Amongst those graduating this November were husband and wife, Hassan Yaseen and Enas Akbar, who started and finished their MBA studies in Bahrain at the same time. Enas was expecting their first child when they joined the programme in 2011 and they now have an "MBA baby" Yasemin, who was in Glasgow at graduation to celebrate with her parents.
Both working full time when they started - Hassan as a senior corporate sales executive at Bahrain International Circuit and Enas as underwriter, life and health reinsurance at Arab Insurance Group - Hassan explains, "We believed that getting an MBA from a reputable university like Strathclyde would assist us in advancing our careers by adding credibility to our résumés, and equipping us with the knowledge and skills required to climb up the ladder.
Since joining the programme, the pair have changed roles. Hassan changed jobs entirely to pursue a better career opportunity and works as an enterprise advisor at Tamkeen, while Enas received a promotion in the same organisation to head up the health reinsurance division as an assistant director.
They admit that working, studying and having a new baby was "very challenging!" but Hassan added, "We had our ups and downs but it all got better as we reminded ourselves constantly of our prime objective and how worthwhile it would be when it is all over. Family support was a key factor in making it all work. While it is unusual for a husband and wife to do an MBA course together, we - ironically - found it the biggest reason for staying focused and remain on track. We knew exactly what commitments each of us had and understood the compromises that had to be made on the personal side over the duration of the programme."
He added, "We intend to pursue professional certificates that would upgrade our commitment to our profession in our new positions from UK based Chartered Associations of Marketing and Insurance but in the short-term we plan to take a nice break and enjoy our MBA achievement!"