I am currently studying MSc Business Analytics (online delivery, part-time) at Imperial College Business School. This blog talks about the factors to consider when choosing a part-time Master’s and my experience while studying at Imperial.

Most students who pursue a part-time Master’s do it for different reasons than full-time students. From my experience, most part-time students study for a Master’s after working for some time and have family and work commitments while studying. Most people studying part-time also work full-time in similar fields to what they are studying. So if you are looking for a part-time programme, the factors that influence what programme you choose would vary, but not be entirely different.

Some common factors are as follows:

A well-connected, intelligent cohort

The importance of networking cannot be overstated. The most significant advantage of studying part-time is that the students studying with you have significant experience and are potentially working in important positions in your field of interest. The diversity of knowledge that these peers provide in class discussions, group projects and regular conversations is beneficial and unparalleled.

At Imperial, these benefits are augmented with the focus on group assignments, and on-campus connects.

Flexibility

Students studying part-time programmes often have to juggle studying, a full-time job and family obligations. Additionally, in online programmes, the time zone differences can cause problems during live classes and interactions with peers.

In my modules, every live class is taken twice at different times on the same day with the same content to accommodate students from different time-zones. Sufficient time is provided for coursework, assignments and submissions. For example, every week there is a half hour test which can be started anytime during the weekend.

A programme rooted in reality

Part-time students are experts in their field. One of the main reasons a student might pursue a part-time Master’s is to understand how concepts are applied across different domains and industries. 

For example, in data science, the same regression and classification principles are used across various fields from finance to supply chains for solving different types of problems. There is an emphasis on real-world case studies, and industry exposure on the MSc Business Analytics programme.

Relevant and useful programme content

Most part-time students pursue higher education to gain a better understanding of the basics of their profession, looking for a more fundamental understanding of the concepts. Students also look out for broadly useful topics that they are unfamiliar with.  

For example, my programme core modules starts with the basics in technology (Data Structures) and maths (Maths and Statistics Foundations for Analytics) and builds on these foundations. I have worked on machine learning, but I have never worked on deep learning or unsupervised learning which I am studying in the Machine Learning module. Even with machine learning, I know the practical aspects and implementation, and I am learning the nuts and bolts in this programme.

Is Executive Education worth it?

When you’re making an investment in anything, you need to be sure about the return. Executive Education is no exception.

Whether you are an individual looking to accelerate your career development or an organisation with strategic development goals for leaders and employees, investing in management training implies time, effort and money. And in moments of acute uncertainty and complexity, when the future feels anything but secure, it’s natural to wonder if that time, effort and money mightn’t be better spent addressing the immediate challenges of the here and now.

Why then do so many business leaders and organisations prioritise executive training precisely when times are toughest or most complex? What’s in it for them? What makes Executive Education worth it, especially when the chips are down?

We consulted our programme participants, programme directors and faculty here at Imperial to understand how they see the value of Executive Education.

Here’s what they told us.

1. Address actual, real-world dilemmas

Executive Education programmes look at the real problems that businesses and leaders face today. At Imperial, our programmes for executives are expertly calibrated to the most relevant issues, challenges and trends impacting leadership development, strategy, sustainability and innovation. They address the live issues that decision-makers need to grapple with, by integrating the very latest thinking and technological insights from Imperial faculty with action-based, focused learning experiences that build practical, applicable skills. From digital transformation to design thinking, from risk management to machine learning for decision-making, our Executive programmes equip you to tackle the things you face today, and tomorrow.

2. Address your specific challenges

Executive programmes are firmly rooted in the real-world and relevant – and that includes those specific areas of focus that you and your organisation need to address. Imperial Executive programmes look at topics as specific and diverse as strategic brand transformation or AI and machine learning in the financial services space. Organisations also have the option of a custom programme – a bespoke learning experience 100% tailored to the individual needs of the business.

3. Tap into world-class expertise

Executive Education programmes are designed and delivered by the foremost business thinkers and practitioners. At Imperial, our faculty are world-renowned, with academic expertise that spans innovation and entrepreneurship, quantitative finance and healthcare management. As advisors and researchers, Imperial faculty maintain the closest ties to industry, commerce and government – a rich and privileged network of excellence that fully informs your learning experience.

4. Rethink the big issues

Business never stops. Yet it’s important for decision-makers to take the time to pause, to reflect and to rethink their challenges, solutions and approaches. Executive Education affords leaders a safe, secure and honest space to look at the critical issues afresh; to experiment, to learn, to unlearn, and to try out new ideas. It provides a unique opportunity to innovate and to find different ways to drive growth.

