International Trade and Logistics - 2012 entry
MSc
Overview
The Postgraduate Centre at our Business School
This programme has been designed to prepare you for a range of careers, such as international trade management, supply chain management, international logistics and distribution operations, management consultancy and import/export manager. It is intended for those who have not formally studied for a degree in business or management.
Improved performance in the retail sector is mainly due to increased logistics competencies. Logistics is about managing and controlling the activities along this chain of supply, with the objective of creating sustainable competitive advantage in an international arena.
It is no longer enough to ‘push’ products through the supply channel in the hope that customers may like them. Customer ‘pull’ strategies to meet the expectations of ever more demanding customers mean that international logistics and supply management must be seen as key components of successful business strategy.
For more information about postgraduate study at the Business School visit our web pages
Why Brookes?
Brookes is one of very few UK Business Schools designated as a centre of Excellence in Teaching and Learning and charged with sharing best practice in teaching and learning with other Business Schools in the UK. Our professors, academic researchers and tutors are leaders in their field - including authors such as Professor Lyndon Simkin and Dr. Frances Brassington, whose marketing texts are widely used in universities and colleges internationally.
In detail
Course content
The MSc is based on the completion of the following compulsory modules, including a dissertation:
Business Strategy introduces you to the major concepts of business strategy and the analytical tools used to develop strategy in complex business environments. You will develop an understanding of how financial statements can be used to evaluate organisational and strategic performance, and how a range of stakeholders' interests impact on the development of business strategy.
Principles of International Business Economics introduces the key principles and concepts of economics by studying the theories that underpin the subject. You will explore the topics of consumer behaviour, firm behaviour, pricing strategies under different market structures, the role of the government and the external parameters of the business environment in an international context.
Managing Business Operations explores the complex and interconnecting relationships between functional areas and the real world of business. You will learn how business operations and resources can be most effectively and efficiently managed in order to achieve competitive advantage, and how every organisation has to manage its operational activities so as to add value by transforming inputs into saleable or usable output products and services.
Principles of Financial Accounting and Statistics provides the opportunity for you to develop core competencies in accounting, basic statistics and their integration in business decision making. The module seeks to engender the development of an understanding of financial and quantitative information relevant to middle or senior managers which will enhance your effectiveness when operating in an international organisation. The module is primarily concerned with the analysis and interpretation of quantitative and financial information, not its production. The content of this module is used as a foundation for further study in other modules including Research Methods.
Project and Contract Management introduces the principles of project and contract management, and will develop your skills in designing, planning, implementing and controlling business projects. These range from construction, through the introduction of new information systems, to the outsourcing of business processes. This module will help you to develop an understanding of the principles, practices and techniques vital to the leadership and commercial management of such projects. You will learn how to deliver projects on time, to cost budgets and to deliver to the required levels of quality.
International Trade and Globalisation provides the opportunity to explore and examine theoretical and empirical frameworks. This will enable you to enhance your awareness of international trading relationships, trends in trading patterns, appreciate what globalisation means for different types of businesses and how globalisation is regarded by different economic agents.
International Logistics and Supply Chain Management studies, in a global context, the processes necessary to manage strategically the flow of materials and products from suppliers through to the final customer in order to achieve competitive advantage. In this module you will study how effective logistics and procurement systems can become key business enablers, and how the management of international supply chains must form a significant element of the strategy of any organisations operating on a global basis.
Personal Development and Leadership addresses your individual learning needs and priorities, and explores the organisational and individual consequences of individual and collective actions and behaviours. Your personal effectiveness and capacity to recognise, adapt and apply relevant theory to the managerial context, and to personally learn from experience, will be improved by engaging in self-reflection and critical self-evaluation exercises.
Research Methods and Dissertation is a key component of a master's degree. It gives you the opportunity to explore an area of interest, and students are encouraged to choose topics that will be valuable in their future careers. Undertaking effective management research, and being reflective on the process, is often a requirement of senior management, as well as being a requirement at master's level. On this module, you will be allocated a supervisor who will work with you, providing guidance and advice throughout the process.
Non-credit bearing elective module
Recognising the need for practice oriented Business and Management education and listening to our students, Oxford Brookes Faculty of Business have introduced a new elective module: International Business In Practice: Study Trip.
The purpose of this non-credit bearing elective Study Trip Module is to give postgraduate students a hands-on, intensive experience with the ideas and practices of global business with a particular focus on the economic system of the country being visited during the study trip. Students will meet with leaders of global firms, receive presentations from global academic experts, and tour company facilities. They will develop a working knowledge of business including knowledge of the state and development of the economy; leading companies and industries; global participation; and social, cultural, and historical influences. The programme will include presentations from local management executives and experts. Students will have direct interaction with management executives and practices through site visits to major corporations and agencies.
Having successfully completed the assessment (pass/fail) this module will appear on students’ transcripts, which greatly enhances the employability potential of our graduates.
