STUDENT debt, family responsibilities and the need to stay in work are now a substantial obstacle for many wishing to enter postgraduate education.

Universities have seen a big change in student needs in recent years, specifically, a greater demand for flexibility, since students need to fit postgraduate studies around work commitments.

Durham Business School is a market leader in distance learning, with 25 years experience in innovative support of postgraduate students for whom traditional on-campus study, full or part-time, is not an option.

Established in 2010, Durham Business School’s Global Learning Centre is its latest innovation in “blended” learning – a flexible approach that combines some face-to-face teaching/learning with remote (usually internet-based) learning. The centre is dedicated to worldwide delivery of distance learning and continuing education programmes – from stand-alone short courses to its renowned Global MBA.

The centre has a portfolio of options to suit individual and corporate clients.

To help balance career and lifestyle commitments, the centre excels in courses and programmes delivered via distance learning or on a block-taught basis, working with international partners.

Many programmes enable students to blend the business school’s two main delivery modes into a personal study plan that speeds completion and fits the learning around lifestyle and personal commitments.

More than 900 students from around the world are on the school’s Masters programmes, including the Executive MBA programme in partnership with the European Business School in Frankfurt and a worldwide network of early-career managers on its increasingly popular MA Management and MA Marketing degrees.

Even so, the cornerstone of the Global Learning Centre’s portfolio is its MBA provision, with three major programmes available worldwide. The school’s Executive MBA programmes in Germany and the Caribbean represent the distance taught element of the centre’s activities, with around 125 students currently enjoying the benefits of a quality MBA experience in a location convenient to them.

The largest student body within the Global Learning Centre are the 600 individuals on the Global MBA programme. For almost 25 years, Durham Business School has run a cutting-edge distance learning MBA, consistently listed within the Financial Times Top 40, and a truly innovative MBA experience.

With major investments in course design, e-learning technologies and a full-time centre director reporting directly to the dean, the Global Learning Centre at Durham Business School represents a significant commitment by Durham University to satisfy needs of part-time postgraduate students and create a global learning community for the 21st century.

Tracey Wallis Million is corporate relations manager of Durham Business School