The first graduates of the Distance Learning MBA

Pioneering: The first graduates of the Distance Learning MBA, now known as the Global Online MBA, in 1989

Despite enduring electricity blackouts in the depths of Ethiopia while trying to study, former Olympian Richard Nerurkar looks back fondly on his Global Online MBA.

Indeed, the 62-year-old, who finished fifth in the marathon at the Atlanta 1996 Olympic games, believes the network he built on the part-time course has proved worth all the effort.

“Doing an MBA by distance learning from Ethiopia between 2007 and 2010 was not that easy,” says Richard, who had moved to Addis Ababa in 2001 to set up the Great Ethiopian Run events company with two-time Olympic champion Haile Gebrselassie.

“Water shortages and power outages were part and parcel of life there at the time, and the internet connection was not good either - it was a struggle at times.

“I needed the theoretical underpinning of an MBA. And once you are an alum, you are an alum for life. My alumni network once I graduated in 2010 became invaluable.” 

And as the course celebrates its 40th birthday that network of Global Online MBA graduates has grown to 10,035 from 144 countries around the world.

What began in 1986 as one of the UK’s first distance learning MBAs via post has evolved into one of the world’s leading online business programmes.

The course was born during a period of upheaval in UK higher education. Under the chairmanship of Robert Dyson, now Emeritus Professor, and against a backdrop of UK Government funding cuts to universities, the School sought a broader international reach.

The result was the launch of the Warwick MBA in 1981, followed later by a pioneering Distance Learning MBA under the Deanship of Sir George Bain.

Past Deans line-up: (l-r) Sir George Bain, Robin Wensley, Roger Fawthrop, Brian Houlden, Derek Waterworth, Robert Dyson, and Thom Watson

“The government cuts turned out to be a driver for Warwick, and in particular, to enter the overseas market in a significant way, while many longer-established universities down-sized,” Professor Dyson recalled a few years ago.

In his memoirs, Professor Dyson described a programme that relied on tutors posting study materials around the world and marking assignments that arrived by mail.

Summer schools were made compulsory and hosted not only at Warwick but also in Singapore and Hong Kong to reflect the MBA’s growing international student base. Within a few years, annual enrolments had risen to between 300 and 350 participants.

The MBA's move to digital learning

Four decades later, the programme bears little resemblance to those early years of printed course packs and postal submissions.

Renamed the Global Online MBA in 2023, it now combines digital learning with residential weeks at the University of Warwick and WBS London at The Shard, alongside international electives delivered with partner institutions such as IE Business School in Madrid, Michigan Ross Business School in the US, and China’s Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

Andy Lockett, Dean of WBS, says: “Celebrating 40 years of the Global Online MBA is a timely reminder of how this School has always been at the forefront of business education.

“By opening up access to the benefits of an MBA to the whole world, Warwick Business School created a model that has been copied globally.

“As technology has caught up with the concept, the School has embraced its pioneering spirit to develop one of the most advanced online MBA courses in the world.

“Our Teaching and Learning Enhancement department utilise AI, video and virtual reality to push the boundaries and ensure that, as a School for the Change Makers, the online MBA will be relevant for another 40 years.”

Legend: Professor of Marketing Peter Doyle taught on the MBA from 1985 to 2003 was described as an "international star" by The Independent's obituary 

As well as Olympians, the course has attracted sports stars from cricket and rugby union, including England and British & Irish Lions captain Maro Itoje.

The Saracens lock graduated in 2024 and wants to use the MBA in his business and philanthropic projects.

“I chose Warwick because it is a great business school at a great university - they were also really understanding and supportive of my career and the amount of travel involved”, says Maro, who launched charity Pearl Fund while studying the course to help children from deprived backgrounds in Nigeria, his family’s homeland, escape poverty by supporting them through education.

“What I learned on my course was valuable in terms of understanding the financing and economics of a charity, as well as putting teams in place to execute the delivery of the programme.

“The highlight of the course was meeting my tutor group. It was brilliant to meet and work with some wonderful people from all over the world that I’m still good friends with today.”

The multi-cultural make-up of cohorts inspires many students to take their career abroad. Indeed, WBS is ranked third in the world for ‘international mobility’ by the Financial Times, which measures how effectively a School helps graduates build global careers, assessing whether alumni relocate and work across different countries before and after completing their online MBA.

WBS is also ranked first in the world for ‘career progress’ by the Financial Times, with graduates reporting average salaries of $234,799 three years after completing the programme.

And after 40 years at the top, the course is still going strong. It is currently ranked third globally by both the Financial Times and higher education analysts QS, underlining its status as one of the world's leading programmes for ambitious professionals seeking to accelerate their careers without putting them on hold.

On the move: In 1999 Distance Learning MBA students converged on the School's new building

The ambition that saw it created in 1986 still courses through today’s incarnation, with a £1.2 million SmartStage virtual classroom, which secured the Best Digital Transformation award at the 2025 Association of MBAs and Business Graduates Association Excellence Awards, now bringing classes together in new ways.

“Over the past 40 years, our flagship Global Online MBA has continually reinvented what flexible business education can be,” says Mo Moeini, Associate Professor in Information Systems and Course Director.

“Today, it brings together ambitious professionals from every corner of the world in a collaborative environment that challenges assumptions, develops leadership capability and creates immediate impact in the workplace.

“In line with the School’s Change Maker ethos, we have built a programme for people who want to drive change, whether in established organisations, digital start-ups, healthcare systems or emerging industries.”

South African Caitlyn Lewis used the Global Online MBA to move from corporate giant Unilever to start her own consultancy Supplier Day, which was based on her dissertation.

“I very much view the time I spent doing my MBA as when the idea for Supplier Day was seeded,” says Caitlyn. “At the very least, it gave me the confidence to take a risk but more importantly, it helped me to know where to start and how to execute.” 

Students can now take the two face-to-face residential weeks at the School’s Warwick campus or at its base at The Shard in the heart of London’s financial district, allowing them more opportunities to engage and network with their peers, practitioners and faculty members.

Professor Lockett says: “For 40 years, the Global Online MBA has opened doors for talented professionals who may have limited access to a world-class MBA through traditional study routes.

“As we celebrate this anniversary, we are also looking ahead. The business landscape is changing faster than ever, driven by technology, sustainability challenges and new ways of working.

“Our role is to equip leaders with the confidence, knowledge and networks to embrace that change, challenge the status quo and create lasting impact.”

Discover Warwick Business School's Change Makers.