5. Broaden perspectives

When you are navigating complexity, you’re going to want to see the biggest picture possible. You will want to see problems in all of their dimensions, and to leverage a diversity of views as you find solutions. The Executive Education classroom – whether it’s on-campus, online or virtual – exposes you a breadth of perspectives; peer insights and expertise that spans multiple sectors and geographies. You quite literally learn to see the same problem from a host of different angles.

6. Network, network, network

The Executive Education experience doesn’t end when the programme concludes. At Imperial, the ties and bonds you build in the classroom endure for years. Completing an Executive programme entitles you to membership of the prestigious Imperial College Business School Alumni network; a 19,450-strong cohort of business leaders from a diversity of sectors spanning more than 140 countries. And each year, we deliver a full range of dynamic events, services and resources to keep you connected to each other and to ongoing opportunities to learn and to build new skills.

7. Strengthen alignment

For organisations, investing in Executive programmes for individuals is an investment in strategic talent. It signals to your top people that you are invested in their professional development and their capabilities as trusted decision-makers. It is a means of securing engagement, commitment and loyalty where it matters most. Similarly, custom programmes empower business organisations to build critical awareness, buy-in and alignment around strategic goals – and drive better results through cohesion and collaboration between and across your teams.

8. Accelerate performance

Executive Education is about solving concrete problems and delivering concrete results. At Imperial, learning is actionable – that means that the individuals and organisations that come to our programmes leave with knowledge, insights and frameworks that can be applied for immediate and lasting impact. Whether it’s building leadership capabilities, developing new products, ventures or even markets or improving operations for sustainable growth, our Executive programmes accelerate performance exponentially – giving you and your organisation the resilience and the competitive edge to thrive under pressure, and to navigate the uncertainty ahead with certainty and confidence.

There has arguably never been less certainty in our world than there is right now.

The Covid-19 pandemic caught countries, markets, industries and sectors of every description completely off guard at the start of 2020. Within the first three months of the new year, economy after economy had shut down; the impact of stay-at-home measures and social distancing constituting a financial shock unparalleled in modern times – far greater in scale and scope than the Great Recession of 2008. Businesses, organisations and institutions around the globe have had to adapt, and fast. Some have fared better than others, some have pivoted their business model to respond and even thrive in the so-called new normal. Others have shut up shop indefinitely.

If the global health crisis has shaken the world to its core – laying bare the vulnerabilities and weaknesses in our systems and structures and exposing geopolitical tensions that risk international trade and cohesion – it has also delivered critical lessons.

The most important lesson of all, perhaps, is the need to be prepared; to put into place the organisational resilience, the resources, the capabilities and the learning capacity to emerge safely from this crisis and to build towards a more robust, more sustainable future.

And this is the promise of Executive Education.

Building a sustainable future for you, and your organisation

So what is Executive Education? Put very simply, it is a portfolio of training and development programmes designed by business scholars and industry experts; learning experiences that empower business leaders and decision-makers to navigate the uncertainty ahead, with clarity, certainty and confidence.

Executive programmes are finely calibrated to address the most critical challenges and problems facing managers and their organisations. From developing the kinds of next-generation leadership competencies that businesses need in order to thrive in complexity, to building specific knowledge and skills to position you at the vanguard of digital transformation and beyond, executive education is intense, immersive and transformational learning experience – experience that delivers impact that is simultaneously immediate and enduring.

At Imperial, our suite of Executive Education programmes fully leverage the expertise, research and knowledge of our distinguished faculty –  world-renowned business scholars and practitioners who continuously identify and explore the emerging problems and the shifting megatrends that shape and reshape the global economy.

Our programmes give executives a unique opportunity to truly investigate the real issues they face as professionals, and those that face their organisation. And they give you an opportunity to do this within the safety of a learning environment geared to open and honest discussion and debate.

Our programmes also represent a unique opportunity to share and exchange insights with other leaders from diverse backgrounds – to broaden your perspective and mindset, and expand your professional and personal networks as you learn.

You choose the format, you choose the focus

Executive programmes are delivered a variety of formats at Imperial.

We offer on-campus programmes, online programmes via our state-of-the-art EdTech platform which integrate live, interactive sessions with faculty and peers.

The virtual format in particular has ensured that business leaders have been able to continue investing in their development despite the restrictions imposed by the pandemic. Meanwhile, online learning delivers the advantage of anywhere, anytime: participants can mark their own pace and tempo, without the need for travel or other types of disruption. On-campus programmes are delivered at Imperial’s stunning South Kensington campus close to the heart of London.

