Finding your MBA path

Traditionally, applicants to the University of London’s Global MBA programme are required to have a second-class honour’s degree and at least three years’ work experience in a managerial role. However, only meeting one of these criteria does not necessarily exclude you. The programme offers two entry routes, giving candidates an opportunity to study even if they don’t hold a relevant degree.

Many MBA applicants have a huge wealth of professional experience and may even be running their own companies. For a business degree, that type of experience is almost more important than having a strong academic profile.

Dr Dimitrios Koufopoulos, Programme Director of University of London’s online Global MBA and Visiting Professor at the School of Law, Queen Mary University of London, explained: “Many MBA applicants don’t have recent academic experience, or their grades may be lower than we usually require. However, they have a huge wealth of professional experience and may even be running their own companies. For a business degree, that type of experience is almost more important than having a strong academic profile and we offer entry route two to provide flexibility for those types of candidates.”

If you decide to apply through entry route two you may be advised to complete the MBA Preparation Course and study just one module in your first study session and one module in your second study session. This will allow you to develop the necessary skills and reach the academic level required to complete the MBA successfully.

I was looking for a master’s degree that would allow me to enhance my career and increase my future development opportunities and I realised my work experience, would make me eligible for entry route two.

Premmanee Saowadan is a staff assistant at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Vienna. She knew that quitting her job to study an MBA would mean losing momentum on an exciting career path. After some detailed research she discovered the opportunity to complete University of London’s Global MBA flexibly, online and in her own time.

Premmanee said: “I was looking for a master’s degree that would allow me to enhance my career and increase my future development opportunities in both private and public sectors. My first degree was in English and Arabic so wasn’t really relevant to business administration or management but when I looked into the University of London programme I realised my work experience, which includes a number of management roles, would make me eligible for route two.

“At the moment I am studying Organisational Behaviour and Human Resource Management and Strategic Management which are two of the six core modules. I think I will then specialise in either finance or leadership as those are most relevant for my career.”

An opportunity is something you get when you grab it. I would say don’t hesitate!

Premmanee expects to take two and a half years to complete the Global MBA and is confident it will give her a significant boost in her future career.

“I would like to remain in the public sector but progress into higher levels of management and perhaps move to a more financial focus. There are salary thresholds in the public sector but if you have an MBA you can expect to move to a higher level and therefore gain a higher salary.”

If you aren’t sure whether your academic background is relevant to an MBA, Premmanee’s advice is to go for it: “An opportunity is something you get when you grab it. I didn’t have the academic experience directly but route two is perfect. And if you’re not sure you can contact the University for advice. I would say don’t hesitate!”

If you are interested in developing your employability skills but are not sure that the full MBA programme is suitable for you, there are opportunities to study individual modules or build up to a Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma.

Find out more about the flexible entry routes and how you can find a path in to a career-changing Global MBA.