How the Aventis flagship part-time MBA is shaping tomorrow’s business leaders

After earning degrees in language and education, trade publishing professional Melvin Chew realised that his business skills weren’t quite where he wanted them to be, and this was affecting his confidence at work.

To bridge this gap, he enrolled in 2022 at Aventis Graduate School to pursue a Master of Business Administration (MBA) awarded by the University of Roehampton, London.

Ranked as Singapore’s top part-time MBA by the Singapore Business Review MBA Survey 2023, the programme is designed for busy professionals who want to advance their careers without compromising on personal or professional commitments. Students can earn their MBA in just 10 months by completing seven coursework modules and one consultancy project.

“The Roehampton MBA programme has accelerated my aspirations significantly. The skills I gained, like leveraging data insights and making trend-based decisions, have been directly relevant to my work,” shared Mr Chew, who took on the role of regional sales director for Asia with DN Media Group in 2024, the same year he graduated.

According to Aventis’ Graduate Survey 2024, over 70 per cent of its MBA graduates received a promotion or pay increment within six months of graduation. Over its 18 years in Singapore, Aventis has welcomed over 60,000 learners across Asia, including more than 38 intakes of the Roehampton MBA programme.

DELIVERING FLEXIBLE, HIGH-IMPACT LEARNING FOR PROFESSIONALS

Professor Jean-Noël Ezingeard, vice chancellor of the University of Roehampton, highlighted the MBA’s part-time, blended delivery model at Aventis, which allows students to attend classes in person or via Zoom. This flexibility, he noted, makes it ideal for professionals seeking to enhance their skills without pausing their careers.

“The programme offers students the opportunity to study in a flexible way alongside their career, making this a truly accessible programme that also provides the academic rigour to push the best of Singapore’s professionals,” he said.

Adding to its current offerings of Masters in Global HR Management, Masters in Global Financial Management and Masters in Integrative Counselling & Psychotherapy, Aventis recently introduced three new postgraduate degree programmes from the University of Roehampton: The MBA in Healthcare Management, the Master of Science in Psychological Science, and the Master of Science in Global Logistics and Supply Chain Management.

The University of Roehampton ranks among the top 15 per cent of young universities globally, according to the 2024 Times Higher Education Young University Rankings. It is also among the top 10 universities in the United Kingdom for postgraduate student satisfaction, as noted by the Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey 2023, and received a Silver award in the 2023 Teaching Excellence Framework.

Furthermore, the Roehampton MBA is accredited by the UK’s Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education and the global Chartered Management Institute.

For Ms Cheryl Cheng, a digital business and strategy lead at DBS Bank who graduated in 2023, the Roehampton MBA’s hybrid delivery was key. The flexibility to attend weekend classes in person or online allows professionals like her to balance their studies with demanding work schedules. “I also like that it is 100 per cent coursework-based – there’s no cramming for exams, which just isn’t feasible with my schedule,” she noted.

Mr Chew highlighted another benefit of the coursework-focused programme: In class discussions, students gain in-depth knowledge through exposure to a diverse range of perspectives from fellow working professionals.

“Otherwise, my view of effective organisational structures would be limited to my company,” he explained. “Interacting with classmates across various industries has expanded my understanding and enabled me to compare different structures meaningfully. This is a far richer learning experience than memorisation and rote-learning.”

BUILDING NETWORKS IN A CONNECTED WORLD

The MBA programme at Aventis undergoes the same quality assurance processes as its on-campus counterpart at the University of Roehampton. Said Prof Ezingeard: “The university works closely with Aventis to ensure that the case studies used are contextualised to be relevant in the Singaporean context.”

Ms Cheng credits her MBA experience with strengthening her analytical skills, enabling her to dissect workplace challenges more effectively and deliver revenue-generating solutions. As a result, she was able to secure a promotion and take on new responsibilities at work. “I would absolutely recommend the MBA programme to friends and colleagues,” she said. “It’s a step toward self-improvement that also enhances our appeal to potential employers.”

Similarly, Mr Chew has been able to embark on new opportunities as a guest lecturer at schools and workshops, thanks to his newly attained MBA and knowledge of business and entrepreneurship. “As I hope to eventually retire into academia, this MBA enables me to bridge my skills across both sectors, helping me build the resume I envision toward retirement,” he shared.

Prof Ezingeard believes that Roehampton’s partnership with Aventis Graduate School positions students to unlock their potential in today’s interconnected business world. He added that the MBA programme fosters a rich environment for networking, career growth and development. “Upon graduation, students join both Aventis and Roehampton’s established alumni communities, gaining access to connections that will benefit them as they step into their next career phase.”

Singapore’s leading part-time MBA is now open for enrolment. Learn from industry experts and transform your career today.