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What makes an MBA at Worcester special?

Our Masters in Business Administration (MBA) programme is designed to advance your academic knowledge and develop your career prospects. It is aimed at graduates of any discipline who have an interest in developing their understanding of leading a business, have aspirations to run their own business, or are motivated to move away from a functional specialism into general management. The three themes of internationalisation, employability and sustainability are central to the programme design and to your experience as a student.

Specific exposure to the international business context will be provided through links to live case studies to enable you to gain an appreciation of real business contexts. Additionally, the programme will examine management decision making at a strategic level and you will gain the necessary skills to become a well-rounded business leader. You will also develop a critical awareness of operating as a leader in a sustainable and ethical business. 

A diploma in Strategic Management (a Chartered Management Institute qualification) is optionally awarded upon successful completion of the programme, which will greatly impact your long term career aspirations. You will also have access to Associate Membership of the CMI.

 Chartered Management Institute logo

Overview

Overview

Key features

  • Scholarships and Discounts for international students, based on their grades
  • Cross-learning amongst students of diverse backgrounds and cultures from around the world
  • Management and personal skills development are integral to the course
  • Opportunities to work with senior academics who have extensive experience in Project Management
  • Critical insights into the emerging field of sustainability and sustainable development
  • Opportunities to experience relevant practice through the internship pathway option
  • A flexible design allowing two entry points, in September and January  
Stanley Ocitti

Stanley Ocitti

“Attending the University of Worcester helped give me the tools I needed to start my own business with confidence and a clear understanding of how small businesses operate in a global environment.

"The benefits of attending the University go beyond the classroom. I was able to connect with a diverse community of people from various backgrounds, travel within the UK and gain an understanding of the culture and people.

"Courses are fun and challenging and teachers are engaging and available outside of classroom hours. I would definitely recommend the University of Worcester to any student.”

Entry requirements

Entry requirements

Entry requirements

The Master of Business Administration course is available for aspiring individuals who can exhibit good intellectual abilities and personal and professional skills. The minimum entry requirements are:

  • An honours degree at 2:2 level or above in any subject (or International students holding a qualification recognised as equivalent by the University).

Entry to the master of business administration requires all applicants to complete an application form which gives a variety of information about the student’s work experience, qualifications and motivation. These will be checked by the Admission tutor.  Where information on the form is insufficient for a decision to be made the applicant will be requested to attend an interview with the Admission Tutor.

Recognition of Prior Learning

Students with relevant previous study at postgraduate level or with extensive experience may be considered eligible for recognition of prior learning. Please contact the Registry Admissions Office for further information or guidance on 01905 855111. Further information on Recognition of Prior Learning can be found at our Registry Services page.

International students

Students whose first language is not English are required to demonstrate proficiency to a minimum level of 6.5 IELTS (and minimum of 5.5 in each element) or equivalent.

We accept IELTS, Pearson and many Cambridge certificates as proof of English language fluency on our degree courses. Other equivalent English qualifications will also be considered as well as qualifications recognised as equivalent by the University. Some courses may require a higher score for professional accreditation or registration. Find out more about language requirements and support.

If you have any questions about entry requirements, please contact the Admissions Office on 01905 855111 or email admissions@worc.ac.uk for advice.

Course content

Course content

Our courses are informed by research and current developments in the discipline and feedback from students, external examiners and employers. Modules do therefore change periodically in the interests of keeping the course relevant and reflecting best practice. The most up-to-date information will be available to you once you have accepted a place and registered for the course. If there are insufficient numbers of students interested in an optional module, this might not be offered, but we will advise you as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative. 

The course is composed of 8 taught modules and the Research Project module. Each module is 15 credits and the research project one is 60 credits. The taught modules consist of six mandatory and two selected from a menu of optional modules. This will allow students to customise their degree to match their own interests. It will also appeal to a wider range of students who are maybe interested in particular subjects due to career aspirations or further studies.

