We will help you explore your

capabilities, drive your capacity for

lifelong learning, and prepare you
for the challenges of your career.
Explore the leader inside you,
and take it to the world outside.
The journey starts here.

Explore
the leader
inside you

CALL
The Lancaster MBA 01524 510732
www.lancaster.ac.uk/mba
VISIT
www.lancaster.ac.uk/mba
 Inside you, there is the potential
to be a great manager and leader.
The Lancaster MBA can help you
achieve this. Our practical, action
orientated programme allows you
to apply the latest management
thinking.
The unique Mindful Manager
experience enables you to
understand how you think and
act, developing you as a strategic
leader. This combination of
practice and reflection will allow
you to
Explore the leader inside you.
1 The Lancaster MBA
Welcome to the
Lancaster MBA:
a unique professional
development experience
We are passionate about the power and transformational
qualities of the Lancaster MBA a truly unique programme
that has earned its place amongst the worlds best.
Two key features set the programme apart.
With our Learning Through Action process we place more
emphasis on real, practical experience than any other MBA.
With our pioneering Mindful Manager experience,
we encourage you to question and understand attitudes,
motives and behaviours both your own, and the people
you work alongside.
Combined, these powerful tools will help you develop your existing skills, experience
and capability. Our focus is on helping you amplify these qualities by acting as your
partner throughout this journey of change not just through the course of the
programme, but throughout the course of your career. This is what we mean by
Explore the leader inside you.
www.lancaster.ac.uk/mba 1
 One of the worlds leading programmes Scholarships
The Lancaster MBA aims to turn high achievers into strategic Full-time and Executive MBA scholarships
leaders, with the confidence, skills and practical expertise to work The scholarships available to candidates are substantial, and are
effectively with others and to lead change at all levels, across all awarded on a competitive basis. Scholarships can be up to 50%
industrial sectors, and in every corner of the world. Our programme of programme fees; though they are most usually around 30%.
is much more than knowledge by textbook. We believe real learning The scholarship fund is large but is very quickly depleted as
comes from inside you: from drawing on your own experiences, candidates accept their places.
honing your specific skills, nurturing your character and crystallising
If you wish to have the best chance of acquiring and securing a
your ambitions. This unique approach to learning underlies our
scholarship you must apply early, gain a place on the course,
international awards, rankings, and accreditations.
and rapidly pay your deposit.
The MBA experience is different for everyone, but you will most
Five criteria drive their award:
definitely leave the programme as a stronger leader with the ability to
operate at a strategic level, whatever career challenges you choose. 1. Potential
A world of opportunity surrounds you. It is there for you to define and 2. Skill level
discover. We are here to help you explore the possibilities inside you. 3. Experience
4. Education
Triple Accredited 5. Background
The Lancaster MBA is among the top 1% of MBA programmes You will find more information on our website.
worldwide, holding triple accreditation: fully accredited by the
Association of MBAs, AACSB and EQUIS. The Full-time MBA www.lancaster.ac.uk/lums/study/mba/ftmba/
apply/fees/scholarships/
Available in two modes:
The Executive MBA www.lancaster.ac.uk/lums/study/mba/
Full-time and Executive: emba/apply/fees/scholarships/
The Full-time MBA (FTMBA)
an inspirational 12-month leadership development programme The Career Advancement Programme
delivered in Lancaster and at our central London location.
The Career Advancement Programme contains a series of
The Executive MBA (EMBA) taught sessions, practical activities and 1-to-1 professional
a part time MBA programme running over two years. career coaching.
This comprises a series of modules roughly every 8-10 weeks
The Programme includes:
that allow you to blend your learning into your employment.
Individual consultations during and after you complete
the Lancaster MBA; this can be offered face-to-face,
by video link or by email.

Support with CV design and in the development of your

self-presentation and interview skills.

Regular formal inputs from career experts, recruiters,

and practical workshops, such as mock-interviews and
assessment centre training.

Networking events, including visits to leading employers.

