IN one of the first educational programmes of its kind, Durham University Business School has joined forces with the Royal Air Force to provide senior officers direct access to the school's Global MBA programme.

RAF officers who have completed the Senior Officers Study Programme (SOSP) are being given the opportunity to continue their education with Durham University Business School, which offers one of the world's most popular Global MBA (Master of Business Adminstration) programmes.

The Durham survey Global MBA, which appears in the FT's top online MBAs list, offers a mixture of both online and block-taught modules which is suited to the complex lifestyles of senior ranking military officers who can be posted around the globe.

Durham University Business School undertook a review of the requirements and curriculum of the SOSP to ensure graduates had the appropriate foundation for its competitive Global MBA.

The SOSP's courses in tactical planning, crisis leadership and scenario thinking were considered to have particularly strong basis for the advanced business skills students require.

RAF Wing Commander Jason Crawford says: "We are pleased that we are able to include Durham University Business School's Global MBA programme among the further education options we provide officers. Durham's prestigious reputation and the comprehensive remote learning facilities opportunities make it an ideal fit for officers who are interested in pursuing their masters."

Dr Michael Nicholson, Director of the Global Learning Centre and Executive Education at Durham University Business School, says: "Durham University Business School has always welcomed applicants from the armed forces and the RAF's recognition of our course is an opportunity to strengthen those ties.

"We are happy to offer graduates of the SOSP access to our programme, given that the arsenal of skills and methodologies it teaches are so well aligned to the challenges of the modern business battlefield."

More Education News