As part of our Executive Education promise, we offer a breadth of programmes both for individuals and for companies. Programmes for companies are called custom programmes, because they are customised and tailored to the precise and unique challenges facing a specific organisation. These are bespoke learning solutions that accelerate the development of your future leaders.

Our Executive Education offering is divided into four primary disciplines or areas of focus: Management and Leadership, Technology and Innovation, Sustainability and Health, and Finance and Strategy.

Every programme within each of these disciplines integrates the latest technological thinking and research in leadership, strategy and innovation with sector-specific deep dives in topics such as entrepreneurship, healthcare, cyber security or risk management.

Each programme also delivers hands-on, applied experiences and real-world project work, so that you have the chance to translate theory into practice into impact as you absorb exciting new ideas.

The choice is yours.

You decide the format and the focus that best meets your needs and objectives.

Because there’s never been a greater need

Whatever Executive Education is, it is, in part a solution to a problem.

There has never been a moment of greater uncertainty in our world.

To navigate the path ahead and capitalise on the promise of a better future, it is now incumbent on businesses, managers, decision-makers and the next generation of leaders to seize the opportunity to learn; to reflect on those areas of strength and those of vulnerability, to determine the capabilities necessary to thrive in this new normal – and to build those capabilities from the top-down, bottom-up, and across the entirety of your leadership, and your organisation. 

There has never been a greater need to think strategically about your future.

Nor has there been a better opportunity to do so.

My biggest lesson is, never give up on your dreams. When we go through tough times, we get caught up in the moment, failing to recognise it for what it is – a stumbling block. It won’t always be like that. You have to keep pushing and never be afraid to put yourself out there. Surround yourself with people who inspire you, have a teachable spirit, be humble, be vulnerable when needed and don’t be jealous.

My friends were the first to sow the Imperial seeds. Wanting to partake in their blessings made me inquisitive. Never be ashamed of sharing failure. Our egos trick us to put so much weight on what people think, whereas we should be more concerned about what we hope to gain. Failure isn’t the opposite of success, but an essential part of it.

A little over a year ago, before our world was rocked by a global pandemic, I was accepted to study at Imperial College Business School with the aim to obtain my Master’s in International Health Management. To me, this was a dream come true. Being from the United States, I was excited to not only move to London but study something that truly fascinates and excites me as I have always been keen on the idea of working in health administration. Then the pandemic hit.

Like most people, my daily life changed. The so-called ‘lockdown life’ has brought on a wave of unforeseen challenges. However, one major consequence that has affected our society and the world as a whole, has been the change in how we see and understand our health systems and policies.

For years, our health systems have been changing and growing; new policies have gone into place with many of us none-the-wiser. Then, like the flip of a switch, these seemingly minor changes affected all of us at once as we waited to learn more about the disease in its early stages. We waited eagerly for guidance on how to prevent and treat COVID-19, saw the government initiate lockdowns and state of emergency guidelines, and now approve vaccines and determine their rollout.

As we have all experienced our health systems and policies together, as a society our knowledge has also grown.

Pursuing a career in healthcare policy

When I started at Imperial, I thought that I wanted to pursue the healthcare consulting or hospital administrative route. However, as I have experienced and seen how healthcare policy has affected our lives (whether positively or negatively), my interests have shifted. I now hope to pursue a career that has a focus on public policy in healthcare and/or educating the public on healthcare-related topics.

MSc International Health Management has helped me see how this is possible and has helped me start on this journey. I expressed my interests to a faculty member and a professor who has since allowed me to help with their research projects which focuses on healthcare policy. This has further enlightened me to the vital work being done within the UK and globally. I have seen how each of us are responsible for providing a healthier tomorrow.

The future of healthcare

Throughout all of this, the highs and lows of the pandemic, we have all seen how the world has changed. Schools are taught via Zoom, people are working from home, and industries have been moulded; healthcare being an example. This has brought new health innovations and processes forward which will affect the future of healthcare.

For example, telemedicine visits have become the norm; something rarely practised before the pandemic. Throughout the pandemic, interdisciplinary teams and industries have come together to solve major health issues, setting a precedent for the future by increasing the sharing and creation of ideas, technology, and devices. The speed to which healthcare processes, drug development, and approvals have changed may set a precedent for future innovations.

COVID-19 has hurt and affected many people in unspeakable ways. It has changed the world and changed healthcare. During these unprecedented and difficult times, I remain hopeful. Hopeful for the future of healthcare. Hopeful for the future of health policy. And hopeful for the world’s future. The MSc International Health Management programme at Imperial College Business School has helped me retain this positivity. I look forward to seeing how the world will change and grow from the lessons we have learned during this time.

