Study Details: MBA, PG Dip, PG Cert: full-time, part-time
With additional electives in Leadership, Enterprise or Tourism (part-time only)
Incorporates intermediate awards: Postgraduate Certificate in Management (three modules, 20 credits per module), Postgraduate Diploma in Management (six modules, 20 credits per module). The flexible structure of the MBA programme provides an opportunity to build up credit over time towards a full MBA. The Postgraduate Certificate and Postgraduate Diploma awards ensure students receive recognition and credit for the level achieved. This flexibility also enables these credits to be taken into account when students are ready to resume their studies.
The MBA is one of the most sought-after qualifications in the world because of its value to managers in all types of organisations. An MBA not only offers critical business knowledge at a senior level of management, but it also provides the chance to develop leadership skills.
Many employers place great value in the advanced knowledge and skills developed in a postgraduate course. Undertaking further study demonstrates determination to succeed in a chosen career area and shows you are prepared to undertake professional development. The MBA provides an opportunity to grow in career and personal terms.
The course is:
Meeting the exacting standards required of this internationally recognised qualification students develop analytical and problem solving skills, learn how to apply business models and theories, and present their findings through seminars, reports, group work and presentations.
It not only embraces the international dimensions of business and commerce, but includes an international component with part of the programme based in Boston, Massachusetts.
Students will be involved in live management issues through various projects and assessments, developing leadership and management skills, and undertaking group and individual work. The use of “guest lectures” by experts and practising managers provides opportunities to explore many aspects of current management issues.
The course aims to develop analytical and strategic management skills using concepts derived from a wide range of academic disciplines. This enables students to respond creatively and effectively to the challenges presented by a global business environment, and to broaden the range of management responsibilities they undertake.
Typical international Entry Requirements:
For country specific entry requirements click here
£9,900.00
Full-time students complete the course over one calendar year, with attendance, typically, on an afternoon and evening basis 2pm – 9pm, two days per week. Naturally there is also a significant level of independent study required at Masters’ level.
Part-time students complete the course over two and half years, with attendance, typically, on an afternoon and evening basis 2pm – 9pm, one day per week.
Prior to the commencement of teaching, all students are expected to attend two MBA Academic Skills Sessions. The study skills sessions aim to equip students with an awareness of key academic requirements at postgraduate level.
(with Leadership, Enterprise and Tourism pathways only available to part-time students).
This module addresses four significant and related management topics, which together provide a foundation in both content and learning for subsequent modules. The topics are; managing people in a technological environment, managing technology, managing responsibly and managing operations.
This module provides an appreciation of a wide range of financial and risk issues as they impact on the business world. The initial focus is on the basic application of financial statements, financial tools and techniques before progressing to a more strategic perspective. It encourages students to see the financial and risk implications of the decision making process.
Of interest here are the external factors that affect the strategy and operations of businesses such as regulation, political and economic actions as well as social forces. The module enables students to develop a critical awareness of the implications of those factors. Contemporary issues such as employment law, globalisation and its impacts, contract law and environmental regulation are also covered.
This module aims to develop a critical understanding of organisational strategy, and to apply this to different contexts, including commercial and not-for-profit organisations of various sizes. It adopts an interdisciplinary approach to problem solving, drawing on skills developed in other modules. The content will cover contextual analysis, culture and stakeholder analysis, approaches to organisational change management, and methods of implementing and evaluating change interventions.
Marketing is fundamental to profitable business operations, achieved through strategic analysis, strategy formulation, strategic implementation and control. It is largely responsible for delivering core corporate objectives by offering value propositions to targeted customer segments, helping to sustain competitive advantage in the longer term. It is desirable for the contemporary MBA programme to contain a designated marketing module, which demonstrates a customer-facing approach, integrated across and throughout a business organisation. As a set of principles and practices, marketing also has relevance to public sector and other not-for-profit sectors.
The aim of this module is to provide an understanding of how to plan for the internationalisation of firms, including suitability criteria, methods of overseas market entry, cultural aspects of operating internationally and practical marketing considerations in international markets. The content will cover trends in the global economy, carrying out international market research and planning, international advertising, product policy and pricing issues. The module will be partly taught in the USA, at Suffolk University in Boston, where students will participate in a consultancy exercise with an overseas company.
The aim of this module is to introduce students to the wide variety of approaches and techniques of quantitative and qualitative research and to equip students with the skills required to collect, collate, analyse, present and interpret data. It also aims to provide a firm foundation for the dissertation. The content will cover the context of qualitative research, data collection techniques, qualitative data analysis techniques, statistical analysis or relationships and trends, sampling, and exploratory and descriptive research.
