In September, the academic year starts all over again - and for the University of Greenwich in South East London, this means the start of an exciting and enriching curriculum for MBA students.

An MBA degree has become a popular way to develop a competitive edge in the jobs market.

Entering a more senior role with any business related industry requires a strong academic foundation. Companies also want to source individuals who can identify and tackle industry challenges. With industry specific MBA's, students can really tailor their career around their higher-education.

Future professionals need to be prepared for the challenges that arise, so studying an industry led course will be beneficial. Equipping employers with new ways to respond rapidly, flexibly and effectively to the encounters that could face them.

Recent trends show MBA qualifications have become increasingly popular, as on top of gaining educational learning, you also develop key skills such as, networking and developing an entrepreneurial mind-set required for any successful front-runner.

This year also sees the introduction of a brand new social enterprise curriculum for MBA students, the new social enterprise strand of the University of Greenwich's Executive MBA fits into their wider strategy on social enterprise, which includes modules and courses on the sector for undergraduate social work students, as well as an annual Social Enterprise Festival, which launched earlier this year.

Social enterprise within the UK is on the rise. It is estimated that there are now 70,000 social enterprise organisations. And the trend is set to increase, with a glut of new social enterprises. One in three social enterprises is less than three years old, that's triple the start-up rate of traditional SMEs.

Dig a little deeper and it's not just the motivations of these businesses that differ from traditional organisations, but also the make-up of the leadership teams and business owners.

The programme director for the Executive MBA Paul Stoneman explains: "We have been providing courses on social enterprise for some time now, mainly within our public sector and healthcare specialisms, and we have recently decided, based on requests from students, to add this ‘sector' as an endorsement route on our Executive MBA.

Momentum around higher education on social entrepreneurship is something of a global phenomenon. From Harvard to Oxford, universities are recognising social enterprise as an area of academic importance.

Senior lecturer on social enterprise at Greenwich University Charles Oham reflects: "Over the years we have seen a trajectory in terms of the growth and interest from social entrepreneurs and students wanting to get more information and to build their capacity to scale up their social enterprise activities. Nationally, we are seeing a move towards people wanting strategic and management level input on social enterprise."

At the University of Greenwich, the MBA prepares future managers by teaching them key skills in organisational leadership and decision-making. With their strong employability ethic, their teaching ensures what is learned is relevant using practical examples.

You can choose to study by Open Learning giving you the flexibility of working full-time while balancing study with work and home commitments. Open Learning is a flexible learning model which uses a mixture of different methods of study, including facilitated online learning supplemented by face-to-face workshops.

The internationally recognised MBA will help enhance and benchmark your career, helping you begin a journey towards aspired management or leadership.

For more information visit www.enterprise.gre.ac.uk/expertise