Although building a startup might seem difficult, it is possible to do so at Imperial College Business School. Whether you already have your own startup or are looking to found one during your studies, there are plenty of opportunities for you to get involved and I am going to show you how by providing insights from my own entrepreneurial experience.

Studying MSc Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Management

It is probably best to pursue a programme that fosters entrepreneurship. This is the reason why I enrolled in MSc Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Management, as it is probably the flagship entrepreneurship programme at the School, which is likewise known for its pioneer-position in innovation and entrepreneurship. The Master’s is developed around the principles of innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship while building into a comprehensive management foundation.

I predict that my highlight of the programme will be the final term as we will be designating a few weeks of our time to solely focus on our startup and how to scale it up. And don’t worry: in case you decide that the startup world can wait for you, you can either do an internship, a consulting project or even an academic research project. There is an option that can be tailored to everyone on the programme.

Imperial’s entrepreneurship ecosystem

My advice is to get involved in the entrepreneurial landscape before the start of your programme. I personally reached out to the Imperial Enterprise Lab around three months prior to the start of my Master’s in Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Management and therefore, was able to participate in Pitch’n’Mix Sessions. This not only helped me to test my idea with a new audience and get valuable feedback from students and experienced mentors but also mingle with new people from an early stage.

This made me feel welcomed into the Master’s programme and into the Business School. Once you are studying the programme, you should definitely take part in all the different events offered by the Business School and the Enterprise Lab. There are also a lot of accelerator programmes you can get involved in, like the Discovery Fund, WE Innovate or the Venture Capitalist Challenge.

Personally, I was lucky enough to get selected for the Discovery Fund as well as the ICE Accelerator. The various workshops, talks and tasks really helped to get things going and focus on different aspects that I didn’t necessarily look into before. All these programmes are a great opportunity to meet like-minded people and exchange valuable experiences. Cherish the opportunities, as your time at the College is over sooner than you think.

Inspiration is readily available

Whether you have an idea and are looking for advice on it, searching for a co-founder, or you are from a non-business background looking for somebody to help you with the business side of things, the Imperial Launch Club is the place to be. It connects (potential) founders with experienced mentors from the vast alumni network of the school. I was lucky enough to be involved right from the start in the club, both as a mentee as well as in my current position as a Director for PR and Marketing Content.

If you haven’t already got excited about starting something new, then the facilities will help you to get into the start-up spirit. With plenty of meeting rooms, networking space (with free coffee), pitch rooms and the newly opened Scale-Space, this is the place to be for a budding entrepreneur. So, go, check it out and embrace all opportunities possible.

Lessons from my own journey

Looking back at my own entrepreneurial journey over the past months, I feel I have learned a lot about the different aspects of entrepreneurship: from the hard skills, like how to make an income statement or forecast sales, to many soft skills, like how to communicate effectively or listen proactively.

One of the most important things I have learned, however, is to be patient, take risks, talk to as many people as you can about your idea and never give up on a dream, despite the many hurdles that might come: just do it! Although not everything will go the way it was initially intended to go, when one door closes another one opens, and these new opportunities are oftentimes even better than the ones before.

Having a startup that solves a problem that you have encountered helps you stay focused and determined regardless of the hurdles on your way. So, my advice for anyone looking to start something from scratch is to carefully look around you. What is it that annoys you, what problems do you encounter in your daily life, is there something that can be improved? These are the ideas to which you can stick to the longest without giving up.

My startup: Skinutri

Drawing from personal experience is what I did when creating the product for my own startup: Skinutri – I was always annoyed that many snacks were delicious, yet bad for someone with sensitive skin. Therefore, I created a brand that ensures that anybody can snack guilt-free without having to worry about potential side effects on the skin of scrumptious snacks like chocolate. Our products are created with organic, anti-inflammatory vegan ingredients, they are low in natural sugar and contain additional beauty ingredients, like plant-based collagen. We are currently in the trial phase and planning to launch in spring, so stay tuned!

In celebration of the International Women's Day 2021 theme of 'Choose to Challenge', which focuses on calling out gender bias and inequality, we spoke to our alumni community and asked for their advice on what #ChoosetoChallenge means to them. 

"Everything we do is consistent with the #ChoosetoChallenge ethos. Our Athena SWAN work consistently identifies and challenges gender bias and inequity."

Karen Tweddle, Director, Education Quality at the Business School and member of the Business School’s Athena SWAN committee, discusses the work of the group and why the School is committed to supporting female students and staff.

Read more about the School's work in this area.