Alliance Manchester Business School – University of Manchester
Alliance Manchester Business School (AMBS) is the graduate business school of the University of Manchester. It is located in the heart of Manchester’s campus, right outside of the city of Manchester in northwestern England. MBA students can take advantage of being a part of the UK’s largest single-site university, the University of Manchester, as well as being only a two-hour train ride from London. AMBS is well known for its global reach, international diversity, flexible time frame for completion, and highly customizable curriculum. Students have the option to complete a full-time MBA in either 15 or 18 months. Part-time options include the Global Part-Time MBA (18 or 24 months), and joint MBAs with the Indiana Kelley School of Business (24 months), with the FGV Brazilian School of Public and Business Administration (24 months) and with the Tongji University School of Economics and Management (24 months).
FAQ
What is the tuition for AMBS's MBA program?
The tuition for AMBS’s MBA program is 48,000 UK pounds per year.
What is the average GMAT score for admission to AMBS’s MBA program?
The average GMAT for the incoming class at AMBS is 639.
Does the AMBS MBA program accept the GRE?
Yes. The AMBS MBA program has accepted the GRE for a few years now.
What is the minimum number of years of work experience required for admission to AMBS's MBA program?
AMBS requires a minimum of 3 years of work experience. However, it is important for candidates to be aware that they are being considered against other candidates with an average of 6.5 years of experience.
What is the average number of years of work experience for admission to AMBS's MBA program? (or, What is the average age of an AMBS MBA student?)
The average number of years of work experience among students in AMBS’s MBA program is 6.5.
What is the average starting salary for graduates of the AMBS MBA program?
The average starting salary for AMBS MBA graduates is $124,178 median base annual salary. The salary will vary by industry, with consulting and finance jobs generally commanding the higher salaries.
How long is AMBS’s full-time MBA program?
AMBS offers an 18-month or 15-month full-time MBA program.
What are the application deadlines for the AMBS MBA program?
The Round 1 MBA application deadline is October 1, 2023. The Round 2 application deadline is November 19, 2023. The Round 3 deadline is January 7, 2024. The Round 4 deadline is February 4, 2024. The Round 5 deadline is March 3, 2024. The Round 6 deadline is April 7, 2024. The Round 7 deadline is May 5, 2024. The Round 8 deadline is June 2, 2024.
What percent of AMBS MBA students are women?
The percentage of the class at AMBS that are women is 46%.
Admissions
The Class Profile
AMBS enrolled 96 students in the Class of 2025, which includes 46% women and a staggering 94% international students. The class had experience in a variety of industries before entering the MBA program, including 28% in financial services, 15% in technology/telecom, and 13% in consulting. Their average GMAT score landed at 639.
Application Procedures
AMBS offers nine rounds of applications from September to June. International students who want to be considered for scholarships must apply by the February deadline. The last round is only open to EU/UK passport holders who do not need a visa to study in the UK.
Applicants are required to submit a completed application form, transcripts from previous institutions attended (the school notes it expects applicants to be in top 25% of class), CV, two required essays, a presentation, two professional references, GMAT or GRE score, three years of professional experience, name/photo page from passport, passport-sized head-and-shoulders photo, and English Language score report if applicable. If the initial application is successful, the admissions staff will contact applicants to arrange an interview. Manchester offers either on-campus interviews or Skype/video conferencing.
Application Checklist
- Application form
- Admission essays and presentation
- CV / Resumé
- Two professional references
- GMAT/GRE score report
- English Language score report (if applicable)
- Degree transcript and certificate
- Photo / name page from your passport
- Passport sized head and shoulders photo
Essay Topic Analysis
Manchester / AMBS Q&A's
Manchester / AMBS LiveWire and DecisionWire
Academics
Faculty
AMBS employs 250 professors and lecturers across the entire business school. There are four major departments: People, Management and Organisations; Innovation Management and Policy; Accounting and Finance; and Management Sciences and Marketing. The school houses four research institutes, two centers, and five focused research groups, including the Management Sciences Group and Manchester Accounting and Finance Group.
Curriculum
Professors employ case studies, group work, and practice-based learning, referred to as the “Manchester Method,” to teach the curriculum. Using simulations, real-life case studies, business competitions, internships, team-building exercises, and group work, the goal of the Manchester Method is to prepare students for the real business world.
Classes for each of the three full-time MBA options begin in September and end either the following September, December, or April, as students complete core courses in a trimester pattern. No matter which pathway a student chooses, everyone completes their core courses in the first nine months while concurrently working on live client projects, which include the Not-for-Profit Project, International Business Project, and Commercial Business Project.
New students are introduced to the MBA program through a three-week orientation, which includes team building exercises, information on life in the UK, career planning and a welcome party. After orientation, students will take five mandatory core courses: Leading and Managing in a Global Environment; Business Accounting and Finance, Strategy and Competition, Operations and Marketing, and Skills for Leaders. While this relatively small number of required core courses pales in comparison to many other leading MBA programs, the Manchester MBA compensates with its high number of required project hours and experiential work — four different mandatory consulting projects compose over 900 hours of live client work.
Because of the flexible, customizable nature of the Manchester MBA, there is no exact set number of credits or electives needed to graduate. Within all three full-time MBA paths, students have the option to choose between taking electives or completing business simulations or internships. For example, in the 15-month path, students who have finished their core course requirements can choose between either completing an internship, taking two electives, or taking one elective and a business simulation. While the core course cannot be waived, the rest of the curriculum is highly customizable depending on a student’s individual interests and goals. Because of this, there are also no majors or specializations; the curriculum is focused on practical work, rather than a high level of classroom time.