2 The Lancaster MBA www.lancaster.ac.uk/mba 3

 The Lancaster MBA sets
you real-life challenges that
accelerate your development
We understand the importance of learning from your own experiences.
Accordingly, throughout the programme the Lancaster MBA encourages
you to accumulate knowledge and understanding by taking part in practical
assignments and challenges. We call this Learning Through Action,
an approach that is integral to the Lancaster MBA experience.
The key Action Learning Challenges take place within carefully
selected partner organisations, and reflect the realities of
contemporary management. Lancaster identifies the organisations
taking part, and works with them to develop a brief that outlines the
objectives, resources, and deliverables associated with each project.
These are shared with student teams (selected to maximise diversity
and learning) who then refine, negotiate and ultimately agree the brief
with the client organisation.
The challenges usually provide 1-2 weeks of intensive
in-organisation work analysing situations, solving
problems and making recommendations to the client
organisations senior leaders.
In addition to working alongside senior managers within the host
organisation, teams receive additional support from experienced
mentors (including partner-level consultants). These mentors
challenge you with critical questions on how to approach, structure
and pitch your work. Their input, along with feedback from the client
and lecturers, provides some of the information you use in reflection
on your professional practice.
Each experience provides intense and invaluable learning that you
will apply to your career. In the Full-time MBA you will undertake
four business challenges: the Business Management Challenge
(an integrative business simulation), the Entrepreneurial Challenge
(creating a start-up business), the Consultancy Challenge
(with a medium sized organisation), and the Corporate Challenge
(a significant project based in London). On the Executive MBA
you will apply your learning from each module directly into your
organisation and write about this experience in your assignments.
You will also apply your new knowledge during the Consultancy
Challenge module.
Because the key challenges are real and not case studies
the outcomes of the challenges are important, to the client as
well as you. This context provides a very different form of learning.
4 The Lancaster MBA
Mindful Management
Todays business world is volatile, uncertain, ambiguous and complex;
and is suffused with diverse stakeholders with competing agendas.
Unlike other MBA programmes, we embrace this reality through The
Mindful Manager as an experience thats totally unique to the Lancaster
MBA. Instead of shrinking away from this complexity, we encourage you to
embrace the challenges and opportunities it offers, learning to be a more
strategic leader.
We strive to ensure you learn to deal with the world as it is, not how you
might like it to be. This will drive the development of your practical wisdom,
the form of knowledge you need to contend with this reality, and enhance
your capacity for effective business judgement.
The Mindful Manager Module explores The Mindful Manager emphasises As part of The Mindful Manager, we also
the art and craft of management. It self-discovery and critical thinking. engage with business leaders who share
extends knowing and doing into being, and We encourage you to question your their own personal journeys: how they
connects all of your learning across the assumptions, and to improve your arrived in their senior roles, how they drive
whole of the Lancaster MBA, strengthening judgement and decision making and sustain success, and how this affects
your capacity for judgement, and your capabilities to develop your the decisions they are making today.
cognitive and collaborative skills. practical wisdom.
Some of these who have provided such
The Mindful Manager is not an Through this process, and with our insight recently include Gil Steyeart (MD of
experience you have for a short while support, you will find your thinking style Adidas), Nahed Taher (the first woman to
before moving on to another. Rather, evolving to that of a strategic leader. be appointed Head of a Saudi Investment
it is a constant throughout the Lancaster Bank, and an alumna), and Kevin Roberts
The Mindful Manager is a richly
MBA. Connecting all your previous career (CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide Inc).
rewarding and transformational
experiences with your in-programme
experience that influences you as These talks can be seen on video at
learning, it helps you understand
a person and a professional. http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/lums/study/
the motivations, and culturally and
mba/ftmba/video-gallery/
experientially derived perspectives that
inform opinions (your own, and those of
others) and drive decisions.
www.lancaster.ac.uk/mba 5
 Full time MBA
Delivered at the beautiful Lancaster
campus and at our central London location,
this intensive 12-month leadership
development programme offers a truly
transformational experience.
We work with you to help you understand your purpose, values, motives
and interests, your talents and potential. Through a mix of learning
opportunities in the classroom and in organisations you find yourself
exploring what it really means to be a strategic leader.
At the end of the 12 months, you emerge as a more aware, confident and
able individual, ready for the next step in your career. Not only that, you will
have formed bonds with lecturers and fellow participants from around the
world that will last a lifetime.

