Master of Business Administration

For Masters of Business Administration we are looking for applicants who:

• Have a passion for business and personal development
• Are looking to focus their knowledge and skills on key business concepts and disciplines
• Can connect theory to practical application to use in day-to-day business operations
• Have current knowledge in concerns and issues facing businesses.

At least two years of relevant work experience is required, however if you do not have the required qualifications we would encourage you to apply as each application will be considered on its individual merit. Applicants with less than two years of work experience may be invited to a Skype or face-to-face interview with the MBA Director. Social enterprise, volunteering or entrepreneurial experience may also be considered.

The MBA is made up of five core units and option units and a consultancy or research project.

Core Units

• Developing Sustainable Strategies: This unit will consider the key concepts, methods and thinking used to develop and deliver effective business and marketing strategies that consider both profitability and societal concerns such as the environment. The understanding, techniques and skills required to analyse and evaluate accounting and financial data and their links to organisational strategy will be critically examined.
• Leading & Managing Change in Socially Responsible Organisations: Leaders and managers are increasingly subject to greater levels of complexity and ambiguity within a global business context. The unit will explore a range of contemporary CSR issues and management challenges faced by organisations, both internally and through external influences, in increasingly complex, global, diverse and fast changing stakeholder environments.
• Managing Organisational & Individual Performance: This unit aims will equip you with the methods, techniques and skills to critically evaluate performance management practice and relevant performance metrics. It will develop your understanding of business intelligence and business analytics, and your ability to derive insights from a pool of data to inform effective decision making.
• Shaping the Future of Work: The workplace is currently experiencing unprecedented change via influences such as digitalisation, machine learning, artificial intelligence, robotics alongside demographic changes and the emergence of new ways of working. Combined with the recognition that talent shortages are likely to be the new norm, these changes are also leading to a renewed interest in intrinsically human skills such as emotional intelligence. This unit will examine a variety of contemporary trends/issues disrupting and shaping our workplace and evaluate the potential opportunities and challenges that organisations and their workforce may face in the future.
• Project (MBA): An opportunity to undertake a significant piece of self-managed research in an area that interests you. The project will stimulate independent learning and idea generation, critical thinking and reflection, allowing you to demonstrate the application of inter-disciplinary knowledge, analytical and evaluative skills, and audience-tailored communication skills. The work could take either of the form of a consultancy project focusing on a business or societal problem/opportunity situation. A distinguishing characteristic of this work is the engagement of a client within a business, organisation or community from outside the programme. You are normally expected to work as a team for the development of ideas and delivering of the client output(s). The work will be assessed through individual reports. Alternatively you can complete a research project, a systematic study with research and applied outcomes conducted as an individual piece of work. The work could take either of the form of a:
  • Consultancy Project - focusing on a business or societal problem/opportunity situation. A distinguishing characteristic of this work is the engagement of a client within a business, organisation or community from outside the programme. You are normally expected to work as a team for the development of ideas and delivering of the client output(s). The work will be assessed through individual reports.
  • Research Project - a systematic study with research and applied outcomes conducted as an individual piece of work.

Option Units (choose one)

• Digital Marketing: You will be introduce to a range of digital marketing concepts underpinned by the digital marketing planning process including analysis, planning, implementation and control. Emphasis will also be placed on evaluating the effectiveness of various digital marketing tools.
• Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Design: You will develop an effective entrepreneurial, innovative, and design thinking mindset. The implementation of design management principles, innovative culture and governance will be explored in a variety of business contexts. The unit will explore the nature of entrepreneurial knowledge and skills, attributes, competences, and behaviours.
• Global Innovation Management: This unit explores and evaluates the theoretical and practical perspectives of innovation management, as well as the managerial issues facing organisations in the global environment.
• International Taxation: This unit will provide knowledge of the business opportunities and business risk entailed in cross-border trading and of the measures commonly taken by countries to protect their jurisdiction to tax.
• Projects in Society: Projects can be seen as being at the heart of the global economy, communities and wider society. They introduce change, both positive and negative. We will explore the challenges, controversies, opportunities and debates around managing projects in a global context.
• SME & Entrepreneurial Finance: This unit explores various theories of finance while drawing on practical knowledge of government grants, business angels, venture capitals (VCs), private equity, investment banks and other financing types for early-stage businesses.

Optional Work Placement

The placement is intended to foster personal and professional development and to improve your employability. It should enable you to consolidate and extend the professional competencies you have developed during the first two semesters of study.

You should consider how a range of management theories can be used, and if management in industry could be improved. The transferable skills developed will improve your performance in your future career, both as employee and manager.

You will complete semester one and two of your programme as well as completing your final disseration at BU, before you undertake the 30 weeks of work experience.

Programme specification

Programme specifications provide definitive records of the University's taught degrees in line with Quality Assurance Agency requirements. Every taught course leading to a BU Award has a programme specification which describes its aims, structure, content and learning outcomes, plus the teaching, learning and assessment methods used.

Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the programme specification, the information is liable to change to take advantage of exciting new approaches to teaching and learning as well as developments in industry. If you have been unable to locate the programme specification for the course you are interested in, it will be available as soon as the latest version is ready. Alternatively please contact us for assistance.

With academic expertise drawn upon from across BU’s Faculties, our MBA is constantly evolving to ensure it remains at the forefront of change and advancement in all sectors. This course provides you with a springboard for developing a managerial career.

Typical starting job roles

Roles our Masters of Business Administration graduates are in include:

• Director
• Lead Project Manager
• Head of Economic Development Services
• Head of Information and Systems Development.

Industries worked in

• Business
• Finance
• Marketing
• Human Resources.

Further study

If you want to continue your studies after achieving your MBA, you can look into our range of doctoral programmes.