The dissertation provides students with an opportunity to undertake a substantial piece of independent research in an area of particular interest and to allow students to demonstrate their understanding of research methods and their application. It also provides an opportunity for students to relate their learning in taught modules to the analysis of a problem relevant to their Masters programme. On completion of the dissertation students will have designed an appropriate and feasible research plan, developed appropriate research instruments and written a dissertation of 15,000 words.
Students choose between either Business Seminars or International Business Strategy (see above)
This innovative module will encourage the application of skills and knowledge to real time business problems or to case studies, through problem based learning. Students will develop their ability to acquire, analyse and evaluate information, and to look for feasible solutions to business problems which they must communicate effectively. Guest lecturers drawn from a range of businesses and other academic institutions in the region will contribute to the seminars.
The Operations and Functions of Management (as above)
Financial and Risk Management (as above)
Leadership Development
A challenging module that encourages students to develop many of the practical skills and behaviours associated with leading people effectively. By acquiring an informed understanding of their personal strengths and weaknesses as leaders and devising strategies to address areas for development, students will increase their confidence in the work place and be well equipped to encourage the development of others.
Creativity and the Management of Change
This module provides an understanding of how change can be managed more effectively through the exercise of leadership and creative thinking. Concurrently students develop skills of analysis and problem solving. It also enables students to develop a critical awareness of organisational change theory and practice.
The Enterprise Elective
This elective will suit students who have a background in small and medium sized enterprises and entrepreneurship as well as those with less experience who wish to learn about these challenging areas. Students will find the modules highly relevant if they are considering setting up their own business or wish to develop a more entrepreneurial culture within their current organisation.
The Operations and Functions of Management (as above)
Enterprise Management
Enterprise management is a complex exercise for managers in both existing businesses and new ventures. The module aims to equip the student with a more in-depth understanding of the entrepreneurial environment and how to maximise their approach to growth and planning. The structure of the module has three elements; developing the manager, understanding the venture environment and exploring how best to exploit the environment. Within this structure the student is encouraged to develop an interdisciplinary, integrative and holistic approach to the resolution of business problems.
Decision Making for Entrepreneurs
Decision making as an entrepreneur consists of taking risks but in a structured and managed way. This module aims to both explore the entrepreneurial decision making environment, as well as providing the student with the techniques and skills required to optimise their choices in this complex venturing environment.
The structure of the module has three elements; understanding VC’s and competitors, understanding decision tools and implementation issue, and linking decision making and planning. Within this structure the student is encouraged to develop an interdisciplinary, integrative and holistic approach to the resolution of business problems.
New Venture Development
Successful new ventures require a viable product or service, energy, a strategic plan, initial funding and a potential for growth. This module aims to explore the processes and challenges of starting a business, assessing opportunities, the development of convincing business plans, raising venture capital and the process of starting a company.
This elective aims to develop analytical and strategic management skills using concepts derived from a wide range of academic disciplines within the context of the travel and tourism sector. This will enable managers to respond creatively and effectively to the challenges of the global business environment. Wherever possible, real organisational issues are used both for development and assessment purposes. Group work ensures that participants receive maximum exposure to current practices within a variety of organisations.
The Operations and Functions of Management (as above)
Financial and Risk Management (as above)
Contemporary Issues in the Travel and Tourism Environment
This module examines external factors that affect the strategy and operations of businesses in the travel and tourism sector. It enables students to develop a critical awareness of the implications of these factors and facilitates their development of an academic understanding of the strategic and operational implications to business organisations. It will also provide students with the opportunity to develop skills of analysis and problem solving which they can use in their own organisation.
Strategic Change Management in the Travel and Tourism Industry
The module provides an academic understanding of the strategic issues in business in the context of the Travel and Tourism industry. It is an opportunity to develop skills of analysis and problem solving. It also enables students to develop a critical awareness of tourism policy and planning, thus enabling them to deal with the problems, choices and constraints involved in the development of effective strategies. It encourages students to develop their own intellectual framework of values, attitudes and practice, through exploring issues such as sustainability and development within the travel and tourism industry.
“A fantastic learning opportunity”
“The UCS Executive MBA creates a learning environment that allows [busy] people like me to be self-aware and to think at new levels. I used to answer all the questions, now I question all the answers.
“The week (Boston Consultancy) shows how far we have come during the MBA programme, in raising the levels at which we can operate and influence strategy”
Universities Week case study: MBA students help FIND the solution to more aid for local charity.|
Stateside success for MBA students.|