Modules

Mandatory

  • Global Strategy
  • International Human Resource Management
  • Financial Management
  • Research Methods
  • Marketing Management
  • Corporate Entrepreneurship and Innovation

60 credit research module

  • Research Project (Dissertation)

Optional

  • Leadership & Change Management
  • Operations and Value Chain Management
  • Managing Across Cultures
  • Managing for Sustainable Futures
  • Business Information Systems
  • Cybersecurity and the Online Market

The internship

An optional internship (up to 6 months in duration) is available to all students, taking place on completion of the taught modules. This internship will not be credit-rated but will allow the student to gain first-hand experience within a real business environment to enhance their future employability.  Students may also choose to make use of this opportunity to base their Research Project on a business-related issue arising during the internship. There may be possibilities, with the employer’s permission, to gain access to research participants and primary data, and to apply their understanding of theories and principles discussed within their programme to a live organisational setting.

Securing the internship is the responsibility of the students to arrange and is not necessarily paid. Students who request the internship option will need to secure this by a specified deadline. If the deadline isn't met, the course will revert to the route without internship .

Part-time option

The course will normally take one academic year to complete. Part time students will complete the course over 2 years at least. The maximum registration periods allowed for the completion of these awards in part time mode (without credit on entry) is 6 years.

Teaching and assessment

Teaching and assessment

The University places emphasis on enabling students to develop the independent learning capabilities that will equip you for lifelong learning and future employment, as well as academic achievement. A mixture of independent study, teaching and academic support from Student Services and Library Services, and also the personal academic tutoring system enables you to reflect on progress and build up a profile of skills, achievements and experiences that will help you to flourish and be successful.

Teaching

You are taught through a combination of interactive workshops, lectures, seminars, laboratory practical sessions, organisational fieldwork and practical activities. 

Interactive workshops take a variety of formats and are intended to enable the application of learning through discussion and small group activities. Seminars enable the discussion and development of understanding of topics covered in lectures, and laboratory practical sessions are focused on developing subject specific skills and applied individual and group project work. Wherever possible, students are to reflect on their knowledge, experience and practice and to think creatively of potential solutions that impact positively on business performance and professional practice.

In addition, meetings with Personal Academic Tutors are scheduled on three occasions during the year. Meetings with Research Project supervisors are scheduled throughout the execution of the project.

An optional internship (up to 6 months in duration) is available to all students, taking place on completion of the taught modules.  This internship will not be credit-rated but will allow the student to gain first-hand experience within a real business environment to enhance their future employability.  Students may also choose to make use of this opportunity to base their Research Project on a business-related issue arising during the internship. There may be possibilities, with the employer’s permission, to gain access to research participants and primary data, and to apply their understanding of theories and principles discussed within their programme to a live organisational setting.

Contact time

Each module will have a weekly session of two hours. In a typical week you will have around 8 contact hours of teaching, but this might differ based on the number of modules taken in each semester if you selected the Part time study mode. Typically, class contact time will be structured around:

  • Delivering theoretical content to address contemporary business issues
  • Practical tasks relating theory to practice
  • Discussions and group activities
  • Case studies and other exercises

Independent self-study

In addition to the contact time, a full-time student is expected to undertake around 30 hours of personal self-study per week.  Typically, this will involve reading, researching, preparing for group work, rehearsing presentations, preparing for assessments and exams.

Independent learning is supported by a range of excellent learning facilities, including the Hive and library resources, the virtual learning environment, and extensive electronic learning resources. 

Duration

  • Full time students can finish the course in one year. Students who take the internship option will not be required to take extra modules, but their course duration will be extended by 6 months. 
  • Part time students would normally complete the course in no less than two years, but the maximum registration period is 6 years.  They have the option of selecting up to 90 credits of study per year, but the Research Project should be the final module taken.

For September starters – without internship:

  • Semester 1: September – January
  • Semester 2: January – May
  • Semester 3: May – September

For January starters – without internship:

  • Semester 1: January – May
  • Semester 2: September – January
  • Semester 3: January – June

Timetables

Timetables are normally available one month before registration.

Please note that whilst we try to be as student-friendly as possible, scheduled teaching can take place on any day of the week; and some classes can be scheduled in the evenings.

