Birmingham’s Big Three: Generous Scholarships, Consultancy Projects & Industry Partnerships

What are the hallmarks of an elite MBA program? 

Many would likely say strong alumni and networking opportunities. High on most lists are practical applications in and out of the classroom. A strong career department with the ability to launch graduates into dream positions never hurts. And offering all of that at an economic value — highly sought after.

Edgar Meyer, dean of the Birmingham Business School, says The Birmingham MBA has it all.

“Birmingham Business School works with industry partners from all over the world to enhance student experience, hone curriculum, inform our research and help us make a positive impact upon society,” Meyer says.

Highlighting those industry partners, Meyer says, is the school’s Advisory Board, which is globally recognized and case-studied on what makes an Advisory Board add value. The mission of the Advisory Board — which consists of high-level executives — is to link the school to corporate partnerships. 

“All our taught degree programs benefit from company engagements which include tailored guest lectures, workshops, module design, external program review and labor market testing, group company projects, and visits,” Meyer says. “This year alone, we have involvement of more than 50 companies — ranging from world-renowned brands such as Coca-Cola to local tech startups such as Alpomi.”

DELOITTE CONSULTANCY CHALLENGE: A HIGHLIGHT OF THE BIRMINGHAM MBA

To emphasize hands-on learning, Meyer says the school runs a number of challenges geared towards immersing students in the practice of particular industries. One of those is the Capgemini Community Challenge. The weeklong challenge takes place at Capgemini’s client-solutions facilities, and students actually produce consultancy projects for third-sector clients.

Another highlight of the MBA at Birmingham is the Deloitte Consultancy Program.

“An intense week of learning about consultancy and problem solving,” Meyer says of the program, also calling it a “cornerstone” of the Birmingham MBA. “Working on life challenges, rather than analyzing past events through case studies, enables MBA students to appreciate the adaptability they need in applying what they know. It builds resilience, but more importantly, confidence, in being able to tackle challenges in organizations.”

These industry partnerships also give students opportunities to meet with people already in the roles they might want to pursue after graduating from the MBA program. “Meeting leaders is particularly important for MBA students to appreciate how leadership operates in practice — with all its opportunities and challenges,” Meyer explains. “It also allows MBA students to imagine a future for themselves as we bring a diverse range of senior leaders and entrepreneurs onto the MBA program throughout the year.”

Meyer adds that during the Professional Leadership module, groups of students work with early-stage companies to help with growth strategies..   

MBAs are programs that develop future leaders across the sectors,” Meyer elaborates. “The premise of such a program must be both to develop knowledge and skills and to enable choices for their future career. This predicates that we expose students to industrial realities always to ensure we are enabling them to be successful on graduation.”

Yet, Meyer says, industry engagement and partnerships go beyond lived and real-world experience for students. “Such partnerships are pivotal for our scholarly endeavours as industrial partners enable us to observe, research, and model what is going on,” he says. “Working with our corporate partners also enables us to ensure we work on business-relevant topics and support economic activity and growth.”

STRONG CAREER RESOURCES

Another differentiator of the Birmingham MBA experience is the careers office. Besides the typical hands-on, practical career support offered to students, Birmingham’s career office offers a Future Leaders Certificate for master’s of science students and an end-of-study internship and career coaching for MBA students as part of the Purposeful Leader Module. 

“Our dedicated career office in the School is substantive, as it builds upon and supplements a wider range of support available at the University,” Meyer explains. “We have a dedicated careers team that includes industry experts, career development professionals, as well as career coaches. We have a wide offer, ranging from one-on-one appointments that explore career aspirations and develop a career action plan, workshops and preparatory sessions, as well as career fairs.”

Meyer says that while much of that may be considered standard, the Birmingham Business School career team was originally established for master’s students — rather than undergraduate students — so its expertise is in graduate-level employability. MBA students also have access to employers through dedicated career fairs and receive one-on-one leadership coaching. “And our career service does not stop at graduation,” Meyer adds. “We are committed to offering our students lifelong access to advice and tools that support their individual career trajectories.”

All Birmingham students also have access to the school’s B-Enterprising work, which supports entrepreneurial mindsets and skills. “One feature of B-Enterprising is our Elevate program, which acts as a student enterprise incubator supporting those students ready to start and scale their business,” Meyer says. “The School has seen great success of its students in creating successful startups.”

Lastly, Meyer says one of the attractions of the Birmingham Business School is that they recruit talent interested in a range of career options. “This enriches our cohort and does set us apart from some of the Schools in the U.K. where the trajectory tends to be geared towards specific sectors,” Meyer says. “This breadth of interest is represented in both our main cohorts, Undergraduate and Postgraduate.”

Meyer says for MBA students, in particular, consulting, tech, and finance remain key areas of interest for students in the U.K. and abroad. “We have observed an increase in MBA students that either already are part of a family business or their own business, with a larger number of students now exploring opportunities of starting their own ventures,” Meyer adds. “As mentioned previously, our B-Enterprising and Elevate programs are set up to support such ambitions.”

MANY SCHOLARSHIP OPTIONS

Lastly, Birmingham prides itself on generous scholarship options. 

“The School has a generous Scholarship offering across it’s portfolio to ensure all able students can take advantage of the transformative experience that is Higher Education,” Meyer says. “Some of our programs are focused on countries and merit, not unlike others in the sector.” Meyer says all of the school’s awards are dedicated to making postgraduate education more accessible and the focus is to have diversity across its postgraduate student body. “This commitment to academic excellence, global inclusivity, and responsible business leadership sets our scholarship fund apart from many others,” Meyer explains.

Some unique offerings include the Dean’s Awards for Responsible Business, which is a scholarship geared towards students with potential to set new global standards and change the status quo and range from £10,000-£25,000. The school also offers the Chancellor’s Scholarships funds several £10,000 scholarships, ensuring the brightest talent can thrive. 

“The School also leverages being part of our Global Top 100 university,” Meyer says. “This year, 2025, the University celebrates its 125th Anniversary. As part of this range of scholarships, in celebration of the rich history of the University of Birmingham, we offer merit-based scholarships that support us in building a thriving, diverse community across our program portfolio.”