Imperial College Business School is taking its teachings to the world via a new online MBA programme.

The Business School’s Imperial Global MBA is a flexible, part-time, online programme that will allow students to gain core business knowledge and skills without having to be physically present in the classroom for the majority of the programme.

The Business School has launched this programme in response to a growing demand by students around the world to learn online because of its ease and accessibility. The Business School has developed a bespoke online learning platform, called The Hub, which will enable students to study and interact with one another and with their tutors during live lectures and via online chat forums.

Professor G. ‘Anand’ Anandalingam, Dean of Imperial College Business School, said: “Online learning has experienced a real surge in popularity over the last few years.  This is because significant advancements in technology have allowed people to effectively learn and study without having to set foot in the lecture theatre. Through our innovative software, students will get a cutting-edge online learning experience that will make them feel that they are on campus.  They will have the chance to really get to know one another and feel part of Imperial’s community despite being spread across the world.”

Through the Hub, students will be able to track their progress with their studies in real-time and benchmark their work against other classmates. The Hub will enable academics to group participants into time zones so that they can collaborate on projects and assignments.  Students will also have the opportunity to network with alumni and corporate partners through interactive forums and social media platforms.

The programme will combine a mix of online and face-to-face learning. Students will spend a total of three weeks out of the two year programme on campus. This is in contrast to other distance learning courses, where students learn in isolation.

The Business School has developed the programme partly in response to the growing popularity of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Globally, nearly four million students have registered to study on MOOCs, which are online courses offered by universities and business schools to improve education and learning.

Applications for the course are now being accepted with the first classes taking place in January 2015. 

For more information contact gmba@imperial.ac.uk