester,” adds Bansal. For all those looking to pursue an MBA at a competitive word-class university, Newcastle beckons! Details at www.ncl.ac.uk.
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