When Manchester Metropolitan University Business School set out to redesign its MBA programme in 2023, it gave itself just 12 months to do it. The result – a hybrid and flexible (HyFlex) MBA that launched in September 2024 – offers a compelling blueprint for business schools asking the same urgent question: how do you future-proof a postgraduate business programme in a rapidly changing world?
Why redesign the MBA?
After nearly 30 years of delivering either face-to-face or online programmes, Manchester Met recognised that neither mode alone was sufficient for today’s diverse student body. The school set out to achieve four goals: adopt a delivery model that works equally well for in-person and remote learners; embed emerging topics such as artificial intelligence and responsible leadership into the curriculum; maintain strong industry ties; and place the student experience at the heart of everything.
The HyFlex model they adopted enables genuine co-learning between in-class and remote students, making it particularly well-suited to neurodivergent learners and those with caring responsibilities – demographics that traditional MBA formats often underserve.
The ABCs of a successful redesign
MBA Director Anastasia Kynighou identifies three principles that made the transformation possible: agility, buy-in, and collaboration.
Agility meant operating like a start-up within a large institution – tolerating uncertainty, making rapid decisions, and developing bespoke policies where standard university processes would have been too slow. Rather than navigating the usual multi-committee approval process for new programmes, the team moved quickly with senior leadership backing.
Buy-in from senior management was critical. The university’s leadership provided not just financial resources but also institutional cover, temporarily exempting the team from standard organisational structures. This trust gave the team the confidence and freedom to design without the usual bureaucratic constraints.
Collaboration happened at every level. Academics from all five departments of the business school contributed research insights and industry connections. Local business partners, including the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, provided real-world input. A cross-functional team spanning academics, estates management, and IT built the HyFlex suite itself.
Building the HyFlex learning environment
The physical and digital infrastructure underpinning the new MBA is central to its success. Using Microsoft Teams Rooms technology alongside high-specification cameras, microphones, and screens, the school transformed a standard classroom into a space where remote and in-person students experience the same environment. A second space features soundproof pods where blended teams collaborate on case studies and simulations.
Pedagogically, the new 3C model – concept, curate, collaborate – guides how modules are taught. Students complete asynchronous learning tasks before synchronous sessions, arriving prepared to engage more deeply with content and peers.
Rethinking induction
One of the programme’s most thoughtful innovations is its approach to induction. All students – regardless of how they will normally attend – are expected to come to campus for induction, making it the one guaranteed moment of in-person community building.
The induction covers the practical mechanics of the programme alongside AI literacy training, setting expectations for how students should use AI tools responsibly throughout their studies. Crucially, it also introduces the ethos of the MBA: belonging, pride, and a commitment to lifelong learning. Alumni attend to offer candid accounts of their own journeys, and team-building activities – including a chocolate-making workshop run by a local entrepreneur and a design thinking session led by colleagues from the School of Art – embed lessons that students draw on throughout their studies.
Curriculum highlights
The redesigned curriculum reflects both immediate business priorities and long-term societal challenges. Students complete two major projects: an applied entrepreneurship module that asks them to apply the entrepreneurial cycle to grand societal challenges (from AI ethics to educational inequality), and a Consultancy in Action project in which they work with real clients.
Leadership development runs throughout the programme. Students complete the Cappfinity Leader Strengths Profile during induction and return to it repeatedly – in personal tutoring sessions, career coaching meetings, and reflective assessments. Executive career coaches, a structured alumni mentoring scheme, and an optional international study abroad component round out a programme designed to produce well-rounded, career-ready graduates.
What business schools can learn
Manchester Met’s experience shows that redesigning an MBA programme is achievable at pace – but only when the conditions are right. Speed requires institutional trust, cross-functional teamwork, and a willingness to operate outside normal processes. Curriculum relevance demands input from industry as well as academia. And student experience must be designed deliberately, from the first day of induction to the final reflective assessment.
As Kynighou notes, the work is never finished. Continuous feedback and iterative improvement are built into the programme’s DNA – which may be the most important lesson of all for any business school looking to keep its MBA relevant in an era of constant change.
