MBA - Master of Business Administration

Why study Master of Business Administration at BU? 

• Our innovative Sprints provide you with additional opportunities to focus on your professional development and practice your consultancy skills
• We have an emphasis on responsible and inclusive business with clear links to the UN Sustainable Development goals
• Advance your leadership and managerial skills through a series of workshops, guest lectures from industry speakers, case studies and consultancy work with real business clients
• Choose to take an optional 30-week work placement to enhance your employability and put into practice taught elements of this course
• Rather than studying in subject silo’s, we combine some topics to provide a more realistic understanding of the organisational landscape
• Small class teaching and no exams. Our coursework is deliberately diverse to develop skills in areas such as presentations, report writing and data analytics.

Find out more about the content of this course.

Course accreditations

The accrediting bodies on this course are renowned industry-wide for promoting excellence and the highest standards, all of which is reflected in the BU Business School experience. 

• Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accreditation is a hallmark of excellence that has been awarded to fewer than 5% of business schools worldwide. 
• Gain a Chartered Management Institute (CMI) qualification in addition to your bachelor's degree 
• Accredited by the Institute of Data & Marketing (IDM), upon successful completion of your degree, you will be able to obtain the IDM Certificate in Digital and Data-Driven Marketing. 

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.

What we’re looking for

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.

Placement

An exciting part of your studies with us is the opportunity to do a minimum 30-week industry placement. This takes place after the taught elements of the course are complete (before the project), and provides you with the opportunity to gain valuable experience and apply the learning that you have achieved through the course.

Careers

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.