Key Features
A world-class MBA, taught by
internationally-respected faculty and
experienced business practitioners
An internationally-diverse and
close-knit learning community
Our unique Mindful Manager module
that develops your judgement and
decision-making ability, your cognitive
and collaborative skills
Learning Through Action, where we
create practical real-world experience
for you through our business challenges
A
 dedicated Career Advancement
Programme to help you achieve your
ambitions
A
 n international module where you
examine how business is done in a part
of the world with which you are unfamiliar.
Recent destinations: the Czech Republic
and Turkey
Ranking
Top 10 in the world Forbes 2013
Top 10 in the UK FT2015
Top 50 in the world FT2015
Top 100 in the world Economist 2014
1st in the world for corporate strategy
FT2015

6 The Lancaster MBA www.lancaster.ac.uk/mba 7

 Your MBA Journey

Teaching Methodology
Learning takes place in a wide range of contexts. This includes
lectures, workshops, small group tutorials, 1-to-1 meetings,
mentoring, and extensive teamwork in multinational and multi-
disciplinary teams. All students in the community have access to
our online Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) which holds all the
teaching and learning resources, and acts as a direct conduit to
lecturers, tutors, support staff, and mentors.
Mindful Manager
The key strengths of the Lancaster MBA lie in our collaborative
Core Capabilities
working and practical challenges (Learning Through Action) and
on the reflectivity focus of The Mindful Manager module that Career Advancement
helps you explore your perspectives, and develop your business
judgement. We help you integrate all of your experiences on the June - August
MBA into an enriching and rewarding experience. During the year, Corporate Challenge
we undertake numerous visits to the offices and factories of our
corporate partners; the International study tour also includes several
(or Internship)
organisational visits. In Singapore, for example, students visited the
new Rolls Royce Plc manufacturing facility designed to serve the Two Elective Modules (or Exchange)
growing markets of East and South East Asia.

An International Dimension International Consultancy Challenge

The Lancaster full-time MBA is a global programme, designed Study Tour
Leading Mindfully
to enhance your international outlook.
March
Organising Behaviour

By living and studying in the highly diverse, multi-cultural community
that we engineer you have a huge opportunity to deepen your Strategic Management
awareness of the impact of cultural differences on the collaborative
Global Society and Responsible Management
endeavour. That you learn to thrive on diversity is our goal! There are some things that money
Secondly, as part of the International Business in Context module, cant buy. The friendships you
we take you on a One-week study tour of a fast growing economy. Entrepreneurial Challenge
Recent tours included China, India, Singapore, the Czech Republic
make and the knowledge and
relationships you have after the
and Turkey.

Finally, you can gain further international experience by opting,

in the summer term, for an exchange opportunity with one of our actually changed our lives!

programme. This is the place that
December
Finance II

Macro-economics

world-class partner institutions.

Business Management Challenge
At key points throughout your MBA year we take you to be taught Andrew
in London and, in the process, connect you to the worlds most Operations Management
culturally diverse and dynamic centre of finance and commerce. Marketing
Between October and June you make several visits to London;
visits ranging from one day to a full week; accommodation and travel Micro-economics
costs for this are included as part of your fees. We strive to locate
Finance I
you in London for the whole summer of your Corporate Challenge;
we will assist you with the higher London living costs.

October Mindful Manager

8 The Lancaster MBA www.lancaster.ac.uk/mba 9

 Advance your Career
Everyone studying the Lancaster MBA has a unique career objective.
Most likely your objective will involve:
switching career path;
taking a significant step up in seniority; or
evolving in a current role.
Whatever your aim, we will work with you before, during and after the
programme to help you towards your career goal.
Global View
Our students and alumni are in all parts of the world. We foster
connections with businesses and alumni globally. We can offer
careers resources with wide-ranging relevance that broaden
your perspective, increase understanding, raise awareness of
opportunities and inform choice. We are members of the Carnet
Alliance of 12 European business schools and have affiliation
to MBAExchange, a leading MBA recruitment organisation that
advertises international MBA-level opportunities.
MBA employment
Lancaster MBA alumni from all programmes have an excellent
record of career success. Over 90% of full-time MBA alumni who
are seeking new roles on completing their studies achieve
employment within three months of graduation. Campus recruiting
for experienced hires is not the norm in the UK, nor do we claim
that we find jobs for all our students, but we teach the skills
needed for our students to be effective career thinkers and job
seekers themselves on the premise that a skill learned for life is
the greatest asset of all.

