Business Administration - MBA

The course adopts a practice-led curriculum and aims to develop an advanced knowledge of organisations and their effective management in the dynamic competitive global context, and the ability to creatively apply this knowledge and understanding to complex issues to systematically and innovatively enhance strategic business and management practice.

This offers a challenging learning opportunity to encourage the integration of theory and practice supported by experienced academics with substantial management experience. 

Through practice events you will work with academics and professors of practice on live consultancy projects with leading employers in organisations across private, public and not-for-profit sectors to support your personal and professional development as a creative and innovative leader with the knowledge and skills needed in the global, knowledge-based economy.

You will develop the attributes and skills expected of post-graduates, as recognised by professional and industry bodies such as the Chartered Management Institute and the Confederation of British Industry, including team-working, negotiation skills, leadership, confidence and the ability to apply critical and creative thinking to complex and unclear problems to develop innovative solutions.

This postgraduate degree aims to enhance your professional prospects by developing your capability to apply the latest thinking relating to organisational development and change in the competitive global context. Successful completion of the MBA highlights your potential to have a real impact on the transformation of the organisation you join.

Core units:

• Leading and Managing Organisational Resources
• Strategy and the Global Competitive Environment
• Management Practice
• Theory into Practice Project

Route Option 1:

• Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship
• Project Management

Route Option 2:

• Digital Marketing and Communications
• Digital Technology Management

Route Option 3:

• International and Comparative HRM
• Business Economics

Assessments are rooted in real life and practical workplace scenarios to enable learning to be transferred to the workplace. Later assessments allow for greater integration and synthesis. Exams are kept to a minimum as the focus is on practical skills such as report writing, presentation and projects.

A range of assessment methods are used throughout the course for you to demonstrate your knowledge and skills, including:

• Individual written reports that allow you to apply theory to case studies for in-depth analysis
• Business Reports that allow you to demonstrate contextual insight and report professionally on practice
• Project Plans that requires you to use your knowledge and skills of project management
• Seminar Papers that allow progressive development of critical analysis skills
• Project Reports that integrate learning throughout the course applied in practice
• Business simulation where you demonstrate the impact of your strategic decision making

The successful completion of your MBA provides a strong foundation for your professional prospects with potential to join an employer in a variety of positions and potential for fast track career progression opportunities.

The course has been designed to develop graduates who are able to:

• Apply contemporary approaches to strategic management and leadership in complex organisations to systematically and creatively evolve the business, while understanding real life challenges and uncertainties.
• Inspire collaboration and synergistic team work by managing relationships, sharing skills and experience and objective consideration and evaluation of alternative perspectives, in contributing to professional, ethical and innovative practice.
• Synthesise a range of information in the context of new situations using informed judgment to develop innovative approaches to organisational challenges and opportunities.

You will be in a good position to demonstrate your potential to employers. Recruiters value the skills to work in a team, the ability to continue to learn, analytical abilities and a broad understanding of management.

Whatever you decide to do, the successful completion of your MBA should have laid a strong foundation for you to become a positive change agent in any organisation and an obvious champion for the added value of a dynamic and innovative organisational culture. You will also have had extensive and continuous opportunity for reflective and critical evaluation of your capability as a team worker and leader.

As part of a large and multi-cultural learning community, you should gain a valuable network of friends and contacts for the future. Our MBA Alumni organisation will help you keep in touch with your MBA contacts.

Further study:

It is anticipated that you will enter employment after this course and the applied nature of the programme reflects that expectation. Later study options might include more specialist study as you develop your own functional focus or a DBA.

The tutors will always be there as a source of advice and help should you want to progress your development further.  

Successful completion of the MBA also provides the foundation for progression to further study and research and many students continue to work towards the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).

Our practice events and live business-led activities are what differentiate our gull-time MBA. Working on consultancy projects with leading organisations and supported by experienced academics and professors of practice provides you with the opportunity to gain the valuable experience needed in your early career and potential to enhance your professional prospects. As part of the vibrant and multi-cultural MBA learning community you have the opportunity to gain a valuable network of professional contacts for the future.

Quote from a lecturer