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What does “Brexit” mean for the Cambridge MBA?

16 August 2016

The article at a glance

Cambridge Judge Business School part of pilot UK visa scheme which grants an additional two months to student visas. As the world …

Cambridge Judge Business School part of pilot UK visa scheme which grants an additional two months to student visas.

What Brexit means for the Cambridge MBA

As the world adjusts to the recent UK referendum result to withdraw from the European Union, the attention of many is on how British higher education institutions will be affected.

On the impact of the vote on Cambridge Judge Business School, and specifically the Cambridge MBA, Conrad Chua, Head of Admissions and Careers, said, “the Cambridge MBA has a global outlook, and has always attracted students who want a global education and career opportunities. Our curriculum, our team projects such as the Global Consulting Project, the insights from visiting speakers from around the world, and our extremely diverse cohort all give Cambridge MBAs the tools to lead in an unpredictable world – and Brexit is an example of such unpredictability. Brexit will not have an impact on the global nature of our MBA programme and the opportunities for students to learn and progress their careers around the world.”

Cambridge Judge Business School is delighted to be part of a new UK Home Office pilot scheme to attract top candidates to the Cambridge MBA, to encourage them to stay in the UK to make positive contributions to the British economy after they complete their studies. Non-EU students on the Cambridge MBA will now have six months on their visa after the end of their studies to seek employer sponsorship to support their continued stay in the UK. This pilot was introduced soon after the UK referendum vote on membership in the European Union.

Conrad Chua, Head of MBA Admissions and Careers, said “this is a great new initiative by the Home Office. It shows a nuanced immigration policy that will enable top UK educational institutions to attract the best non-EU MBA students, and allow these students more opportunities to work in the UK and make significant economic contributions.”

Practically, Chua says “the current visa regime is still in place, so non-EU students already have a well-established visa programme, and EU students still continue to enjoy freedom of movement around the EU.” He adds, “The top employers we have spoken to since the referendum vote report no planned changes in MBA employment. They are still looking for top talent and global companies are willing to sponsor the visa of a candidate if they are right for the job.”

Chua adds “We have recently completed a curriculum review of the Cambridge MBA and continue to build on the strengths of our already successful and highly-ranked programme. This review has incorporated feedback from employers, amongst others, about the skills that MBAs will require in the near future.” New initiatives include the introduction of a core module in digital business to reflect the way in which businesses are adapting to an increasingly digitalised world, and a core module in Entrepreneurship, which leverages one the School’s core strengths, as well as its position within Silicon Fen, the start-up capital of Europe.