The Master of Business Administration

The one-year Master of Business Administration (MBA) programme at Oxford comprises an intensive series of stimulating lectures, energetic seminars, intensive small group work, and team project work. A key aim of the programme is to develop your ability to think logically and independently.

The course initially focuses upon building a broad foundation of theoretical knowledge about business through core modules in subjects ranging from accountancy to strategy, and from managerial economics to organisational analysis. Once these core building blocks are in-place, students can take advantage of the Oxford MBA’s extremely flexible course structure by tailoring elective courses to suit target career paths.

There is also a strong practical emphasis embedded within the course through project work. In the second term students do an entrepreneurship project which gives them first hand experience of planning all aspects of a new business venture. Students can choose to gain experience of a strategic consulting project within a sponsoring company or to work upon an individual academic thesis of not more than 12,000 words.

Each course is taught intensively with 24 contact hours split between lectures, seminars and tutorials. Students work in study groups, which facilitate collaborative learning. Online individual access to essential readings and a range of material from academic and business sources is provided for each course. Students are regularly given problem sets, which allow them and their lecturers to assess learning.

Teachers are encouraged to tailor assessment methods to most effectively achieve the desired learning outcomes. Assessment is performed at the end of each course. Credits are earned for all courses and projects on which an overall mark of at least 50% must be achieved and a minimum of 40% must be achieved on individual formal coursework and examinations. Students are permitted to re-sit a failed assessment on any course on which they failed to obtain an overall mark of 50 (or where they fail to obtain a mark of 40 on an individual coursework or examination component). Courses may be assessed by examination, individual assignment, group assignment, and practical work.

Each student has an Academic Supervisor, who completes a progress report at the end of each term. Students experiencing any problems are asked to discuss them with their Academic Supervisor, subject lecturers, and/or the MBA Director. They will be advised and offered extra tuition or set specific work if necessary.

The Sainsbury Library offers a modern and attractive study area and an innovative information support service with a strong emphasis on electronic resources and delivery. In addition to print collection, the library provides a dedicated gateway to a rich and powerful collection of electronic resources accessible from the School’s Intranet which includes access to business databases, financial and economic data, industry and market research reports, e-journals, e-books, and course reading lists with direct links to online readings. A tutorial on using the library and IT facilities will be provided at the induction sessions.

To be considered for a place on the Oxford MBA, a good undergraduate degree or equivalent is required. All candidates must take the Graduate Management Admissions Test. Oxford MBA students on average have 6 years of work experience. We do consider those with less work experience who are able to demonstrate a high level of maturity, combined with evidence of leadership ability.

The course fee for the Oxford MBA for 2015-16 is £44,775.

The MBA programme is designed to be both intellectually challenging and practically relevant, equipping students with essential skills and allowing them to specialize and then pursue these specialisms through a variety of electives and business projects. The objective is to prepare students for fast-track careers.

For details applicants should consult the University’s Graduate Prospectus available on-line.

(b) Search the text for the English equivalents of the following phrases:

1) подобрать факультативы в соответствии с карьерными целями;

2) способствовать совместному/групповому обучению;

3) приспосабливать/отбирать методы оценки для наиболее эффективного достижения желаемого результата обучения;

4) студентам разрешается пересдавать любой несданный / «заваленный» курс, по которому они не смогли получить общую оценку в 50 баллов;

5) научный руководитель, который составляет отчет об успеваемости в конце каждого семестра;

6) предлагается дополнительное обучение;

7) консультация по пользованию библиотекой и информационными ресурсами будет проводиться во время вводного курса;

8) поступающим следует обращаться к рекламному проспекту для выпускников (университета).

1. What is the main objective of the MBA programme at Oxford?

2. What skills and qualities are mastered in the Oxford MBA programme?

3. How long does the programme last?

4. What aspects of this programme provide students with a foundation of theoretical knowledge about business?

5. What aspects of the MBA programme provide practical application of the knowledge students obtain in theoretical courses?

6. How and by whom is students’ progress assessed?

7. What happens if students fail any of their courses?

8. What are the requirements for the MBA programme?

9. What is the tuition fee for the MBA programme?

10. How can the Business School's alumni be characterized?

Systems Compared: the US and the UK

24. (a) Study the table below:

In UK schools and universities, many of the words for people and events are the same as those used in the UK, but there are some differences:

in the UK	in the US
In Britain, especially in England, secondary schools for young people, whose parents pay for their education, are called public schools and schools run by the government that provide free education are state schools. e.g. Over half of current Cabinet Ministers were educated at famous public schools.	In the US, Australia and other countries public schools are free local schools paid for from taxes; schools that receive no money from the government and where the education of the students is paid for by their parents are private schools. e.g. As of 2012, quality private schools in the US charged substantial tuition, close to $40,000 annually for day schools in New York City, and nearly $50,000 for boarding schools.
Faculty refers to a group of departments with similar interests. e.g. The faculty will have to come to a decision on this.	If you are faculty, you are a member of the academic staff. e.g. Are you faculty or student?
In the UK finals are the last exams taken by university students at the end of the entire degree course. e.g. I took my finals last summer.	In the US finals are exams taken by school, university or college students at the end of an academic term, usually in a topic that they will not study again. e.g. At our university the finals schedule is published about four weeks before a semester ends.
In British English, a graduate is a person who has completed a first degree at a university or college. A postgraduate is a student with a Bachelor’s degree (BA, BS) who is enrolled in a Master’s degree programme.	In North American English ‘graduate’ is usually used with another noun and can also apply both to a person who has finished high school (a high school graduate) and to one who has finished a first degree and is doing advanced study or research at a university or college (a graduate student).
A rubric is instructions on an exam paper or in a textbook as to how a task must be done. e.g. Some students misread the exam rubric and didn’t answer enough questions.	A rubric is a set of criteria or guidelines which tells how an assignment will be graded or scored. e.g. The grading rubric for term papers has been revised.

(b) Who is more likely to be speaking – a British person or an American?

1.”Only faculty can eat here.”

2. “All professors use the same rubric for grading term papers.”

3. “Now the only downside I can see to sending your kids to a public school is the fact that you are secluded from the 'mainstream' population.”

4. “My department is within the Faculty of Engineering.”

5. “The rubric required students to answer all three questions on the exam paper.”

6. “The task of educating students is easier in private schools, which can expel or refuse to accept students who lag behind their peers[16] in academic achievement or behavior, while public schools must continue to attempt to educate these students.”

7. “Graduate students who are admitted to our university under such approved exchange agreements may be registered as Visiting International Exchange Students.”

Online Learning

25. (a) Read the passage:

What makes studying online different from face-to-face study is that it uses the internet as the primary means of communication. Learning is often organized through a virtual learning environment (VLE). This provides discussion areas and links to readings and other resources as well as letting students submit assignments electronically and take quizzes online. Online courses are often collaborative with students posting messages for each other to read and working together to construct knowledge. As a result, students in virtual classrooms develop a sense of being part of an online community and feel much less isolated than they might in traditional distant courses. The teacher’s role is to set appropriate tasks, to moderate discussions and to provide feedback. Teachers may also conduct online tutorials.

(b) Paraphrase using word combinations from the text above:

a) software that allows staff and students to interact;

b) involving students working together;

c) to make a contribution to an online discussion;

d) made to appear to exist by the use of computer software on the Internet;

e) courses where a student studies at home using materials sent by the academic institution;

f) to be in charge of a discussion by making sure it is fair and encouraging learners to post messages;

g) to comment on students’ work.