Other MBA Degree Options
In addition to the full-time MBA, there are several part-time MBA options offered: a Global Part-Time MBA, a Kelley-Manchester Global MBA, a FGV-Manchester Global MBA, and various Executive Education courses for professionals looking to expand a particular area of knowledge.
The Global Part-Time MBA can be completed in 18 or 24 months and is intended to be a flexible program with only three on-campus workshops a year. The Kelley-Manchester MBA is a 24-month online hybrid program offered in conjunction with the Kelley School of Business within Indiana University. Finally, the FGV-Manchester Global MBA is a part-time, 24-month program designed to meet the needs of Latin America’s most ambitious executives, offered jointly by AMBS and FGV-EBAPE, Brazil’s most established business school.
Degree Offerings at Alliance Manchester Business School
FT MBA
https://www.mbs.ac.uk/study/mba/full-time/
Global Part-Time MBA
https://www.mbs.ac.uk/study/mba/global-part-time/
Kelley-Manchester MBA
https://www.mbs.ac.uk/study/mba/kelley-manchester/
FGV-Manchester MBA
https://www.mbs.ac.uk/study/ambs-worldwide/fgv-manchester-global-mba/
Campus Life
Clubs, Conferences and Competitions
MBA students can access more than 400 societies through the University of Manchester Students’ Union. There are many related to business and management. One such group is ENACTUS (Entrepreneurial Action Through Us), which invites interested students to participate in social action projects.
The school also partakes in a wide range of student-led MBA activities, including socials, a sports tournament in Paris, an informal speaker series, and an International Football Challenge. Additionally, AMBA students can head to the HEC Paris campus for the annual MBA Tournament (MBAT), which mainly includes sporting competitions, but also festivities and cultural exchanges for 1,500+ European MBA students.
AMBS students participate in various competitions throughout the school year. Some popular ones include the Alliance MBS Case Competition, the European Business Plan Competition, and the Venture Capital Investment Competition. The school notes that it covers costs for several competitions to encourage student participation.
Campus Spaces
AMBS has recently undergone a massive renovation. Now under one roof as part of the campus masterplan, the AMBS building houses the full-time MBA program as well as new teaching areas and offices. In addition, there is a new library, a data visualization observatory, and three courtyards, among other features in the state-of-the-art building. AMBS is adjoined by University Green, a 40,500 square foot retail and leisure hub. The new, two-story Executive Education center and two hotels now sit adjacent to AMBS.
The University of Manchester has more than 8,000 rooms available for undergraduates and graduates, more university-owned accommodation than nearly every university in the country. There are a number of residence halls that are open to both undergraduates and graduates, with a limited number of halls open to only graduate students. Postgraduates are guaranteed university accommodation provided they are coming to university alone, have met the conditions of an admissions offer letter by August 31, are applying for accommodation for a full academic year, and will apply for accommodations for subsequent years by the advertised deadline. A limited number of rooms are available for students with partners or families. In addition, the university offers a resource called Manchester Student Homes, which showcases private accommodation for rent in the city of Manchester.
MBA Careers
Career Services
The AMBS careers team offers a five-stage personalized career journey: “you,” “personal branding,” “research,” “planning,” and “launch.” Within these five stages, the careers team provides weekly skills workshops, individual meetings with expert career consultants, on-campus recruitment activities, networking events, business competitions, practice interviews, and more. Students can take advantage of an annual Careers Expo, guest speakers, industry experts, company recruitment presentations, and networking events around London and Manchester.
Career Statistics
By the end of the year, 92% of the Class of 2018 seeking a job had accepted an offer. Many graduates accepted jobs in the UK, with 44% of students choosing to remain in the same country as their post-graduate education. Following the UK, the most popular geographical choices for 2018 graduates were Asia at 26%, continental Europe at 10%, and MENA and Central America & Caribbean at 7% each.
Consulting was the most popular post-MBA industry, attracting 23% of the Class of 2018 graduates. The next most popular choice was financial services at 21%, followed by technology at 18%, healthcare at 8%, retail at 7%, and manufacturing at 6%.
Financing
For the MBA program beginning in Fall 2024, tuition is £48,000, no matter which path a student chooses to take, and includes fees and stage one core course textbooks. Estimated living expenses for a single student, including accommodation, is £1,100/month, which brings the total estimated expenses to £67,800 for the 18-month option and £64,500 for the 15-month option.
All graduates of the University of Manchester will receive a loyalty bursary, which is a 20% discount on the tuition fees they are personally funding. For students who did not graduate from the University of Manchester, there are AMBS scholarships offered, some of which require a separate application and some do not, depending on the type of scholarship. The school notes that scholarships are rewarded on a rolling basis, so there is a significant advantage to applying as early as possible. AMBS offers both merit-based and need-based scholarships. Merit-based scholarships are awarded for outstanding academic backgrounds, high achievements in certain business sectors, and demonstration of exceptional leadership qualities. Alumni scholarships are made possible by generous alumni donors and require both a demonstration of financial need as well as an outstanding application. There are a number of other niche scholarships open to only UK citizens or females.
Cost of Attendance
Tuition: £48,000
Estimated Living Expenses: £1,100/month
Recent News
Contact
Mailing Address:
Booth Street West
Manchester, M15 6PB, UK
Phone: +44 (0) 161 275 7212
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.mbs.ac.uk/study/mba/
Twitter: @alliancembs