Feedback

You will receive feedback on practice assessments and on formal assessments undertaken by coursework. Feedback on examination performance is available upon request from the module leader. Feedback is intended to support learning and you are encouraged to discuss it with personal academic tutors and module tutors as appropriate.

Feedback on formal course work assessments within 20 working days of hand-in.

Assessment

The course provides opportunities to test understanding and learning informally through the completion of practice or ‘formative’ assignments.  Each module has one or more formal or ‘summative’ assessment which is graded and counts towards the overall module grade.  

The precise assessment requirements for an individual student in an academic year will vary according to the mandatory and optional modules taken, but a typical formal summative assessment pattern, for a full time student is:

Semester 1:

  • 1 Research proposal
  • 1 Exam
  • 2 Individual reports
  • 2 Group presentation
  • 1 consultancy report

Semester 2:

  • 1 Individual report
  • 1 Exam

Semester 3:

  • Research Project

The precise assessment requirements for part time students will vary according to the modules selected.

All assignments will be internally marked and moderated as well as being externally examined as per the University of Worcester assessment policy.

Teaching staff

Teaching is informed by research and consultancy, and all lecturers on the course have or are working towards a higher education teaching qualification or are Fellows of the Higher Education Academy.

You can learn more about the staff by visiting our staff profiles.

Programme specification

For comprehensive details on the aims and intended learning outcomes of the course, and the means by which these are achieved through learning, teaching and assessment, please download the latest programme specification.

Meet the team

Students will be taught by a teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course. Our programme tutors are experts both in their subject matter and in the delivery of this course in innovative and powerful ways.

Members of our faculty include:

Laurence Curtis

Laurence Curtis

Laurence is a Senior Lecturer specialising in Procurement and Supply Chain Management. Prior to joining the University, he worked in a variety of Procurement, Supply Chain and Programme Management roles across industry, including at Airbus where he was the A330/A340 Programme Procurement Manager with the responsibility to ensure ongoing product development, production and in-service support.

Laila Kasem

Dr Laila Kasem

Laila is a Senior Lecturer in Strategic Marketing at Worcester Business School with expertise in the areas of strategy, international business, marketing and entrepreneurship. Laila is interested in research that advances the theory as well as the practice of various organisations. She is also interested in migrant entrepreneurship, particularly refugee entrepreneurship. Laila teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students on a variety of subjects that relate to her research including global strategy, international business and strategic marketing.

Isabel Clarke

Isabel Clarke

Isabel has been teaching in Higher Education for almost 10 years. Prior to moving into higher education, Isabel had a successful career as a communications practitioner working within a range of high-profile organisations including Silverstone Circuit and the McLaren Formula One team. Her most recent Executive post was as Head of Regional Affairs for ITV in the Central Region

Ria Wiid smiling at camera

Dr Ria Wiid

Before embarking on an academic career Ria worked in both corporate and entrepreneurial roles in the Information Technology, Distribution, Hospitality and Financial Services industries. She has extensive experience in strategic marketing, strategy planning, customer value management, customer engagement, direct marketing, and change management and several business start-ups, including a social enterprise.

Ria teaches undergraduate students on a variety of subjects in the field of digital marketing and integrated marketing communications. She also teaches in research methodology and supervises masters and doctoral students. Ria is an active researcher and member of the Managing Operations Risk and Sustainability (MORS) and Customer Interaction (CI) research groups.

jane-keenan

Jane Keenan

Jane is an experienced academic having taught at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels for over 24 years. Her subject areas include finance, accounting and economics. Jane tries to use real-life scenarios and examples during her lectures and seminars to bring the subject material to life.

dr-robin-bell

Professor Robin Bell

Robin is Professor of Entrepreneurship and the DBA Programme Director at the Worcester Business School. He is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and a UK Council for Graduate Education Recognised Research Supervisor. 

Careers

Careers

Graduate destinations

The job market for MBA’s is strongly affected by the state of the global economy and includes a wide range of employers, with areas such as FMCG, pharmaceuticals, diversified industrial groups and even the public and voluntary sectors currently recruiting more actively than finance and consultancy which have traditionally been the largest recruiters of MBAs.

