Hull University Business School partners with PSB Academy to offer EMBA and MSc courses

Hull University Business School partners with PSB Academy to offer EMBA and MSc courses

THE British university which boasts an alumni network including Muhtar Kent, the global CEO of The Coca-Cola Company, is now offering two part-time programmes in Singapore with local private education institute PSB Academy.

Last week, The University of Hull, which today has over 20,000 students from more than 100 countries, officially launched its partnership with PSB Academy to deliver an Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) programme, as well as a Master of Science in Economics and Business, or MSc (Econ) programme.

Through this partnership, students are able to study locally, while drawing upon the expertise of the academic staff at Hull University Business School. They also have the option to study one of their modules in the UK. The institutions are gunning to accept the first intake for the programmes in June this year.

"The partnership came about as a result of (an) alignment in values," said Evan Law, CEO of PSB Academy, at the partnership's launch event here last week. "Hull University Business School's mission to develop responsible leadership in an evolving world resonates with PSB Academy's belief in shaping future-ready graduates and thought leadership," he said.

"The two programmes in partnership with Hull University Business School are valuable options for our students, designed for working and senior executives to embrace continued learning no matter what stage of their career they may be in, and to open new doors of opportunities for themselves."

Meanwhile, Professor Steve Armstrong, director of Hull University Business School's EMBA programme, said: "With over 50 years of experience in providing high quality education in Singapore, PSB Academy is also the right partner for us to nurture and shape individuals to achieve their personal and professional best. We have no doubt that our excellent reputation for high quality teaching and a strong level of student satisfaction are best coupled with our partner's commitment to student centricity."

For the past 25 years, Hull University Business School has been offering its globally-accredited EMBA programme in Singapore. Now it is offering the programme through PSB Academy.

The EMBA programme, which is targeted at the senior and top management levels, as well as professionals in the management consultancy sector, has been designed in response to research on the internal functioning of organisations and how they operate in an ever-changing global context.

Modules under the programme spans across a wide spectrum, from accounting, finance, human resource, operations and strategic management, as well as marketing communications in a digital world.

Meanwhile, the MSc (Econ) programme has been running in Hull University Business School since 2007, and is designed for non-specialists without any economics knowledge, to understand the aspects of economics most relevant to business.

BREAKING GROUND

This is the first time Hull University Business School is offering the MSc (Econ) programme in Singapore, which is targeted for those with careers in business and management, along with other areas such as banking, finance and government service.

"The global economic landscape has changed beyond recognition in a short space of time," said Dr Jonathan Atkins, the programme leader of Hull University Business School's MSc (Econ) programme. "It is therefore crucial that future business leaders are prepared with not only the right economic training to make informed choices, but also an appreciation of how important it is to consider external environments throughout the decision making process."

"As a major trading nation, it is important that the programme delivered in Singapore gives due consideration to markets and market analysis, international trade and finance, and the economic interface between government and the economy."

One of the perks of both programmes in particular is the research methods module, which involve an optional intensive study trip to Hull University Business School for training and to support the preparation of a research proposal.

The University of Hull is ranked in the top 100 of the 2015 University League Table Ranking, based on The Complete University Guide.

According to the 2014 National Student Survey, 89 per cent of The University of Hull's students were satisfied with the quality of their course overall; a score which puts the university in joint 13th position among the UK's mainstream higher education institutions. Founded in 1927, The University of Hull has six faculties offering teaching and research across a wide range of disciplines, including health, business, social sciences, the performing arts, education, science and engineering.

A LOCAL TOUCH

Closer to home, Hull University Business School counts Chew Thiam Keng, CEO of Ezion Holdings, and Karen Kooi, CEO of local telco M1, among its notable alumni. CEO of Meranti Alliance Shipping, Sridev Mookerjea, as well as Chew Ban Seng, UOB Kay Hian's vice-president of equity sales, are also prominent alumni of Hull University Business School's MBA programme.

Mr Mookerjea, who graduated from Hull University Business School in 2001 and is the president of the Hull Alumni Group in Singapore, told BT at the sidelines of last week's launch event that he had chosen to pursue an MBA at Hull University Business School, out of all the other schools he had been analysing, for its practical approach to teaching.

In particular, he felt he had benefited most from the programme's strategic management module, where he had learnt how to prepare business plans.

"I realised that it is important that you can utilise your knowledge in your practical life. There is no point studying some books, scoring huge marks, and then not being able to utilise your knowledge," he said. "I was definitely able to utilise the knowledge that I gathered at the MBA programme."

After graduating from Hull University Business School, Mr Mookerjea proceeded to set up his own shipping business, which he is still running today.

For UBS' Mr Chew, who graduated from Hull University Business School in 1990, it was not a specific module at the MBA programme which had been most beneficial to his career. Instead, going through the entire programme had widened his horizons.

"You open up the whole world for yourself. By learning something new, you begin to see things in a totally different perspective, and therefore you begin to venture into new things ... If you look back at what you were before you started the programme, you will see a totally different person."

For Mr Chew's specific approach to education, learning goes beyond the classroom. In 1994, he started the Hull alumni club in Singapore, which conducts gatherings once about every four months.

And as a British university, The University of Hull's alumnus also become a part of the British alumni club, which holds networking events once every two to three months. "I think knowing people definitely helps, and increasing your network makes you a fuller person," Mr Chew said.

"When you get totally involved in your university's alumni programme, you get know so many people from different industries, from different walks of life. That is when life becomes much more interesting, and therefore it becomes enriching in the process."

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