Mba Learning Goals

The main purpose of the study was to investigate how employers hiring UCT GSB MBA graduates perceive the UCT GSB MBA learning goals with respect to the managerial competencies of the graduates. Learning goals represent the backbone of the MBA programme, since they are the objectives which translate the mission of the programme into the educational accomplishments of graduates. Since educational accomplishments of graduates are dependent on the prospective employers’ needs and expectations, learning goals need to be aligned with them. Hence, an assessment of the learning goals of the UCT GSB was necessary to determine whether they meet the expectations and needs of stakeholders.

For this, a study of an exploratory nature was devised to gain

Therefore, the semi-structured interview questions were specifically focused on gaining further understanding on the employers’ views on learning goal 1 and 3 as well as on business acumen skills. A sample of six participants across five different industries namely from financial services, education, retail and supply chain, consulting and information technology, were selected and interviewed. The interviews were transcribed and manually analysed using thematic coding. The five themes which emerged from the qualitative analysis included: “MBA role to the graduate”, “MBA role to employers”, “current observation of the graduates”, “challenges of the MBA” and “employers’

Some aspects of learning goal 2 relating to the development of interpersonal skills such as client engagement was also seen as sufficiently demonstrated by the graduates. However, employers were doubtful as to whether these interpersonal skills were inherent to the graduate before joining the programme or whether leadership competencies can be taught. Furthermore, the need for greater emphasis on the understanding of the African context and emerging markets was highlighted and in this context, it is still unclear whether learning goal 3 met the employers’ expectations. The same result applies for learning goal 4 which is concerned with equipping graduates with the entrepreneurial skills and creativity. The latter was considered as an inherent trait which is unlocked rather than a skill which is developed. Learning goal 5 which is concerned with the imparting of pedagogical skills failed to meet the expectations on aspects such as the development of problem solving skills of the graduates.

The current study is based on a small sample of participants and hence, is not generalisable to the population of all employers. However, the findings suggest that there is a need for the UCT GSB to improve on certain aspects of the learning goals to meet the expectations of the employers. The identified