Durham University, Durham Business School

Main claims to international academic or non-academic excellence

MBA:
In addition to the UK, the Durham MBA is offered in Germany and Barbados, and students on a Durham MBA can opt to undertake some elective study in any of the three locations.

In addition to excellent academic teaching, Durham provides additional activities that add value to the experience and to your MBA (not distance learning – see later).

Continual Professional Development Programme
The Continual Professional Development (CPD) Programme runs alongside the taught academic programme and ensures that Durham MBA graduates possess the necessary knowledge, skills and experience to excel in the academic and the business world. It is modelled upon those skills sought by leading MBA recruiters.

Boardroom Activity
A key part of the core programme is the Boardroom Activity, an experience unique to the Durham MBA programme and linked to CPD activity, which integrates academic learning from the core modules into a live boardroom situation.

International Study Experience
Included in the cost of the programme is an international study experience of around a week. The experience will include a mixture of company and organisation visits, lectures and cultural events, providing you with the opportunity to learn about, and immerse yourself in, the business environment of another country.

Language Opportunities
As part of the Durham MBA’s focus on developing global managers, students on the Full-Time MBA are required to study a new language, timetabled for two hours each week over the teaching year, and run in the Business School by Durham University’s Language Centre.

Business Projects
The Business Project allows you to apply the learning of the MBA in a practical context, putting new skills into practice in the real world and influencing real life business issues. You can either source your own project or choose from a range of regional, national and international organisations of different sizes and in different sectors compiled by the Business School.

Guest Speaker Programme
To balance theory and practice, Durham Business School offers an extensive schedule of guest speakers and guest seminars. The speakers, all pre-eminent in their fields, include senior executives from regional, national and international businesses.

Distance Learning Residential Seminars
Residential seminars are an important feature of the programme. They are held in Durham over a long weekend – Friday to Monday – in March/April and September. This is the only part of the programme for which attendance is required. You are encouraged to attend seminars as often as possible, but in case of difficulty exemptions can be sought.

MA:
The one-year, full-time programmes provide a framework for critically analysing the nature, processes and practices of management. Academically challenging, they are designed to help you develop the skills and knowledge that employers demand. The programmes are all ESRC accredited and can be used as a platform from which to progress to study at PhD level.

Our MA Management was ranked, 5th in the UK, 23rd in Europe and 2nd in the UK for value for money in the Financial Times Top 40 European Masters in Management, September 2007; our MA Marketing is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), offering exemptions for successful students who wish to join.

MSc:
The Durham one-year, full-time Economics and Finance MSc degrees are perfect if your career choice lies in the financial sector. Partnership status with the Chartered Financial Analysts (CFA®) Institute is testament to their practical content and relevance to the industry, and assists students who wish to pursue this qualification. They can also be used as a platform from which to progress to study at MPhil/PhD level.

Our reputation is enhanced by first class teaching faculty and cutting-edge research of international standing: our teaching was rated as excellent with the award of 24/24 in the latest QAA Subject Review and our research as being of international excellence with the award of 5A in the most recent HEFCE Research Assessment Exercise. All MSc programmes are included in the FT Masters in Finance Programme Listing, June 2008.

To give you the best possible experience linking theory with practise, we currently offer a trading simulation, based on real data through our bespoke website, which allows you to test your skills by investing in securities on real data of major world markets.

To help you to appreciate the practical applications and implications of what you learn and to expose you to ideas from other academic institutions, we hold regular presentations given by academics and practitioners, including representatives of major European and US banks, clearing houses, hedge fund companies, and stock and futures exchanges

Research:
Durham Business School is an internationally renowned research-led business school. The strength of our research underpins the exceptional reputation of the School, and ensures the curriculum reflects the latest developments so new knowledge quickly finds it way to students and corporate clients.

