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The COUNCIL and the GENERAL BOARD beg leave to report to the University as follows:
1. The Degree of Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) was introduced in 1991, following the establishment of the Judge Institute of Management Studies in 1990. The initial M.B.A. programme was a course of study extending over three academical years, in which students followed a pattern of one term of study in Cambridge followed by two terms in the workplace each year, with the final term in Cambridge to complete the course. Subsequent changes in the pattern of student demand and support have meant that the Institute currently offers two M.B.A. programmes - a one-year full-time programme and a two-year integrated programme, in which students return to the workplace for twelve months after their first two terms in Cambridge, and then return to the Institute for a final term.
2. The Management Studies Syndicate now propose the introduction of a third M.B.A. programme which will be an open, partially distance-learning course. The development of this programme would provide increased access to management education for an increasingly large group of well-qualified executives who wish to complete an M.B.A. course but who are unable to leave their place of work for extended periods of time. Students following the proposed programme would remain in their place of work and study in their own time, with the assistance of information and communications technology, combined with short intensive periods of study in the University. The course content and examinations would match those of the existing M.B.A. courses. It is anticipated that such an M.B.A. programme would attract middle/senior managers from around the world. Entry requirements would be as for the existing M.B.A. courses (in terms of academic ability and work experience). It is expected that the majority of students would be sponsored by their companies. This venture will enable the University to pursue its stated intentions of supporting the principle of lifelong learning, on a global scale, through the use of appropriate technologies combined with more formal methods of teaching. It will put the University amongst the frontrunners of Higher Education Institutions in the use of information and communications technology for learning.
3. In order to ensure its academic success, the proposed M.B.A. course will require the development and delivery of remote elements of the programme using technological expertise and knowledge of multi-mode learning that is not currently well developed within the Judge Institute or elsewhere in the University.
4. It is therefore proposed that such expertise and knowledge should be obtained through a partnership with a commercial company with a strong interest and considerable experience in the business of education. The proposed partner for this venture is FT Knowledge (FTK), a division of the Pearson Group. FTK has extensive experience in information technology and its applications in teaching and learning, marketing 'open' educational programmes and global operations.
5. FTK would bring not only their considerable experience of the technology of open learning to such a partnership but also appropriate financial standing and contribution. The proposed partnership with FTK will provide the Institute not only with the skills to develop and deliver the remote elements of the programme, but also the initial funds to enable appropriate levels of investment in the development and delivery of the programme.
6. The programme structure, academic content, and examination requirements of the proposed new course will be the same as that of the two current M.B.A. programmes, with approximately 65 per cent of the material of the course delivered during the residential periods in Cambridge. Approximately 35 per cent of the programme would be available to students through open learning by remote means on the basis of material developed and delivered by teaching staff at the Judge Institute, using a wide range of technology developed and supported by FTK. Students who successfully complete the programme and pass the examination will be awarded the degree of Master of Business Administration by the University of Cambridge.
7. The proposed structure of the programme is as follows:
| (i) | A two-year programme with four residential periods (of two or three weeks' duration) when students are required to come together, either as a whole cohort or in pre-determined groups. The first residential period is expected to be three weeks long. The others will be two weeks long. |
| (ii) | The first two and the fourth residential periods would be held at Cambridge. The third residential period would take the form of group work as part of an in-company consultancy project which could be undertaken anywhere in the world. In the intervening periods students would study other elements of the programme remotely either in on-line classes and on-line group tutorials or through individual web-based instruction, and e-mail question and answer sessions. |
| (iii) | Students would make use of the extensive on-line journals, periodicals, and company information provided by both the Judge Institute and FTK to assist with the academic and business literature base for their dissertation, and indeed throughout the programme. |
8. It is proposed that the first open M.B.A. course would be offered to students in September 2001. It is anticipated that 40 students will attend in the first year, 60 in the second, rising to 180 by year five. Intakes would normally be streamed in order to achieve class sizes of about 60 students. The Council and the General Board are assured by the Judge Institute that it has the capacity in the Institute to accommodate this number of additional students.
9. The University Composition Fees will be set using the same parameters as those for the other M.B.A. programmes.
10. The Council and the General Board are aware that the creation of such a programme will require considerable financial investment. They will satisfy themselves that the proposed course is financially viable before any contract with FTK is entered into.
11. It is proposed that the requirement for additional teaching staff will be met in three ways:
| (i) | by using existing academic staff within their normal teaching duties; |
| (ii) | by making additional payments to staff for teaching work undertaken on the open M.B.A. during vacations which is over and above their 'normal' teaching load; |
| (iii) | by the recruitment of additional academic staff, phased over the initial development of the course. |
The additional expenditure would be funded by the income from the programme.
