The Association of MBAs is the impartial authority on postgraduate management education and is committed to raising its profile and quality standards internationally for the benefit of business schools, students and alumni and employers.

Banks. am talked to Dr. Leslie Szamosi, Academic Director of the University of Sheffield Executive MBA programme and a Member of AMBA (Association of MBAs) Internal Assessors Team.  

-  From what industries do MBA participants come from and what are their reasons for which they enroll in this programme? What is the average age of the people who plan to join in this type of classes?
 
- Entrants come from across all industries and sectors (telecom, IT, pharmaceutical, banking, retail, and public sector) and from both manufacturing and service oriented organizations.  About 30% come from marketing and sales positions and 20% from engineering. The average age of our students is around 30 to 35.

-  Why is it so important to own this type of degree?
 
- Let’s be clear, any masters’ degrees is important as they demonstrate a continual advancement of one’s education. An MBA degree is important as it means that a candidate has achieved an international standard of education in management.  Around the world the three letters M-B-A are recognized and sought after.  More and more companies, both local and foreign, are seeking such candidates and those with the degree are demonstrating their management education achievements.  

- What kind of perspectives do this programme offer to its students?  Do they have big salaries, do they have any chance to aim to a leading position, do they have bigger chance to be chosen towards foreign jobs, etc., what are the perspectives?
 
- Our program offers students the opportunity to advance their careers either inside their current organization (which has happened to many of our students BEFORE they have even completed their degree) or to move outside their organization to other companies or to begin their own business.  Some students have strong salaries before they start their program but our research has shown that they tend to achieve higher salaries following their degree – either from new positions they are offered or because they have become more valuable to their current employer who then rewards them accordingly.  Most students studying for MBA’s are seeking higher level, leadership oriented positions.  Their perspectives both internally and externally are enhanced by these prospects.  It is also important to note that the networking activities that students undertake also make them more valuable as they inter-relate with those from other organizations throughout the region seeking similar things.

- How are the professors who will teach these courses selected? (depending on the criterion) Where do they come from? Must they have special qualifications to teach this type of course?
 
- All those who teach on the program are rigorously vetted for their level of expertise (BOTH educational and practical) in a particular area as well as their ability to impart knowledge!  All lecturers are sought based on their ability to balance theory with practice and for their ability to effectively communicate and relate with managers.  The majority have PhD’s and come with education and practical backgrounds from across Europe and North America.  All lecturers are required to have, as a minimum, a masters degree but around 75% have a PhD.  

- What was the feed-back received from the students? How did they succeed to put into practice the knowledge they have accumulated during the courses? In other words, how much are these courses applicable?
 
- The feedback from the students from across our program has been very positive.  We have been operating our program for well over 20 years now so we have learned and adapted a lot through the years.  Students appear to appreciate the opportunity to learn from world class lecturers but also be able to integrate this information within their local environment with their colleagues.  Many students tell us their successes in implementing small changes in their organizations based on what has been taught to them.  The main strength of our program is the practical application of international knowledge within the local environment. 

Students have also told us they have appreciated the opportunity to travel to Sheffield for a teaching weekend and the opportunity to travel to Thessaloniki and integrate with their classmates from across the region as well as attend units in our other teaching cities if they wish (Thessaloniki, Bucharest, Yerevan, Belgrade, Sofia, and Kyiv).  

- On what position does the programme stand in comparison with programmes from other European countries? What can you tell me about the programmes taught in other countries?
 
According to the Economist, the Sheffield MBA is ranked 44 in the world (out of 1,000 business schools) and 13th best in Europe.  Having achieved AMBA and AACSB certification it has consolidated its position within the top ranks of business schools.

The University of Sheffield Executive MBA programme is offered by the University’s International Faculty CITY College in Yerevan.  

Interested candidates may contact: lshahzadeyan@city.academic.gr or call: +37495 52 23 38 www.citycollege.sheffield.eu

Siranush Simonyan talked to Leslie Szamosi