I have been working in the hospitality industry for the past eight years, mainly in the revenue department and front office. Right now I am on maternity leave and would like to use my time to pursue an MBA in human resources. Can you please advise if there are universities in the UAE that offerdistance-learning programmes in human resources management or one that offers evening classes? Javeria Seddiqi via email There are a number of universities in the UAE that offer evening and weekend  MBA courses, but there is the consideration of whether you could manage to fit in going to the classes with a small baby at home. A good option for you are online or distance-learning programmes. However, you will have to be very focused and committed to your course if you wish to study at home. There are various online MBA programmes that offer specialisations in human resource management and an MBA in employee relations, a course that helps managers understand how to motivate staff, marketing, budgeting and so on. If you have good interpersonal skills then specialising in HR would be a good match and would help in senior HR positions. You would also be studying employment law, employee development, reward approaches and recruitment and hiring. An MBA can also include courses in different aspects of business, which lets you have the flexibility to move into a different area of management if you decide to do so later. Instead of an MBA you might want to explore getting a certificate in industrial relations, human resource management, or something similar. This would be shorter and is a good option for students with limited time wanting an additional qualification.