St Andrews University to merge two faculties and create 'world-leading' business school

The University of St Andrews has unveiled plans to create a “world-leading” business school by merging two of its faculties.

The move will see the venerable Fife institution bring together its highly ranked schools of economics & finance and management under a single new structure. St Andrews currently has 80 full-time permanent academic staff across the two departments and has begun discussions with them about the structure for the new business school, and ways in which they can bring two structures together “to enhance each other’s complementary strengths”.

The university has described the move as an “investment in key academic and professional service strengths”, rather than any attempt to trim resources. It said there would be no compulsory redundancies as a result of the restructuring. There will be no change to teaching programmes or degrees awarded to currently enrolled students or students who have accepted a place to study at either existing school.

The business school will provide the university’s experts in economics, finance and management with the “environment, investment and support to respond most effectively to the post-pandemic, climate-emergency agendas and new economic, social and political challenges”. Engagement and planning with staff, students and other key stakeholders will continue through spring 2023, before a period of transition to the single structure begins next summer.

St Andrews has appointed deputy principal Brad MacKay as interim dean of the business school, to oversee the initial structural changes and building of collaborative activities. The formal transition to a single school will conclude in September 2024 with the appointment of a new dean and the launch of a fully integrated school, including new masters and executive education programmes.

Principal and vice-chancellor, Dame Sally Mapstone, said: “We are fortunate to count amongst our colleagues here at St Andrews some of the foremost academic authorities in management, finance, and economics. We have a fantastic opportunity to create a new school to support those colleagues to apply their expertise in a world whose priorities and challenges shifted so rapidly during the pandemic and continue to change now. Critically, it will encourage interdisciplinary research and teaching and, we hope, add to Scotland’s reputation as a centre of research and higher education excellence.

“The plan for the St Andrews business school reflects our strategic priorities to be world-leading, sustainable and socially responsible, and we believe the vision which underpins it will resonate with local, national, and international stakeholders.”

In the medium term, the business school will continue to have sites at different locations in the town. The school of economics & finance is on The Scores while the school of management is at the Gateway Building on the North Haugh. Both locations will come under the umbrella of the new business school. In 2027, it is hoped that the business school will move to a single site at New College, on the site formerly occupied by Madras College in South Street. The business school will share that site with the school of international relations. The university is currently appointing an architect for the New College development and is due to make an announcement on that project shortly.