Studying an Online MBA at Strathclyde Business School: Student Profile

For those considering a distance learning MBA, but are not sure how the work will fit in with their hectic lifestyles, it may be a useful exercise to consider the experience of a current student. Simon Constable, a current University of Strathclyde Business School online MBA student, is one such student.

He is 42 years old and lives with his partner and four children. He is currently a full-time consultant physician and divisional medical director at the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University hospitals, which are both parts of the NHS Trust.

The time not spent with his family or at the university hospitals is spent studying for his Strathclyde MBA which he began in April 2012 and is set to complete in April 2015.

“I wanted to do a coordinated program of study around management, leadership and business that I could fit around my job as much as possible. I didn’t want to do lots of ad hoc courses but I couldn’t do a full-time MBA,” Constable says.

Constable completed his undergraduate degree in medicine at the University of London in 1995, and, despite having continued a career in medicine and become a senior clinical manager, Constable still wanted to push himself further. For Constable, the Strathclyde MBA was the key to furthering himself as a leader within his field. “The MBA is all about giving me a toolkit and academic background to help me deliver.”

When asked how the Strathclyde distance learning MBA is preparing him for his future in the field of medicine, he responds, “It’s all about the practical application of academic theory to the business and management environment. The beauty of the distance, flexible and online approach is that you are working alongside your learning and applying what you learn on a continual basis.”

“I am doing an MBA with a specialization in leadership,” Constable explains. “The University of Strathclyde offers a joint program with the Leadership Trust. The core elements are those of an MBA with experiential electives for leadership development. I had heard of the Strathclyde MBA by reputation and the triple accreditation as a business school was a good starting point for me. From my first contact with them, Strathclyde knew exactly what I needed and wanted and they have been helping me achieve that ever since. It’s very, very flexible and everybody understands the pressures of work and what that means for your ability to study.”