Taught sessions are held at our Dubai Knowledge Park campus (Block 16, 17, 04 and 19) during the working week (Sunday to Thursday) between 6:30pm and 9:30pm. For the full time programme , we hold classes on average 4 days a week (sometimes 3 and sometimes 5) and for the part time programme we hold classes 2 days a week for the first year. In the second year for part-time students there will be classes on average 2 days per week but for some blocks of time 3 and 1 days per week. Additional sessions will be scheduled over weekends or holiday periods and you will receive plenty of notice for these. You can expect to attend one session for 16 weeks per module, except where otherwise specified in the programme timetable. For the Project module in which you will be working individually on your thesis with some supervised elements, there will be a series of additional workshops announced when your cohort commences. Attending scheduled weekly classes is an essential requirement for completion of this programme.
You will be actively involved in a range of learning, teaching and assessment approaches as part of the MBA. Such active approaches aim to put you at the centre of your learning so you are involved and engaged in all aspects of your assessment and learning. Your programme will require your active participation in learning activities and interaction with your fellow as part of a small group. Learning activities may also occur both within and outside the classroom.
Your learning will also be supported by technology. Increasingly your tutors will be using existing and emerging learning technologies to engage you in e-learning activities. Your programme may be facilitated using a variety of media and online tools (My Learning on UniHub, podcasts, wikis, etc.) which could allow you flexible access to a diverse range of online resources, quizzes and learning materials as well as collaborative tools with which you can engage and learn with your peers. You may take part in online discussions and learning activities from wherever you are studying and by engaging with e-learning you will also be developing skills which are essential for your learning and are also highly valued by employers.
These include but are not limited to: working flexibly, communication, understanding of IT, team working and creating shared understandings based on quality resources and access to global expertise.
Beyond the Classroom
All MBA finalists take part in one of several international field trips. These are a week long, “comprehensive to the extent of exhaustive” and are included in the MBA course fees. In recent years, the Middlesex Dubai MBA has been to France, Italy and China.
Milan: MBA Field Trip Luxury Goods Industry
As part of this Applied Learning Experience Middlesex MBA students spent a week in Milan understanding the industry dynamics and working on a live case study. The MBA teams attended workshops given by two of the most renowned academics in the luxury goods industry. Field work was assigned which was carried out in Milan’s most prominent fashion district the rectangle of gold the d’Oro via Della Spiga which covers via Manzoni, Via Sant’Andrea and Via Montenapoleone. Top brand management consultants interacted with the students and spoke on the turnaround strategy of a prominent brand.
The Middlesex MBA group was very positive about the benefits about this learning experience. These are some of the student comments:
“The field trip gave me more insights into portfolio management (product lines), effective communication strategies of brands and retail business models “.
“My experience of Milan trip is to learn about how to manage a project independently in real life, Team working, human resources and capabilities management. Moreover, it is a good chance to enhance our emotion relationships with our classmates through the project.”
“Thank you Middlesex team for also giving us this opportunity to learn out of the traditional classroom setting”
“The faculty were top experts in fashion and we benefitted from their knowledge”
“Fashion is a rapidly changing industry and analysing this industry provided us with many lessons in these fast changing times”
“There is no better place to study the fashion industry than Milan”
“As a MBA student who is specialising in marketing I could not asked for a better programme”
“I love the applied learning concept - learning via observing feeling and experiencing”
“The ALE was a fantastic experience. Great learning’s from this field trip”
Paris: MBA Field Trip the Luxury Beauty Industry
The Middlesex University Dubai MBA students visited Paris for a week to study the luxury beauty and fashion industry as part of their MBA program. The MBA accompanying tutor for the Paris trip was full of praise for the MDX MBA students’ performance in delivering the two projects. Stating; “we were astounded by the Louis Vuitton flagship store, Lafayette, Merci and so many smaller stores and we explored the intricacies of the beauty industry. MBA students interviewed, charmed and tested the perfumes (and the staff), got a make-over, and admired the designer items in an attempt to uncover the secrets behind all the success stories. Their level of participation and devotion to know, to understand, and to apply, deserves all the credit! In between they had time to enjoy the French cuisine, the history and the old world that is so uniquely Paris”.
