Masuda Ahmad

MSc Management and Information Systems: Change and Development

Why did you choose to study at The University of Manchester?

I'm from Pakistan. I chose to study at a top ranked University in the UK for my Master's degree. I had received unconditional offers from several Universities in the UK but could not pursue Masters abroad due to financial constraints. I came to know about the scholarship for developing country students, at The University of Manchester, for a distance-learning Masters programme and jumped at the opportunity. Fortunately, I was selected and awarded the scholarship and was able to complete my Masters in Management and Information Systems from the University of Manchester.

Why did you choose your particular course?

I chose this course as it was a multidisciplinary course combining both areas; one of my interest (Management) and the other, my background (IS/ Computer Science). During this course, I got married and moved to Qadir Nagar, Bunair, located in the North West mountainous region in Pakistan. Here my inlaws were running a school and college, under a Free Education System, supported by Qadir Nagar Trust. While I studied, I started teaching here voluntarily, and became interested in the improvement of the Education sector within this region. This lead me to my Thesis 'Evolution of Pakistan's rural area educational institutes by the implementation of EMIS: Challenges and best practices'. My supervisor was Sharon Morgan.

Was your degree funded by a scholarship or donor?

My degree was fully funded by a distance learning scholarship by The University of Manchester. This scholarship has had a major impact on my life, as I know, by all means, I would not have been able to pursue Masters, due to financial constraints. Having had the opportunity to pursue Masters, and that too, from The University of Manchester, has given me the opportunity to take my dream a step further, and I'm in the process of receiving acceptance letters for PhD, and securing funding to pursue it. The name of The University of Manchester is a big plus point in my profile.

Has your qualification helped you in your career?

Before completion of my Masters degree, I was teaching at Qadir Nagar High School, however, after completion of my degree in Management and Information Systems, and having had considerable experience with bringing improvements around the school, I was promoted to a managerial position, namely, Incharge of the Primary and Senior Girls section.

What is your best memory from your time at Manchester?

As I studied on a Distance learning programme, my best memories are limited to the online experience I had during this course. The weekly assignments comprising of the online discussions and racing towards finishing the unit tutorial readings and sending my input before others, was really fun. It was very enlightening to read about the other's experiences and circumstances within various sectors, while they answered their assignment questions.

Do you have any tips or advice for current or prospective students?

I would like to encourage students from Pakistan to apply to the Global Development Institute at The University of Manchester considering the high quality of education provided here. Especially for girls belonging to conservative families whose parents are not comfortable in sending their daughters abroad, as in my case, the best option is to apply for the Distance Learning programme. You will be studying high quality content, delivered to your doorstep, with the ease of your personal routine back home. This degree has been designed in such a way that polishes management, information systems and research skills to a considerable measure, which I have not seen to be achieved by University students studying in a majority of proximate learning environments here in Pakistan.