Hi all,
I have been admitted to Durham, Strathclyde, Aston for 1 year MBA program in 2011. Had a good interview with Leeds and chances look good that Leeds will make an offer.

This is the first time I am posting on these forums and I just have one request.....Could you guys please give me some advice in choosing these schools.....
Beside rankings, what I am looking for is which one of these will be better for employability in 2012 UK (I know about current UK's situation and the pretty bad recession) beside what I will bring to the table from my professional experience.

I have worked for 10.5 years as a software engineer in US. Now, I wanted to move towards management or consulting after MBA.

Thanks guys.

Since consulting is high paid, I think high salary is a good predictor: The FT shows that Strathclyde and Durham have higher salaries than Leeds MBAs. Aston isn't ranked.

There's much more employment in Glasgow, and I think that is why Strathclyde has the edge. However Durham has a generalised brand value in the UK, as the posh and third-oldest English university, Strathclyde does not. Furthermore Durham allows 7 electives, and Strathclyde just 2. I would choose Durham.

Duncan, thanks for the insight. I am also leaning towards Durham.

Duncan, thanks for the insight. I am also leaning towards Durham.

I strongly recommend Durham as it enjoys better reputation than Strathclyde.

I think the choice is really between Durham and Strath and it can be a tough one. While Strath has pioneered in MBA education in the UK, the rankings of two well respected British publications give a clear advantage to Durham. As per FT rankings, Strath has a three-year ranking average of 55 and Durham of 70. However, over the last three years Durham has been consistently climbing the table from 80th in 2009 to 55th in 2011, whereas Strath has slipped from 41th in 2009 to 74th in 2011 (any correlation with the economic slowdown?) Interestingly, The Economist 2010 rankings (based on a 3-yr data to bring stability to the rankings) ranks Durham at 55 and Strath at 77. If you look at specific indicators like salary, placement and value for money then the differences aren't glaring.

If you drill down in the FT MBA ranking, you'll see that while Strathclyde has a 2% edge on salary, Durham is well ahead on current rank, aims achieved, alumni recommendations, women students, research and by a huge margin on careers, faculty with Phds and international faculty. If those things matter to you, then Durham might edge ahead.

Dear Duncan,

Thank you for your input. The criteria you've mentioned are definitely important to me. I have recently received offers from both Strath and Durham for their full-time MBA programs. I'm from the media industry and want to stay in it for now. I too am leaning heavily towards Durham as it has good alumni representation from my sector. However, there's one thing that puzzles me. While Durham alumni rank it highly in networking (FT ranking) vis-a-vis Strath, it is the reverse in the case of international mobility. Would you say Durham enjoys a better reputation inside the UK and Strath is better known internationally?

As a university, Durham is better respected at home *and* abroad. I don't think here's a big edge on the MBAs, but I imagine Strathclyde has more alumni because it's an older programme. One key difference might be people from the USA. They are very likely to want to return to the US, and will come to Durham without plans of moving to Europe.

Makes sense. Appreciate your advice!

Hi guys,

I have read lot of posts on this forum. Came across this thread and thought maybe I should get the current opinion of the experts on this topic as my concern is related to this.

I'm from India, IT Analyst, 5.4 years of work experience. Post MBA goal - IT Business Consultancy, although I am open to other options in the field of IT. I would like to move to UK after completing my MBA.

I have offers from Durham and Strathclyde FT MBA starting in September 2016.

Reading the posts above, one would lean towards Durham. I like their curriculum -Consultancy route, international business trip, boardroom experience and internship opportunity. They have offered me scholarship plus the people I have spoken to seem very nice. Also, the university is prestigious.

But according to recent FT rankings, Strathclyde if 3 places above Durham. Post MBA salaries are slightly higher than that of Durham. Also, Glasgow as a city is obviously bigger than Durham, hence more networking opportunities. International mobility is higher for Strathclyde, as per FT.

My question is, would I regret opting for Durham over Strathclyde? (considering the fact that I put all my networking skills into getting myself a job after my MBA). I'm keen on having a nice MBA experience studying abroad and of course, a nice comfortable job afterwards.

Also, which has greater reputation worldwide - Durham or Strathclyde ?

Any help on this would be really appreciated.

Thanks,
Raj

Strathclyde has 97% in employment versus 86% for Durham. Strathclyde is a much safer choice. Also compare the scores for career progress, placement services and aims achieved: http://bit.ly/1SNTJoq

Also see The sad facts about scholarships http://www.find-mba.com/board/37055

There are full of uncertainties at the moment with the possibility of a Brexit. If that is to happen, Scotland might hold another referendum as to whether to stay within the United Kingdom and if they were to vote out, Scotland would be an independent country and I am not sure if Scotland will be able to survive on its own.

I personally think it is safer to study within England and Durham is a good university. However, I am sceptical about its business school as it is located in a remote vicinity of a micro city, which is more of a town to me. You will not go wrong with the Durham brand though.

[Edited by yipkc on Feb 23, 2016]

Scots have a higher disposable income than the English and a bigger population than 11 EU member states. Durham used to have better placement (scroll up to see how different my recommendation was in 2011!) and while it may be a better fit for some people it is a riskier choice.

Thank you Duncan and yipkc.

I have accepted Strathclyde :)

Thank you Duncan and yipkc.

I have accepted Strathclyde :)

I don't see the irony: DUBS wants its MBA to become more like Strathclyde so the compliment is really the other way around. Durham can totally win on international diversity, snob value and pre-experience quality but in terms of finding MBA roles it would be like choosing Cornell over Stanford because Cornell is Ivy league. If you want to find a spouse from another country: certainly Durham. If you want to make the best step forward into MBA careers, certainly Strathclyde (or a better school).

PS Durham is certainly better pre-experience and, as you can see from my 2011 comments above, schools ebb and flow.

[Edited by Duncan on Mar 08, 2016]

Hi guys,

Just wondering, Durham used to demand for GMAT score of at least 600 from applicants. Why did they recently abolish this requirement?

You're mistaken. Durham hasn't required the GMAT at any time in the last decade, except from applicants who lacked good undergraduate degrees.

Thanks Duncan for your clarification. If that's case, why don't they try to impose GMAT as one of its entry requirement? After all, it's almost as prestigious as Oxford and Cambridge.