The MBA students had a lot to say about their Paris experience and here is some of their feedback :
"I would rate the learning experience of ALE4 Paris filed trip as the best value-added experience of my life".
"The field research was one of the best aspects of the ALE4 program. Interacting with business and visiting the stores was really helpful and an eye-opener"
"Being in Paris and studying the industry isolated from the routine back home allowed us to focus and work intensively for a week."
"The branding strategy session for me was amazing and the speakers and facilitators were knowledgeable and made the session interesting and an enjoyable learning experience".
"It gave the theory we learn a practical perspective. Being part of the field trip helped to see the principles of management and strategy in play"
"An international field trip is the key component of a top MBA program. Thank you MDX staff and guest faculty for putting together an awesome learning experience"
"Global exposure and working in another industry in another market is always a challenge. I loved it"
"The Professors from one of Europe’s top university in fashion were very good and knowledgeable about the beauty and fashion industry"
"In the case presentation of Lancôme I was able to rehearse and put into practice my skills in a new industry a market and outside my comfort zone".
"The Cartier case on the communications aspect of a brand was just superb".
Shanghai: MBA Field Trip the Luxury Brands Industry
The Shanghai experience was led by expertise from Fudan University Beijing, and involved practically a whole MBA module’s worth of material compressed into one week. Delegates learned not only about the status of the luxury brands industry in China but also the heritage and culture of Chinese business and China itself. With a unique blend of classroom learning, guest speakers from luxury fashion retail, discussions and industry visits, teams of MBA students devised their own plans to launch a luxury brand business in China. The Dubai group leader stated “the Shanghai trip was a venture into another world of business altogether. Students leaned not only from academics and consultants but also leading managers in the global luxury brand world. On the industry visits to Blanc Pain and Hermes, the MBA group was shown a window into a world that “us mere mortals” rarely have access to”
The Middlesex MBA students were very positive about the Shanghai trip. This is what they said.
"The Shanghai trip was phenomenal. The instruction was fantastic and brought deep insight into the topic of the luxury market in China. The faculty were passionate about the topic. The theory was vividly displayed when we visited the luxury stores and traveled through amazing Shanghai. A once in a lifetime experience!"
"The trip to Shanghai was great. We learned a lot about Chinese market, consumer behavior and the high potential for luxury industry there."
"This was an invaluable experience! The trip to Shanghai exposed me to China's evolving market. The knowledge of the training staff was exceptional. All the learning outcomes came together in a real life scenario. This truly puts Middlesex's MBA program a step above in my eyes."
"The ALE trip to Shanghai was an enlightening experience. The theory and practical experience gained from the trip of 5 full days was almost at par with a module that is given over 16 lectures. The course was covered in minute detail explaining not only about the rising economy of China but also the consumer segmentation of luxury consumers in China, as well as the uniqueness of luxury goods and brands. "
"The Shanghai trip really adds exponentially to the MBA experience at Middlesex Dubai and it has also helped me realise what and exciting market China is to bring business into."
"The field trip was very interesting and informative. I am seriously thinking about working the luxury goods industry as a career. Thank you Middlesex."
The Shanghai field trip can be described as a magical blend of the ancient and modern, and students unanimously voted the trip as unforgettable, extremely memorable and an experience not to be missed. The MBA team sums up the Shanghai trip and indeed all three international field trips as "an MBA in a week" and the very pinnacle and essence of what the Middlesex Dubai MBA is all about.
Team Development and Leadership Skills at the Middlesex MBA
The Team Development and Leadership two day workshop for the Middlesex MBA students has been traditionally conducted by Kathleen Harrison and Alan Birkett of Katalan UK. This very engaging weekend consists of tasks designed to bring out key learning points that parallel the workplace context and provides a real testing ground for participants to develop new skills and practice them in a safe environment. The team development and leadership experience provides an ideal opportunity for our MBA students to understand their leadership style, importance of teamwork as well as giving and receiving, feedback. The event helps establish and develop interpersonal and group relationships as well as to and facilitate the breakdown of different backgrounds and cultural and barriers.