Student employability

Employability is a key element of the philosophy of the MBA course design. The course is structured around producing competitive graduates ready for the current challenges of the job market. They are taught a wide range of current and relevant topics and trained to exhibit the best attributes and qualities of critical, open-minded, inclusive and skilful individuals. Besides, the international nature of the candidates, the diversity of expertise and backgrounds together with the UW commitment to the sustainability agenda will play a crucial role in shaping the learning experience and the qualities of the graduates which will have a profound impact on their employability.

Links with employers

The Business School works closely with a number of professional organisations including the Chartered Institute of Management, Institute of Commercial Management, Chartered Institute of Marketing, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, Chartered Institute of Public Relations, Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, Institute of Financial Accountants, Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals, and British Computer Society.

The School has worked with a number of business clients in developing and delivering its programmes.  These include – The NHS (a range of Primary Care and Acute Trusts); Local Government (a range of County, District and Unitary Authorities); West Mercia, Warwickshire, Gloucestershire and Staffordshire Constabularies; Ministry of Defence and The Royal Air Force; Her Majesty’s Prison Service; Royal Mail; Financial Services Organisations (e.g. Lloyds TSB, HBOS Plc, Clerical Medical, NFU Mutual and Virgin Money); Housing Associations, Southco, Malvern Instruments, Allpay Limited, G4S Secure Solutions, Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service and Hitachi Capital.

The School has well-developed working relations with the local business community many of whom contribute to postgraduate programmes through the internship option to give students a real-world insight into the future world of work and/or to provide live client briefs to students. Senior managers from this business community have been involved in the design of this programme. They were consulted on the skills and attributes they expect to see in our graduates as we well as the knowledge and academic competencies they want our graduated to exhibit.

Linh Hong Vu receiving an award and shaking hands with Vice Chancellor David Green

Linh Hong Vu

“I chose to study at the University of Worcester due to a combination of factors, The MBA programme’s curriculum is practical; the University’s facilities are impressive, the City is full of historical and modern entertainment sites; the people are amicable and courteous; cultural, sport, and career events are available and within reach; and more importantly, all of the factors create my belief of an exciting and full-of-experiences Masters year in the United Kingdom.

"My long-term goal is to travel around the world, meet new people, make lasting friendships and learn about other cultures. I believe the knowledge and experience I will gain after the MBA course at the University of Worcester will prepare me for my journey.

"I have a chance to gain international knowledge and connections to many national and international businesses in Worcester as well as other big cities such as Birmingham and London.”

Callum Jones

As Captain of the Worcester Wolves Basketball Team and coach for another local club, you would think Callum Jones would have little time left for study.

But he has just completed one of the most intensive postgraduate courses on offer and graduates today with a Distinction in MBA Business Administration.

“It has probably been the hardest year of my life,” he admits. “My days have been a good 15 hours long with training, coaching and classes. That’s without the additional studying I have needed to do.

“But it really is my biggest achievement to date. I’m so pleased to have completed the course and to have got a distinction.”

Twenty-six-year-old Callum came to the University of Worcester on a scholarship, having completed his undergraduate degree at Pace University in New York.

“I moved to America from Manchester when I was about 18,” he said. “My dad is American and I got a scholarship to go to university over there, which was fantastic.”

Having played basketball most of his life, it was always Callum’s dream to be a professional and the opportunity to play for the British Basketball League (BBL) side Worcester Wolves, while combining it with study, was enough to draw Callum back to the UK.

“I may move back to America one day,” he said. “But for the time being I love being here in Worcester. I would like to try and do some academic tutoring if I can, but will just see where the MBA takes me next.”

Stephan_Natynczuk

MBA Takes Business Leader on a Big Adventure

The founder of a successful social enterprise has said studying for an MBA has transformed his business.

Stephan Natynczuk set up My Big Adventure in the early 1990s providing education and support to vulnerable young people missing out on education.

