New partnership in Oman identifies exciting opportunities for the University

The University of Bradford’s world-renowned business school has signed a memorandum of understanding with one of Oman’s most prestigious and quality-focused private institutions.

The ‘handshake’ agreement took place yesterday (Feb 1) during a virtual online ceremony, between the University and Majan University College. Hosted by the Deanship of the Faculty of Management, Law and Social Sciences, the event was headlined by the Vice-Chancellor of University of Bradford, Professor Shirley Congdon and her opposite number, Dr Maha Al-Kobeil, Dean and CEO of Majan University College.

The event showcased the extensive efforts carried out by both institutions so far to develop an active working relationship – even within a global pandemic. The memorandum signed is an agreement to explore collaborative opportunities through the delivery of educational programmes and engage in collaborative research at student and staff levels.

Professor Sankar Sivarajah, Head of University of Bradford’s School of Management, said this latest memorandum with an international partner, represented a prestigious moment which would benefit both institutions.

He said: “We are building this partnership with Majan in order to build on our joint strengths as institutions. Our School of Management has a reputation as being one of the best in the world and Majan University College is an established and quality institution in a key market.

“We’re proud to be able to make yet another strategic connection in the country and region. We feel our educational programmes are an excellent basis to develop a mutually beneficial relationship, across borders, and ultimately do good for society by upskilling the next general of leaders and policymakers.”

Majan University College

Operating under the supervision of the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation (MoHERI), Majan University College was established in 1995 as the first higher education institution (HEI) in the private sector in Oman. Since then it has continued to be at the forefront of higher education in the Sultanate.

As a mark of its longstanding and focused approach to quality education, in December 2017 Majan was the first institution in the country to achieve  institutional accreditation from the Oman Authority for Academic Accreditation and Quality Assurance of Education.

Located on a single modern campus in Darsait, it is home to a multicultural academic community with more than a hundred staff from various countries and a student population of over 3,500.

It offers undergraduate programmes in Business Administration with eight pathways: Finance, Accounting, Computing, Marketing, Islamic Banking and Finance, Computer and Internet Applications, Networking, and English Language. It additionally offers Business Administration, Computer Sciences, International Human Resources Management, and Applied Linguistics at Masters level. Majan University College also has a long track record and experience of collaborative provision (including being an accredited college of the University of Bedfordshire, UK). 

Nabila Al Macki, Deputy Dean (Academic Affairs), spoke of Majan University College's rich experience in working collaboratively with academic partners such as University of Leeds, University of Glasgow and University of Bedfordshire. She reiterated the College's commitment to quality in higher education. 

Associate Dean for Internationalisation and Accreditations, Professor Amir Sharif said: “This is a great example of teamwork between colleagues in the UK and Oman, and supports our inclusive and forward-thinking  #teambradford ethos.

“The development of this relationship with our prestigious School of Management, extends the implementation of our international strategy to develop transnational education: across borders, with partners of repute and quality.

“We believe that this partnership will be successful as it is supported by shared values, a shared vision and shared understanding. We want to ensure partnerships such as this can be a blueprint for future links globally by seeking to provide benefit to student learners and in support of an inclusive and diverse staff and wider community. We look forward to co-creating exciting new educational, research and community opportunities with Majan in the not too distant future.”

The Head of the Postgraduate Centre at Majan University College, Armstrong Jeyakumar, welcomed the rich diversity in the student and faculty profiles in the postgraduate programmes and emphasised the shared commitment to social inclusion and access to opportunities in higher education.

Globally recognised

The School of Management within the University of Bradford has a globally recognised ‘Triple-Crown’ Accreditation from the Association of MBAs, EQUIS (European Foundation for Management Development accreditation) and AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business). Out of about 14,000 business schools globally, it is one of the world’s top 1% to have that status.

The School aims to develop a thriving, inclusive and socially-engaged community through responsible management education and research. Underpinned by its vision to empower and provide inclusive opportunities, and in support of the University’s mission to be more civic-oriented, it also is seeking to enable people to make a difference to their community as well.

It is committed to themes of inclusivity, equality and responsible business, working with local and international partners, organisations and communities in order to develop engaging learning experiences and impactful research of benefit to society, through areas of research and teaching such as data analytics, artificial intelligence and the circular economy.