University of Greenwich
Many high flyers have studied for a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) degree to help their careers take off. This qualification gives an edge over those who conclude their University education at Bachelors level. And a lot of ambitious students take the 
opportunity to study their MBA overseas, so giving them international experience at the same time. The UK is a prime destination for Sri Lankan students and a number of them choose to study at the Business School of the University of Greenwich in London. In fact, Greenwich has for a long time been one of the top choices for Sri Lankans heading to the UK to study.
The University of Greenwich is one of the most modern Universities in the UK, but also one with a rich historical heritage. It was founded in 1992, but its roots go back well over 100 years. The Business School is housed in a beautiful campus in Greenwich, designed over 400 years ago by Sir Christopher Wren, and part of a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Quite apart from the stunning surroundings, the Business School is perfectly located – just across the River Thames from London’s new financial centre in Canary Wharf and 10 minutes by train from the City of London. This explains how the School is able to attract many leading experts from finance, business and the professions to come and share their experience in guest lectures and seminars.
The School runs an MBA International Business programme which is specifically designed for international students. Whereas many Universities require MBA students to have several years of professional experience, the Greenwich programme enables students to gain that experience by undertaking a placement year as part of the degree. The School goes to great lengths to help students find good placements, which stretch and challenge them and help them build their business networks. Recent placements in the UK have included roles in the National Health Service, Tesco (a leading UK supermarket chain) and a hotel group. Roles outside the UK have been in India, Thailand and Tanzania.
Students and graduates of the MBA programme rate it highly. The quality of the staff comes in for particular praise. Student Shiraz Noorani says:
“The teaching staff for the Greenwich MBA are absolutely fabulous. They come from different backgrounds and they also come from different types of industries they are not just academic lecturers in the traditional sense, also they bring with them a wealth of practical knowledge.”
A recent MBA graduate, Savio D’Souza, believes that the programme has been a real career boost:
“It’s been almost a year since I graduated with the MBA degree, and I’ve come to realise that this programme has helped me in two distinct ways.
Firstly, as a manager, I’ve gone through a huge learning curve and acquired the latest tools for management. When I relate these to past situations at work (covering financial management, business strategy, leadership and supply chain management), it astonishes me to think how differently I could and should have reacted.
Secondly, the diversity of cultures on the programme has helped me to adapt and develop as a person. This has transformed me so that I have a much broader perspective of people and the way they think and react to different circumstances.”
International students are guaranteed places in University accommodation, which is reasonably priced and very conveniently located. Greenwich is a great place to live as well as study; and the entertainment attractions of central London are easily reached by train, bus or the “tube” – the iconic underground railway system in London.
The MBA plus a number of other postgraduate and undergraduate programmes have intakes in September and January each year. Applications are being taken for January 2014.
Joanne Wall, International Regional Director, will be visiting Sri Lanka in early October – meet with her to find the right course for you. Please contact British Council on 4521521, 4521577 and 4521576 for further information or visit the university website
www.greenwich.ac.uk