Middle East 'Construction MBA' students to benefit from RICS accreditation

4 November 2007 (Dubai, UAE): Manchester Business School has announced that its blended learning MBA for Construction Executives has been awarded accreditation by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) the UK's leading professional body.

The 'Construction MBA' is only offered by the school in the UK and in the Middle East through the regional centre in Dubai. First launched in Dubai in January 2006, the Construction MBA programme has already enrolled 30 students from across the Middle East region, which now has an MBA student-base of over 200. A Construction Certificate course is now being launched in
the Middle East to meet demand from the industry.

"The RICS accreditation indicates a high quality standard in professional education in the construction industry," says Randa Bessiso, Middle East Director of Manchester Business School Worldwide, the international arm of Manchester Business School. "It recognises our
graduates' high level of competence and knowledge of issues related to construction, property and the environment. It is a qualification acknowledged by building industry professions and international employers. Demand for training from the industry is growing to the point where we have now launched a Construction Certificate option for students, which offers the construction specific modules from the
Construction MBA as a shorter post graduate course."

The multi-disciplinary 'Construction MBA' course offers collaboration with other professions, such as engineers, architects and project
managers. Its format blends self-study and face-to-face workshops, allowing students to study for the MBA programme without putting their
careers on hold and to apply what they learn immediately in their working life. Workshops are held at Manchester Business School and at
MBS Worldwide's Middle East centre, in Dubai, where students meet each other and visiting faculty from the UK.

"We are delighted to announce that there is sufficient surveying related content in the MBA for Construction Executives for the course to receive accreditation within the RICS partnership with the University of Manchester," said Mrs Vivien Small, Head of Education and Qualification Standards at RICS.

"RICS also has a growing involvement in the Middle East region, where there is a vibrant construction industry, so I am sure our relationship with Manchester Business School will be mutually beneficial," adds Mr Alan England, Regional Development Manager for the RICS, based in Dubai.

The three year MBA for Construction Executives programme was developed in partnership with CITB-ConstructionSkills and through consultation
with industry bodies RICS, CIOB and CEBE. Applicants will normally be at least 27 years of age and have a good first degree.

In January, Toby White of McBains Cooper won the RICS MBA for Construction Executives Scholarship, worth over £7,000. This was a joint
venture between RICS and Manchester Business School.

Dr Eunice Maytorena Sanchez PhD, MBA programme director, Manchester Business School, said: "Having developed this MBA course in
collaboration with industry bodies, receiving accreditation from RICS is the next step in what is already a fruitful relationship."

The accreditation applies with effect from the first intake in September 2006, for the blended learning Construction MBA.