Here at Bayes we are always learning, and we’re committed to making sure our Modular Executive MBA programme is ‘future fit’ – fully preparing our graduates to thrive in senior leadership roles, even in uncertain times, in a way that enables them to tackle these challenges.

With this backdrop in mind, as the Course Director of the Modular EMBA, I have been working with colleagues in the Faculty to carry out a strategic review of the programme. We’ve also consulted widely with current students and corporate partners, gathering feedback on what we do well, and to see how we can embed what we’ve learnt from online programme delivery during the pandemic.

We deeply appreciate how much our students value face to face teaching, contact time with Faculty and social interaction with their cohort. That will remain at the core of our offer – the total number of in-class days will remain similar to past formats – but we believe we can add even more value – through blended learning, adding extra content, and creating additional touch points with Faculty and fellow students.

As a result of this work, we will be introducing some enhancements to the curriculum starting with the 2023 intake. This flexible programme will be delivered through a distinctive blend of in-person teaching, online preparation, and live synchronous sessions.

Format enhancements

• 60-120 minutes of pre-recorded materials released two weeks before on-campus sessions. These will help prepare you for in-class teaching. Learn at your own pace and work flexibly so you are ready for on-campus sessions.
• New three-day weekend structure. In person teaching from Friday - Sunday every third weekend of the month. This means you’ll need to take less annual leave for study when compared to the previous four-day structure.
• A live synchronous session every two weeks after in-person teaching. These sessions will take place on Saturdays from 09:00 - 13:00. Time is allocated to two hours per module with two modules covered in every session. We also plan to bring in a greater range of global guest speakers.

Curriculum enhancements

We will be introducing two new pre-course modules to ensure students have the financial and quantitative skills required for the rest of the programme: Accounting and Financial Reporting; and Mathematics for Management and Finance.

There will also be three additional core modules focused on experiential learning in areas of high demand (in temporal order):

• New Venture Creation in December of Year 1. Entrepreneurial skills are increasingly vital to the market, and Bayes is one of the leading schools for Entrepreneurship. Our MBA has been ranked 2^nd in the UK and 4^th in Europe for Entrepreneurship according to Poets&Quants World Best MBA Programs for Entrepreneurship 2023, and this new module will embed that strength at the heart of the curriculum.
• Consulting Skills in February at the end of Year 1, which will act as preparation for the International Consulting Week. Our strength in strategy teaching is consistently ranked in the global top ten by the Financial Times – 4^th in 2022 which was the fifth time in the top ten since 2017 – and this focused module will enable students to derive even greater benefit from that expertise.
• Leadership and Performance in November of Year 2. This module will provide an additional touchpoint with Faculty and is an opportunity to complete your professional development journey with your cohort.

We’re also refreshing the selection of electives, with more emphasis on digital strategy and analytics, ESG and sustainability, which are key considerations for many organisations today, and which will only increase in importance in the years ahead. We are also adding a capstone weekend in March of Year 2, which acts as another opportunity for the cohort to come together with faculty.

The changes we are implementing build on and will be driven by our world-class faculty, which is why we know from a pedagogical perspective that they are the right thing to do. They will also greatly enhance the student experience and allow us to further develop greater interoperability with other programmes in the Bayes portfolio.

In reviewing the MEMBA, we considered what MBAs would look like ten years from now. We saw programmes which were more experiential, with blended learning and new technology giving greater flexibility in how students study. Rather than wait, we decided to do it now. That is the Bayes approach. I very much hope you will join us as we begin this exciting new chapter.

Dr Alessandro Giudici, Reader in Strategy and Course Director, Modular Executive MBA