ISSUE FOUR • June 2018
MBA PATHWAYS: AN OVERVIEW • 44
/ Student Experience
MBA Pathways: an Overview As part of the Full-time and Online MBA programmes, Durham University Business School offers the options of pathways in Consultancy, Entrepreneurship and Technology. Students select one of the pathways to follow during their MBA, and each pathway includes two academic modules, skills workshops and strategic insights provided by industry experts. Dr Julie Hodges, Associate Dean (MBA) said “The pathways offer an excellent opportunity for students to specialise in a specific area and develop skills which they can apply in organisations.”
ENTREPRENEURSHIP PATHWAY The Entrepreneurship Pathway at Durham University Business School is a fantastic opportunity to get the world of business in front of the students, and equally to get our students out into the world of business. Guest speakers include nationally and internationally renowned self-made entrepreneurs, as well as those who are just starting up their own new ventures. Class contributions come from a huge variety of sectors: Drones to recruitment, University biotech spin outs to digital banking, plumbing to product inventors, 6th generation family business owners and corporate entrepreneurs all add real life stories to the theory taught in class. We also bring in business angels and venture capitalists, and many others from the legal, networking, and other support services which young, entrepreneurial companies need to access to succeed. The Entrepreneurship Pathway Leader, Dr Joanna Berry, is Regional Chair for the international Institute of Directors. This gives her access to senior boardroom executives from all over the world. In 2018, it also meant that she could take the MBA Entrepreneurship class to her 2018 International Business Leaders black-tie dinner in Newcastle, where the students had the opportunity to put their essential networking skills into real life practice.
Above: Nigel Mills CBE on a visit to deliver guest speech, and Dr Joanna Berry.
Dr Joanna Berry
Dr Berry said: “The MBA masterclasses give us the chance to highlight critical issues facing modern-day entrepreneurs: Cybercurrencies and Blockchain, presentation and networking skills, policy and patenting are all vital areas for an aspiring business owner to comprehend. We also like to bring into the classroom ‘live’ cases so that the students can interrogate them in real time. This is a process enjoyed as much by the guests as the students!” Nigel Mills CBE, Chairman of The Lakes Distillery and The Entrepreneurs’ Forum, who visited the School to share his business journey, said: “Never give up on your dream, and never accept no for an answer, but recognise that the route to success is not linear and that business models evolve and develop over time. Good is often good enough to continue to build a business. Find a mentor or a series of mentors, and let them help you succeed.”
