Professional memberships

OUBS alumni can take advantage of exclusive deals to join professional membership organisations at discounted rates.

Chartered Management Institute (CMI)

The Chartered Management Institute is recognised by Royal Charter as the professional body for managers. It is the only organisation awarding Chartered Manager status, the hallmark of the professional manager, and encompasses a membership community more than 100,000 strong. OUBS has joined forces with CMI to give preferential routes to alumni and students to access Chartered Manager status as well as discounted membership, providing a wide range of services that will support your management career.

Learn more about Chartered Manager and CMI membership

The Association of MBAs (AMBA)

The accredited MBA is the premier qualification for business leaders. MBA alumni and students are invited to join the Association of MBAs 10,000 strong network of students and graduates from top international business schools. Membership of the Association keeps you in touch with like-minded people and provides personal and career development opportunities.

AMBA is one of the three accrediting bodies that make up the OU Business School’s triple accreditation.  And as an OU MBA graduate or student you benefit from free membership to their Association which provides access to their online community of international MBAs from over 230 AMBA-accredited Business Schools, enabling you to network globally.

AMBA benefits, which are free to MBA alumni and students, include leadership webinars, events and masterclasses, career app designed to help you get ahead in your career journey, award-winning content from business leaders in The AMBITION hub, exclusive CV 360 tool offering an automated CV scoring, instant analysis and feedback, digital credentials to demonstrate participation in AMBA’s membership community and new offering such as 35% off business books and subscriptions, career coaching and much more.

How to join

If you are an OU MBA student or graduate, click here to register.

If you have any problems registering, please contact AMBA directly.

Institute of Directors (IoD)

We are delighted to offer OUBS alumni, who are not already IoD members, the opportunity to join the Institute of Directors (IoD) at a preferential rate of £404.10 per annum, a 10% saving on the standard membership rate of £449.

With over 28,000 members, the IoD is home to business leaders from across a remarkable spectrum of company sizes, industry types and geographical locations. As a member, you will enjoy many opportunities to meet and connect with them.

The IoD has a wealth of impressive membership benefits are an essential business tool. From networking to research, from events to guidance on tax, they can provide the key business services we believe you will need throughout your career.

A monthly direct debit payment option is available so the reduced fee can be spread over the course of a year. As a professional membership the annual fee is usually tax deductible, providing certain conditions are met.

To apply for membership under this special agreement please use one of the following methods, quoting the discount code IODOU10:

Download the brochure

The Institute of Leadership (IoL)

Logo for the Institute of Leadership and Management professional body.The Alumni and Careers service have teamed up with The Institute of Leadership to give professional recognition to Business Studies graduates.

Access a range of ongoing support services, including free mentoring, designed to keep you up-to-date with the latest leadership news and research as well as a range of online interactive resources to help you to put leadership learning into practice.

Find out more here about how membership can help you to progress in your career and stand out from the crowd.  

Join now as a Member or Fellow using the exclusive discount code OU50 – giving you £50 discount off the usual fee of £150 (£175 for Fellows) for the first 12 months of membership.

MBA Association of Ireland (MBAAI)

Membership of the MBA Association provides an opportunity for MBA graduates to continue the benefits of their MBA experience, via a professional network of over 2000 MBAs at every level of business life in Ireland, and a series of business seminars and networking events.

Learn more about the MBAAI, membership and association benefits here.