Professional Services/
Consulting
IT/Telecoms
Manufacturing/
Engineering
Finance
Energy
Retail
Health
Other
Start-up

Sector destinations, 2012-2014 Number %

Professional Services/Consulting 31 25
IT/Telecoms 11 9

The real innovation in MBA programmes Manufacturing/Engineering 16 13

is happening in England. Lancaster is

doing very interesting things.
Finance
Energy
16
12
13
10
Retail 11 9
Henry Mintzberg, Professor
Health 8 6
Other 12 10
Start-up 7 6

10 The Lancaster MBA www.lancaster.ac.uk/mba 11

 The Lancaster
Executive MBA
Our Executive MBA is a two-year part-time programme
which is designed to develop your knowledge, skills
and capability, improving your career prospects and
your ability to lead and manage.
The programme is taught conveniently in blocked modules approximately
one every six to eight weeks. These allow you to focus in depth on each
subject area. In between each module you are supported by tutors to apply
your new knowledge and skills directly into your organisation, producing
work-based assignments that will improve your understanding, and make a
real difference to your company.
Alongside the modules runs a personal development stream, allowing you
to grow your ability to lead and manage. You will build on your strengths,
broaden your self-awareness and improve your decision making capability.
New knowledge, new skills, plus new ways of thinking and acting will all
contribute to advancing your career.

Key Features International Dimension

A convenient design so you can balance
your personal and professional needs
with your study
Personal development, including
Lancasters unique Mindful Manager
experience
Learning Through Action, which
allows you to instantly apply your
new knowledge
Develops you and your organisation at
the same time
Taught by internationally-respected
tutors and practitioners
Opportunities for international study and
experience
The Executive MBA is an international
programme, drawing ideas and inspiration
from international businesses, staff and
participants. In addition to the opportunity
to network with full-time MBA students,
you have the opportunity to undertake
overseas study.
You could choose to:
Join other Lancaster Executive-mode
students in the modules your same
faculty members deliver at our overseas
Executive MBA locations (currently Ghana
and Malaysia)
Venture out to China on the Doing
Business in China programme run by
Guanghua Management School, part of
Peking University
Please note: these options will involve
additional costs

