Embedded within the core MBA curriculum, Professional Development (PD) is a 10-credit course which runs throughout both semesters 1 and 2a. Informed by regular, direct engagement with employers, our PD programme is designed to help you enhance your leadership and professional competence, as well as developing strong employability potential.

This course will help you to:

  • Take ownership of your own skills development and help to ‘future proof’ your career in a consistently changing and challenging environment
  • Reflect upon and develop a deeper sense of self awareness of both your personal strengths and development needs
  • Identify your future objectives and set goals to realise these and maximise your personal potential
  • Learn in a very practical sense by participating in a series of interactive workshops aimed at increasing knowledge and confidence across a range of key personal competencies which have been identified as critical for MBA employability. These include:
    • Presentation and advanced communication skills
    • Influencing and negotiating
    • Effective team working
    • Emotional intelligence
    • Personal resilience

The skills you will focus on developing within PD will support not only your professional development and career planning for the future, but you can also apply them directly to other areas of the MBA curriculum. What better way to practice your presentation skills for example in a ‘safe space’ than within the MBA classroom? We would encourage you to take every opportunity to take yourself out of your comfort zone during your MBA. You will never have a better chance in your career to focus your time and attention on building a strong level of self-awareness and understanding the impact that your behaviours have on others⁠—skills and attributes that set successful senior managers and strategic leaders apart.