Dear All,



I am a Nigerian with about 15 years experience working in the oil and gas for one of the big International Oil Companies as a Project Practitioner (now a Project Manager). I intend to do a distance learning MBA with any of Manchester University or Imperial College. I have removed Warwick from the list for now. My aim is two-fold. First is to grow into senior management role in my company. Looking at people who have previously done MBAs, it doesn't seem like they are able to make this advancement for some organizational reasons (pls don't ask). That said, many of the companies are downsizing anyway, and some might even leave the country all together. So, before that happens, I want to be ready for a management role in other oil companies or change role altogether to work for companies like Amazon as they grow in UK and Europe.

Which of the two programme would you recommend and why?

[Edited by tuneski on Sep 23, 2021]

I think this depends very much on whether you prioritise rounding out your own skills, and having more flexibility to change careers (which fits the more extensive design at Alliance, its emphasis on soft skills and group work, and the 'Manchester Method') versus the more solo-learning approach, and more limited content (especially electives) at Imperial. 

I think this depends very much on whether you prioritise rounding out your own skills, and having more flexibility to change careers (which fits the more extensive design at Alliance, its emphasis on soft skills and group work, and the 'Manchester Method') versus the more solo-learning approach, and more limited content (especially electives) at Imperial. 

Google is your friend:

https://www.alliancembs.manchester.ac.uk/study/mba/global-part-time/manchester-method/ 

https://leaderswedeserve.blog/2007/05/22/the-manchester-method-as-an-educational-innovation/

By electives what I mean is:
- AMBS has the full-time MBA core in its part-time MBA, including the live group business projects you'd get in the full-time MBA. Imperial has four 'flex' core courses, which allow you to opt-out of two core courses, and not the same groupwork. If you take all the core courses, then you can only take two electives.
- AMBS is a much bigger school, and it has a larger range of electives. Part time students can take at least three - and more if you are crafty. 

[Edited by StuartHE on Sep 23, 2021]

Look at the courses and see what interests you. I suppose having limited access to electives might be a dealbreaker, but only if you plan on pursuing one more, or a couple more, electives, and if your choice needs to be broad. I do not think this should be the only factor you look at.