The quality of the School’s research in Finance received a rating of grade 5 (on a scale of 1 to 5*) in the last Research Assessment Exercise and we are ranked 10th in the UK in terms of research quality by the London Times. In the 2007 Financial Times global MBA Survey, Durham Business School was ranked 7th among European business schools in research quality (62nd in the world) and 56th in the world for our Doctoral Programme. Our PhD programme has Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) recognition, and the Durham DBA is one of very few DBA programmes in the UK to be recognised by ESRC.

Research engages with practice through policy bodies at regional and national levels, and at Durham Business School we have been highly successful in attracting significant research funding from research councils (particularly ESRC and EPSRC); government departments (particularly DTI, ONE and DACC); professional institutions, for example ICAEW (Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales) and CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants); and a range of other funding bodies including the Leverhulme Trust and INQUIRE.

Research is an individual and a group effort and many of our research groups and research are among the world leaders in their fields. All provide a supportive forum for research students, visiting fellows and academic staff alike to discuss their ongoing work, learn about new research opportunities, and formulate and carry out their research plans. Our main research groups currently are:

• Decision Science
• Economics
• Entrepreneurship
• Finance and Accounting
• HRM and Organisational Behaviour
• Public Management
• Strategy and Organisation

Range of Fees

MBA:
Full-Time £19,000; Executive £16,500; Distance Learning £11,910

MA:
UK/EU £7,500; Overseas £12,000, Distance Learning £6,300

MSc:
UK/EU £7,500, Overseas £14,000

Basic TOEFL/IELTS requirements

MBA:
Full-Time and Executive IELTS score of 7.0 or TOEFL score of 600 (250 CBT);
Distance Learning IELTS score of 6.5 or TOEFL score of 580 (237 CBT)

MA:
Full-Time IELTS score of 7.0 or TOEFL score of 600 (250 CBT); Distance Learning ELTS score of 6.5 or TOEFL score of 580 (237 CBT)

MSc:
IELTS score of 6.5 or TOEFL score of 580 (237 CBT)

Accommodation

Durham offers a range of reasonably priced university and private accommodation.

Like Oxford and Cambridge, Durham is a collegiate university and has a range of college accommodation available. Ustinov College, the University’s college specifically for postgraduate students, owns and manages a number of accommodation sites in Durham catering for both single and family occupancy, within walking distance of the Business School. Other colleges and societies of the University also offer postgraduate accommodation, usually on a half-board basis (room, breakfast and dinner) and some also provide self-catering accommodation. For more information please visit /www.dur.ac.uk/colleges/.

When you apply for a place on the Durham Full-Time MBA you will be asked to choose a college. If you do not indicate a preference, you will normally be assigned to Ustinov College (most postgraduate students are a member of this college). If you are made an offer of a place on a programme, the college of your choice will contact you direct with regard to accommodation, for which you need to apply separately.

Some postgraduate students prefer to live in private rented accommodation because of the freedom and privacy this allows. Durham is fortunate in that it is one of the very few university cities in the UK that has a good range of reasonably priced accommodation in the private rented sector.

Finance and Scholarships

We recruit from a wide range of countries to fulfill our aim of developing the next generation of global responsible leaders, resulting in a truly international experience for all full-time students. We offer a number of Durham Business School scholarships, open to self-funded top class candidates with high potential worth between 10% and 50% of tuition fees.

For further information on scholarships and other finance opportunities, please visit www.dur.ac.uk/dbs/degrees/scholarships

Entry Requirements

MBA:
Good university first degree or equivalent professional qualification, and at least three (but preferably five) years' work experience since graduation of a supervisory or managerial nature

MA:
Evidence of above-average academic performance, eg, a UK first or upper second class honours degree

MSc:
Evidence of above-average academic performance, eg, a UK first or upper second class honours degree, which should be in a relevant subject, or contain a strong quantitative component

Language Support

For international students whose IELTS/TOEFL scores fall slightly short of our requirements or, alternatively for those who wish to advance their existing English skills, pre-sessional English language courses are run by Durham University Language Centre. Further information is available from their website: www.dur.ac.uk/language.centre/.

Map: Durham Business School