“I thought about doing an MBA some 20 years ago but never got around to it,” he said. “Now I want to learn more about how businesses are run and structured. For too long I have just got by, making my business work, but I knew I needed to have a better plan for the future. I wanted to get a better appreciation of how I should be doing things.”

“When I started the course I had no real idea just how useful it would be to me and to improving my business, “he added. “It has given me a renewed focus and enthusiasm to review and improve the way I had been working all these years.”

“When I started the MBA I had just the social enterprise,” Stephan said. “Since then I have set up a spin-off charity, with the help of the Mary Jane Fund, and now also offer coaching for adults. I have been able to really expand and develop my business model and now feel I have something which I can replicate.”

STUDENT VIEWS

“I am grateful that I have come here as the university has helped me a lot with my career and I would recommend studying here to anyone. Studying here is a first class experience; all the tutors and staff understand well how to guide us to study." Ahmad Mazen Abughazaleh, Jordan


"I really appreciate the most excellent support provided to me throughout my MBA journey.”  Walid Abou El-Dahab, UAE  


“I chose to study a postgraduate course at the University of Worcester as it offered the MBA level programme at an affordable price.  I enjoy the fact that there are many international students on the course. Additionally I think it provides a solid base of knowledge required for running a business successfully.”  Stefan Kovachev, Bulgaria

 

Costs

Fees and funding

Full-time tuition fees

UK and EU students

The standard tuition fee for full-time home and EU students enrolling on MA/MSc/MBA/MRes courses in the academic year 2024/25 is £9,000 per year.

For more details, please visit our course fees page.

International students

The standard tuition fee for full-time international students enrolling on MA/MSc/MBA/MRes courses in the academic year 2024/25 is £17,400 per year.

For more details, please visit our course fees page.

Part-time tuition fees

UK and EU students

The standard tuition fees for part-time home and EU students enrolling on MA/MSc/MBA/MRes/PGCert/PGDip courses in the academic year 2024/25 are £750 per 15-credit module, £1,500 per 30-credit module, £2,250 per 45-credit module, and £3,000 per 60 credit module.

For more details, please visit our course fees page.

International students

The standard tuition fees for part-time international students enrolling on MA/MSc/MBA/MRes courses in the academic year 2024/25 are £1,450 per 15-credit module, £2,900 per 30-credit module, £4,350 per 45-credit module, and £5,800 per 60 credit module.

For more details, please visit our course fees page.

International fees and finance

If you are an international applicant, information on international fees and relevant scholarships is available on our International student fees page.

Postgraduate loans

The Government will provide a loan of up to £11,836 if your course starts on or after 1 August 2022 per eligible student for postgraduate Masters study. It will be at your own discretion whether the loan is used towards fees, maintenance or other costs.

For more details visit our postgraduate loans page.

Accommodation

Finding the right accommodation is paramount to your university experience. Our halls of residence are home to friendly student communities, making them great places to live and study.

We have over 1,000 rooms across our range of student halls. With rooms to suit every budget and need, from our 'Chestnut Halls' at £131 per week to 'Oak Halls' at £221 per week (2024/25 prices).

For full details visit our accommodation page.

Additional costs

Every course has day-to-day costs for basic books, stationery, printing and photocopying. The amounts vary between courses.

If your course offers a placement opportunity, you may need to pay for an Enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check.

International Scholarships and Discounts 

There are substantial Postgraduate Scholarships and Discounts available for International Students of up to £3,000, based on their grades. 

Further information is available on our International student fees page.

Alternatively, please contact the course leader, Dr Taroun a.taroun@worc.ac.uk

 

How to apply

How to apply

Master of Business Administration

Please make your application via our online application forms.

If you have any questions, please contact the Admissions office on 01905 855111 or admissions@worc.ac.uk

Get in touch

If you have any questions, please get in touch. We're here to help you every step of the way.

Postgraduate Course Team

Dr Laila Kasem

MBA & MSc Course Leader, Senior Lecturer in Strategic Marketing

Laurence Curtis

MBA & MSc Course Leader and Senior Lecturer in International, Procurement and Supply Chain Management

Isabel Clarke

Postgraduate Admission Tutor