12 The Lancaster MBA www.lancaster.ac.uk/mba 13


Who takes the Executive MBA
Classes typically number 25 students, representing a full spectrum
of professional disciplines in everything from multinationals to
not-for-profit organisations. The age profile is generally 28 to 45,
with seniority ranging from middle management to director level.
All classes begin on fixed dates, so you can schedule well ahead.
Your classmates will remain the same throughout the programme,
allowing you to create deep bonds, and ensuring a consistent and
enriching experience.
TEACHING METHODOLOGY
Modules at regular intervals throughout the year
During the four-day modules, the programme is delivered via a series
of highly interactive workshops. These combine new ideas and
theories from tutors with in-depth discussion, ensuring you learn
as much from each other as you do from the tutors. We use a range
of practical activities designed to reinforce your learning and make
it useful for you. In between modules you will undertake self-study,
applying your new knowledge in practice. This is supported by tutors
and our virtual learning environment (VLE) which holds all documents
and resources.
Leadership Practice and the Mindful Manager
Beginning in induction and running through the EMBA, our focus
on leadership practice helps develop your leadership skills and
capability. This is a very practical approach to leadership, developing
the skills you need to lead others. Within this, our unique Mindful
Manager course is designed to shape your development as an
aspiring senior manager and help you build the skills you will need
to perform effectively at the most senior levels. It deals with the
fundamental behaviours, attitudes and processes that underpin
management, and seeks to reshape your thinking. This has the
potential to create a significant impact on your practice as a leader
and manager.
The combination of practical learning
with extensive exposure to current
management research means you come
out of the course feeling on top of your
game and ready for anything.
Rachel Roberts, EMBA 2012
14 The Lancaster MBA
Your MBA Journey
Consultancy Challenge
This challenge takes place after the core taught modules are
completed. The Consultancy Challenge helps you to integrate the
knowledge you have gained on your EMBA, and demonstrates that
your new knowledge and skills are transferable to new situations. Action Learning: Work-based assignments
Leadership Practice
Depending on the location of your EMBA, you will either work on
a live consulting project for an organisation, or will run a complex
Personal Development
global business in a computer-based simulation. Either way, you will
work in a team analysing data and finding solutions to the issues
presented. This Challenge explores and develops your capacity for
business analysis, strategic thinking, and team working.
Dissertation Challenge Dissertation Challenge
This is the final element of the programme. Here, you will work within
your own organisation on an extended assignment, carefully chosen
to reflect both your objectives and your employers business needs.
Research Methods for Managers
Career Advancement 18 Months
Everyone on the Lancaster Executive MBA has a career objective,
but owing to the transformational nature of the programme, many Consultancy Challenge
people reappraise their career options during the two years.
Whatever you are looking to achieve to grow in your current role
or explore new pathways as we work with you to support your aims. Strategic Change
Throughout this journey, you will have full and ongoing access to
all our career expertise and contacts as before, during and after Strategic Management
12 Months
the programme.
Corporate Finance
Locations Financial and Management Accounting
The Executive MBA is taught at our main campus in Lancaster;
in Accra, Ghana; and at the campus of our partner organisation, Business Economics
Sunway University, near Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.
6 Months Marketing Management
Managing Operations
Strategic HRM & Organisational Behaviour
Leadership Practice and Responsibility
Introduction
www.lancaster.ac.uk/mba 15
 Selecting the Best
A key strength of the Lancaster MBA is the diversity of participants.
Drawn from many different countries, industries and backgrounds,
all Lancaster MBA applicants have significant potential, and the
drive to achieve. Our selection process is designed to identify a
new breed of aspirational professionals who want to Explore the
leader inside themselves.
MBA Entry Requirements
In our admissions process we aim to select
MBA candidates with a strong track record
of achievement and ability.
To join the Lancaster MBA you must have:
A good first degree.
A minimum of three years professional
work experience since graduation.
Preference will be given to those who
can demonstrate that they have strong
business experience, and have held
significant managerial responsibilities.
Two good references, one from your
current employer, and one from
someone who can comment on
your academic ability.
English Language
A suitable level of English language
capability is vital.
You must provide evidence of your English
language ability. We are looking for an overall
IELTS score of 7.0 or above (with at least 6.0
in each element).
You need to ensure that you take your
English language test early. If you do not
manage to meet our English language
requirements, you may not have the option
to join one of our pre-sessional English
language courses to get you up to the level
needed for the MBA.
We offer two pre-sessional English language
programmes: our 10-week programme
starts in July and our four-week programme
starts in September. Given the July and
September starts for these English
language programmes, it is essential that we
have your test results as early as possible.
16 The Lancaster MBA
GMAT Requirements
A GMAT evaluation may be required for
applicants who have less than four years
of postgraduate management/business
experience, or do not have a first degree,
but have a significant amount of relevant
management experience. In certain
circumstances candidates who do not
fully meet these requirements, but who
have other exceptional qualities, may be
admitted without a GMAT evaluation,
but may be required to successfully
complete a Lancaster Admissions Essay.
If you have a non-standard background
and would like advice about your suitability,
please contact the Admissions Office.
If you meet the academic qualifications
and English language requirements above,
but do not have sufficient work experience,
you may like to consider one of our other
Masters programmes.
Exceptional Circumstances
If your background is non-standard, you
may still be eligible for the Lancaster MBA.
We review each case individually.
For more advice about your suitability,
please contact the MBA Admissions
Team on 01524 510732.
Applications
The full-time programme begins in late
September / early October each year. Places
are very limited, and competition is intense.
You are advised to apply online before
February for the full-time programme and
by the end of August for the EMBA.
How To Apply http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/
lums/study/mba/ftmba/apply/
My confidence is stronger as a
result of study, my broad business
knowledge is enhanced, and I find
I can draw on classroom learning
to solve issues tackled in the
workplace. The Lancaster EMBA
Interview
Depending on your location, we undertake
either a face-to-face or telephone interview.
was a great journey, well worth
the effort and sacrifice.
Fees
All current details are available on our Richard Gregson
website. For the Full-time MBA, we EMBA 2014
recommend that you allocate in the region
of 12,000 a year for accommodation,
meals and personal spending.
Scholarships
We have a number of substantial partial-fee
scholarships available. You will find more
information on our website.
Help and Advice
If you would like any further advice please
contact the MBA Admissions office, visit us
at one of the many international MBA fairs
we attend, or ask one of our local agents.
Alternatively, we can put you in touch with
former MBA students who can give you an
insiders point of view.
Contact Us
LUMS, Postgraduate Admissions Office,
Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YX
Full-time MBA
mba@lancaster.ac.uk
+44 1524 510732
Executive MBA
emba@lancaster.ac.uk
+44 1524 594585
www.lancaster.ac.uk/mba 17
 Delivered by outstanding faculty,
in a beautiful environment,
with exceptional facilities,
alongside excellent colleagues.
The Lancaster MBA truly will
change your life. Join us now
at www.lancaster.ac.uk/mba

1 The Lancaster MBA