The Lancaster MBA is ranked among the top 10 MBA programs in the world for corporate strategy by the Financial Times
When Shaswati Panda joined Lancaster University Management School’s full-time MBA, she’d never worked outside of her native India.She graduated from the top-ranked UK business school in December last year. In January, she got a job offer to work for EY’s tax advisory services arm in London. She started her new role earlier this month.
Shaswati puts her success down to the Lancaster MBA’s celebrated corporate strategy module, which, for the last three years, has seen it ranked among the top 10 MBA programs in the world for corporate strategy by the Financial Times.
“The corporate strategy module was definitely a stand out for me,” she says. “When I went for my interview at EY, I knew that when a case study was presented to me I would always have a different perspective and a 360-degree view.”
“That was something which was credited,” she continues. “I do not see myself working in the UK without the Lancaster MBA.”
The one-year Lancaster MBA is focused practical learning, preparing students for the real-life work environment. 94% of Lancaster MBAs land jobs within six months of graduation.
The Lancaster MBA class is 98% international. 46% of MBA students are women. On the MBA’s corporate strategy module, students work in diverse groups to explore case studies on real-life strategic issues faced by large, multi-business, real-life firms like Barclays, Debenhams, and EasyJet.
“The course is extremely well-coordinated,” Shaswati explains.“It’s not just about classroom teaching. It’s about applying your learning practically,” she continues. “You walk away from the module with a completely different mindset, and a fresh perspective on business.”
Japanese MBA graduate Maiko Sasaki agrees. She had a background in education, learning and development, prior to her MBA. She interned at Grant Thornton in London as part of her corporate challenge, a business-based consulting project which concludes the Lancaster MBA.
There, she helped to implement a new learning strategy and deploy leadership and technical training programs for a client company. Grant Thornton extended her contract until December last year. Now, she’s back in Japan again, looking for higher-level jobs in learning and development.
“Before I started the MBA, I wasn’t really a strategic thinker,” she says. “The MBA constantly challenged me. Now I know how to deploy good learning and development strategies and policies, and I’ve got interviews for more senior roles.
“Here, if you gain an MBA abroad, and if you can speak English, they value you a lot.”
Part of a wider core module in strategic management, Lancaster’s focus on corporate strategy evolves throughout the entire MBA curriculum; it’s not just confined to one course.
Joaquim Vermelhudo was a construction manager in Angola and his native Portugal for nine years prior to his MBA. Since graduating in September 2016, he’s returned to the same company but transitioned into real estate. He’s profiting from the Lancaster MBA’s holistic focus on corporate strategy in his current role.
“What I’m doing now is completely different to what I was doing before,” he says. “When you’re analyzing potential real estate investments, you have to do market analysis, you have to see who are your competitors and what the market’s like,” he continues.
“I’m able to do all of that now because of what I gained from the corporate strategy module, and the Lancaster MBA.”
Student Reviews
Lancaster University Management School
An exceptional educational establishment in the North West of England.
This university has been a fantastic life experience as well as a great academic one. I first decided to go to Lancaster University Management School due to its exceptional business education facilities and have not been disappointed. I recommend the university to anybody that wants to put themselves in a strong position for a career upon graduation.
Student Ambassador
Overall, the instruction is decent, however it also depends on your department. The people are friendly, in my opinion. The sporting events are enjoyable, and there is a good sense of community. Although the city is quite remote, it is nonetheless attractive.
Lancaster University honest review
The education system in the university is excellent especially that of the Management School. The campus has great facilities for students to study and live in a relaxed manner. The students can engage in various activities through the socities.
Great opportunities to think beyond
Lancaster University provides a lot of good opportunities to think beyond.There Entrepreneurship in residence program helps students to meet and seek guidance about entrepreneurship and the challenges.Their Work in progress program help to fabricate your startup idea and further to pitch to the potential investors.Apart from that there are lot of programs like Enactus, guest lectures and guidance from seniors to help and shape your career needs.
They provide lot of opportunities to shape up your employability skills.
A top university in the UK for management science!
If you’re interested in management science studies, Lancaster University is one of the top universities in the UK. The faculty is renowned and have a sterling reputation for research in management science. Candidates specifically interested in Forecasting would find the Centre for Marketing Analytics and Forecasting especially relevant to their field. Besides, the ROI is good as the overall cost compared to other universities is less.
Great university for academia – not great for 'entrepreneurs'
Please keep in mind that my review is nuanced by my expectations of an Entrepreneurship degree :) I came to Lancaster University because it was one of the top universities to have a course in Entrepreneurship. After 4 years in this degree, my most valuable experience has been my placement and not the actual course. The course is heavily focused on impractical elements, which is a bit odd for an Entrepreneurship degree. There are some modules that involve hands-on work but the faculty support for such things has not been great. My course also involved a lot of teamwork which has been fantastic and really prepared me when it comes to dealing with the diversity of opinions. In terms of career prospects, the management school does A LOT to host events, workshops and support sessions to help you build up your employability skills. Although, I wish there was more acknowledgement of SMEs/startups as a viable career option. The entrepreneurship team which is meant to support budding businesses is really stepping up their game with tons of guest speakers, workshops and pitching opportunities. The location is a concern if you're not in STEM, Law or Accounting and Finance. Business requires networking with the broader community. However, for Lancaster students, the best bet is a trip down to Manchester or London. On the flip side, living in Lancaster is much cheaper! Overall, if the purpose of your university experience is to receive top academic education and have great facilities at your disposal, Lancaster is a great choice. But if you want to be in business and entrepreneurship, I would look elsewhere.