12. The Judge Institute and FTK will each be active contributors to the development of the programme. The Institute will be responsible for the following activities:
| (i) | development of promotional material in conjunction with FTK, |
| (ii) | the selection of students and maintenance of a student database, |
| (iii) | determination and development of academic content and structure of the programme, |
| (iv) | delivery of the programme, |
| (v) | provision of appropriate student monitoring, support, and guidance, |
| (vi) | quality assurance and assessment, |
| (vii) | recruitment and employment of academic and support staff, |
| (viii) | examination and assessment of students, |
| (ix) | the provision of transcripts, |
| (x) | arrangements for matriculation and graduation in conjunction with Colleges. |
FTK will be responsible for:
| (i) | marketing of the programme, |
| (ii) | maintenance of an enquiries database, |
| (iii) | development, delivery, and maintenance of IT infrastructure, |
| (iv) | development of technological and presentation aspects of the course material. |
The quality control of the programme by the Institute will be an area of particular importance, and will take place at a number of levels:
| (i) | The measures used to control the quality of the existing M.B.A. programmes will operate. These will include the same induction, appraisal, and mentoring programmes for new members of staff; existing members of staff will continue to be involved in the development and delivery of the programme; examinations, and assessment will be the same as for the existing programmes and students will therefore be required to sign individual undertakings regarding plagiarism and the originality of any work they submit. The quality of students' performance will be discussed together with the performance of students on the other M.B.A. programmes at the annual Examiners' meeting. |
| (ii) | As with the existing M.B.A. programmes, all students will be asked for feedback about the programme at regular intervals. Of particular importance will be the monitoring and evaluation of the remotely-delivered elements of the programme, and their integration with those elements of the programme delivered at Cambridge. This feedback will be discussed by members of the academic and administrative staff with students within a teaching committee, to ensure that continuous improvement is made in all aspects of the programme, and that students' realistic expectations are met. |
| (iii) | Regular discussions will be held with FTK staff to ensure that appropriate standards of quality are maintained and that investment in the development of the technology used to deliver the programme is set at appropriate levels. |
| (iv) | Student progress will be monitored and recorded through the submission and evaluation of course work and examinations in the same way for this as for the existing M.B.A. courses. |
The General Board have noted that they will receive an annual assessment of this programme from the Management Studies Syndicate within the established procedure for submission of annual reports from Faculties and Departments to the Board.
13. In order to enable the award of the M.B.A. through this additional route, certain changes in University Statutes will be necessary to amend the residence requirements for M.B.A. students, so that they apply only to the current courses. The regulations for the M.B.A. Degree will also need amending as set out in the recommendations to this Report.
14. The nature of the relationship between open M.B.A. students and Colleges will need to be defined. It is hoped that College membership will be offered as an element of the programme, for which a College fee will be paid. The Colleges have been consulted and a sufficient number have indicated support for the proposal to ensure that College membership would be available for students on the programme.
15. Subject to completion of a satisfactory contract between FTK and the University, the Council and the General Board see the proposed programme as an excellent opportunity for the Judge Institute to grow in a way which will enhance its international reputation and financial viability. Once agreement has been given by the University to proceed with this venture, it is proposed that work will immediately commence on the development of programme content and the recruitment of staff to enable the programme to be appropriately supported, promoted, and delivered.
16. The Council and the General Board accordingly recommend:
I. That approval be given in principle for the establishment of an open course for the degree of Master of Business Administration, as proposed in this Report, and that the General Board be authorized to enter into a formal agreement with FTK for the provision and maintenance of programmes and technology for such a course.
II. That, subject to the approval of Her Majesty in Council, the Statutes of the University be amended as set out below, and that this amendment be submitted under the Common Seal of the University to Her Majesty in Council for approval.
Section 5.
By inserting in subsection (a) after the words 'Business Administration' the words 'having followed a one-year or two-year integrated course of study prescribed by Ordinance'.
III. That, if Recommendations I and II are approved, the regulations for the degree of Master of Business Administration (Statutes and Ordinances, p. 400) be amended as follows:
Regulation 4.
By amending the heading of sub-paragraph (b) so as to read:
(b) Two-year integrated course
By inserting a new sub-paragraph (c) as follows:
(c) Open course
A course extending over a period of two years comprising a number of course units and project work, which shall include not less than 200 hours of formal instruction in the University and not less than 120 hours of open study prescribed by the Management Studies Syndicate.
Regulation 9.
By replacing the words 'Two-year candidates' by the words 'Two-year integrated candidates, or Open candidates'.
Regulation 11.
By amending the regulation so as to read:
11. On completing the requisite number of terms1 or hours of study, a student who has satisfied the Examiners in the M.B.A. Examination shall be entitled to proceed to the Degree of M.B.A.
15 May 2000
| ALEC N. BROERS, Vice-Chancellor TONY BADGER A. L. R. FINDLAY S. L. GROO JOHN A. LEAKE DAVID HARRISON GORDON JOHNSON |
T. JONES DONALD LAMING MELISSA LANE A. M. LONSDALE M. D. MACLEOD |
ONORA O'NEILL JEREMY SANDERS M. SARDY DAVID M. THOMPSON R. E. THORNTON |
11 May 2000
| ALEC N. BROERS, Vice-Chancellor P. J. BAYLEY KEITH GLOVER MALCOLM GRANT |
BRIAN F. G. JOHNSON JOHN A. LEAKE PETER LIPTON N. J. MACKINTOSH |
ADRIAN POOLE KATE PRETTY M. SCHOFIELD |
1 See Statute B, III, 5.
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Cambridge University Reporter, 17 May 2000
Copyright © 2000 The Chancellor, Masters and Scholars of the University of Cambridge.