Commonwealth International MBA launched by Commonwealth Business Council
27 Oct 03

The Commonwealth Business Council (CBC) announced today the launch of ‘The Commonwealth International MBA’ in association with Europe’s largest MBA provider, Edinburgh Business School at Heriot-Watt University, and multinational education publishing group, Pearson Education.

The announcement coincides with the 15th Commonwealth Education Ministers Conference (CCME) currently being held in Edinburgh, Scotland.

The Commonwealth Business Council (CBC) was established by the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Edinburgh in October 1997. One of its goals was to launch a major MBA programme relevant both to the needs of Commonwealth member states and the international business community as a whole. CBC Director General, Dr Mohan Kaul says "After a detailed review process, we chose Edinburgh Business School because of the quality and rigour of its existing MBA programme, its experience of working with individuals and organisations on a global basis, and the flexibility it offers students in its approach to learning."

Dr Kaul continued "CBC has detailed knowledge of the complex requirements of executive education needs in Commonwealth member states, EBS has the appropriate high quality MBA and delivery systems, and Pearson Education has a sophisticated global network of marketing and support infrastructure. This combination of programme quality, teaching skills and expertise, and rigorous assessment is precisely what the Commonwealth Education Ministers Conference demanded when the objectives were set at Halifax in 2000."

The Commonwealth International MBA will be based on the existing Edinburgh Business School MBA and its cutting-edge delivery platforms, and also offers students the opportunity to study in the UK using Edinburgh Business School’s state-of-the-art teaching facilities at its Edinburgh campus. The programme will be rich in Commonwealth relevant content which will not only benefit Commonwealth-based students but also students in many other parts of the world.

Edinburgh Business School Director, Professor Keith Lumsden said that the partnership of the School, Pearson Education and the CBC is a highly successful culmination of one of the core objectives set by the 14th Commonwealth Education Ministers Conference, held in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 2000. He said "We are very proud to be able to announce the launch of the Commonwealth International MBA at the 15th CCME currently being hosted in Edinburgh, Scotland – also home to Edinburgh Business School.

Edinburgh Business School’s MBA programme is the largest in Europe and the second largest in the world. Students in over 160 countries are either on the programme, or have successfully completed their EBS MBA."

Pearson Education, the world’s largest education publisher, has a long-established relationship with EBS and actively markets and supports the EBS MBA worldwide. Over 10,000 students are registered currently on the programme, a large percentage of whom reside in Commonwealth Member States.

Pearson Education Distributed Learning Director, Alick Kitchin, says the Commonwealth International MBA (CIMBA) is a proactive and important development in the provision of international executive education. By being based on the highly successful EBS MBA, CIMBA will make rapid, positive and tangible contributions to business executives in both Commonwealth and Global business communities. "The Commonwealth International MBA will enjoy immediate status as a leading business education degree and will be easily accessible to executives all over the world as it is based on the same flexible study structures inherent in EBS’s advanced teaching methodologies.

EBS is the global leader in applied flexible distance learning techniques and has pioneered the development of sophisticated internet education systems which interface seamlessly with traditional on-campus and approved education center teaching methods," said Kitchin.

"The collective influence of business and economic activity in the Commonwealth is highly significant and relevant in today’s global business environment," added CBC’s Dr Kaul. "The Commonwealth International MBA will afford MBA students a great deal of valuable exposure to business and economic issues – particularly in emerging economies where future business potential is enormous. Skills learned will prove vital to future global economic growth as the relevance and impact of trends in rapidly developing economies increase and this MBA will particularly enable those from developing economies to become international managers."

CIMBA will start officially in April 2004 and the first students are expected to graduate mid 2006.

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