The University of Manchester is strengthening its presence in Dubai by building on the success of its Manchester Business School (MBS) Middle East Centre in Dubai and renaming it The University of Manchester Middle East Centre, from today (March 26).

Professor Colin Bailey, deputy president and deputy vice chancellor of the university, made the announcement about the centre and the launch of a suite of new Masters programmes at a recent reception, hosted by the British Embassy in Dubai, marking the 10th anniversary of the university’s business school in the region.

He said: “As an early entrant to the Dubai business education market and innovator of transnational education, Manchester Business School has forged strong relationships with the government, corporates and high profile educational partners in the region.

“We will build upon these links in support of our international strategy as we continue to further strengthen UAE-UK relationships through research, innovation and commercialisation.”

The announcement comes at an exciting time for Manchester Business School which recently became ‘Alliance Manchester Business School’ in recognition of the long-standing support of Lord Alliance of Manchester. This support has enabled an £85 million redevelopment of its Manchester campus, including a dedicated Executive Education Centre and hotel, opening in 2018.

In addition to the highly regarded Manchester Global MBA and existing suite of executive education programmes, the University plans to introduce additional industry-led Masters programmes to the region.

The first of these include: the MSc Reliability Engineering and Asset Management, MSc International Healthcare Leadership, and MSc Occupational Medicine.

Professor Fiona Devine, Dean of Alliance Manchester Business School said: “We are delighted that the University recognises the high regard in which our Middle East Centre is held within the region and is building upon the excellent relationships that centre director Randa Bessiso and her team have forged over the last 10 years.  

“Our faculty are already in the region working with companies and sharing ideas, and the first new programmes are expected to go live by the end of 2017.”
 
Since launching in Dubai in 2006, the Business School has developed the Middle East Centre at Dubai Knowledge Park into the largest and fastest-growing centre in the School’s international network comprising six hubs in key business cities around the world.

The Middle East Centre has supported more than 2,000 part-time MBA students based in the region and has graduated more than 1,000 students since opening in 2006.

Randa Bessiso, director of The University of Manchester Middle East Centre, said: “This is a very exciting development 10 years after launching MBS and the part-time MBA programme in the Middle East. We have a strong student and alumni base in the region, and collaborations with multinational companies, professional bodies and other local organisations that will help to develop the University’s presence and impact. We will also continue to develop our successful business education portfolio with the Business School, including the 2-year Manchester Global part-time MBA, and we have just launched the first of a series of executive education short courses, hosted in Dubai.” - TradeArabia News Service