SETTInG THE
STAnDARD
»Dr Julie Hodges talks to CEO Magazine
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Certainly our applications have risen, but it is
interesting to note that the quality of applicants we
are getting has risen as well into all of the courses.
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Durham Business School if we include your partner mBA pro-
grammes, you offer five in total. however,
What sets Durham Business School (DBS) which is the most popular and why? Our
apart from other b-schools? At DBS, we fo- full time MBA is the most popular. There are
cus on research led teaching. This means using several reasons for this. Students are completely
our up to date thought-leadership research to immersed in learning for 12 months. This en-
influence our teaching, thus ensuring students ables them to develop networks and friendships
really obtain cutting edge research in every with other students on the programme and
class. Linked to the foregoing, on the academic with the academic staff. We also offer them
side, we look for practical applications of the an opportunity to visit our international part-
theory and encourage students to think along ners. For example, we have had students this
the same lines. It’s absolutely vital that they are year who spent a week at Stellenbosch Business
able to put into practice the concepts they learn School in South Africa and a week at Fudan
in the classroom. University in China. On these trips the stu-
dents get the opportunity to learn in a different
Looking now to another strand of the environment, share their learning with other
programme, we aim to enhance the skills, students and develop their networks.
knowledge and confidence that students need provide them with a significant amount of strategic
as well. Some students may already have a in terms of career management, how much guidance and advice. We also organize Q&A
significant skill base; however, it’s a question support does DBS offer? We have a career sessions with businesses from a variety of different
of enhancing the aforementioned: helping manager on site who provides advice on every- sectors, such as management consultants.
students to feel more confident, whether thing from CV enhancement through to develop-
through networking, how they sell themselves, ment centres. Workshops are also available for the most b-schools like to talk about the big is-
or how they influence others. full-time cohort of students; there are networking sues when promoting their mBA programmes.
events where we invite various business leaders to however, you talk about the importance of
The diversity of our cohort also sets us apart. the school; we also offer students the opportunity soft skills like strategic thinking and commu-
We achieve this through our recruiting policy to attend career fairs, for example, students at- nication. how much emphasis do you place
by ensuring that we have students from tended this year’s fair in Edinburgh. upon said skills and why? Let me say at the out-
different countries. Consequently, our teaching set, we do not use the terminology ‘soft skills.’ We
has a significant global dimension to it. We don’t of course guarantee students a job at tend to think in terms of interpersonal skills, for
the end of the programme, and I don’t think any example, critical thinking, communication, influ-
Developing strategic partnerships with busi- business school can do that, particularly in light encing, networking and managing relationships at
nesses is also integral to our success. of the current economic climate. However, we do work. The question is how we integrate all of this
34 | CEO
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