These study trips are self-funded. As an example, every July there is a group of students travelling to Boston, USA for an 8-day study programme. This trip includes visits to Harvard University, MIT, Reebok, Ocean Spray, Federal Reserve Bank, State Street, and other companies.
You can view the course structure here.
As our courses are reviewed regularly, course content and module choices may change from those listed in the course entry.
Teaching, learning and assessment
Teaching is organised on a module-credit basis, involving approximately 1,600 hours of study and approximately 290 hours of staff contact. The course is delivered over two 12-week semesters.
Learning methods include lectures, directed reading, workshops, seminars, and practical and project work. Some modules include group work and teamwork activities.
Each course module is assessed individually, generally on the quality of written or visual presentation work, and to some extent on verbal presentations. Assessment methods may include reports, seminar papers, formal written examinations, in-class tests, project work, visual and verbal presentations, workshops, simulations and practical exercises. The majority of assessments are based on individual assignments, but there is some assessed group work.
Quality
The reputation of the Business School is underpinned through course accreditations awarded by the Association of MBAs (AMBA) and EPAS, and through memberships of the Association of Business Schools and professional associations such as the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, and the European Foundation for Management Development. The Business School is, therefore, widely regarded as one of the best within its peer group.
Our courses benefit from rigorous quality assurance procedures and regularly receive excellent feedback from external examiners, employers, students and professional bodies.
Career prospects
This programme has been designed to prepare you for a range of careers, such as international trade management, supply chain management, international logistics and distribution operations, management consultancy and import/export manager.
Many Business School graduates realise significant career progression and go on to achieve high status in the industry of their choice.
The school maintains a rigorous and dynamic doctoral programme leading to the higher degrees of MPhil and PhD. Postgraduate students join a supportive, friendly and multicultural research environment.
Free language courses for students - the Open Module
Free language courses are available to all full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students who are studying any course on our Headington (including Marston Road), Harcourt Hill or Wheatley Campuses, and can be taken as a credit on some courses.
Key facts
Faculty
Faculty of Business
Department
Course length
Full-time: 12 months
Part-time: 2 years
Teaching location
Wheatley Campus
Start date
September 2012
UKPASS code
P033326
Apply / Entry reqs
Entry requirements
The programme attracts students from a wide range of backgrounds, disciplines and nationalities. Applicants are welcome from any academic discipline, as well as those seeking continuing professional development. Admission is normally open to those with a minimum of a good second class honours degree (or equivalent overseas degree from a recognised institution) or equivalent professional qualification, or other qualification. Applicants who possess a diploma rather than a good degree may be eligible for entry provided they have compensatory work experience and can demonstrate career development.
English language requirements
Proof of English language competence is required if your first language is not English; for example:
IELTS minimum level 6.5 overall with at least 6.0 in the reading and writing components
TOEFL score of 90 or above (internet-based), plus 4.5 in TWE.
Please also see the university's standard English language requirements.
English language requirements for visas
If you need a student visa to enter the UK you will need to meet the UK Border Agency's minimum language requirements as well as the university's requirements. Find out more about English language requirements.
Preparation courses for international and EU students
We offer a range of courses to help you meet the entry requirements for this course and also familiarise you with university life. You may also be able to apply for one student visa to cover both courses.
- Take our Pre-Master's course to help you to meet both the English language and academic entry requirements for your master's course
- Take our University English course to help you to meet the English language requirements of your master's course
How to apply
You apply for this course through UKPASS.
Conditions of acceptance
When you accept our offer you agree to the conditions of acceptance. You should therefore read those conditions before accepting the offer.
Credit transfer
Oxford Brookes operates the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). All postgraduate single modules are equivalent to 10 ECTS credits, double modules to 20 ECTS credits, and treble modules to 30 ECTS credits. A full master's course will carry 90 ECTS credits. More about ECTS credits.
Fees / funding
TUITION FEES
UK/EU
Full-time: £9,260
Part-time: £4,720
International
Full-time: £12,170
Fees (part-time and full-time) are for the academic year starting in 2012 only, unless otherwise stated. Fees increase annually by approximately 4%.
Questions about fees?
Contact Student Finance on:
+44 (0)1865 483088
finance-fees@brookes.ac.uk
Scholarships and funding
Scholarships
The Department of Business and Management is pleased to offer scholarships in all disciplines for students wishing to undertake full-time taught postgraduate MSc courses. Some part-time courses may be eligible for scholarships for UK and EU applicants.
Scholarships will be awarded for academic excellence and each award will be paid towards the tuition fee for a taught master's degree. These scholarships do not include a maintenance grant.
For further information, visit: http://business.brookes.ac.uk/postgraduate/scholarships
For general sources of financial support, see:
Oxford
Why Oxford is a great place to study International Trade and Logistics
As a student in Oxford you'll be at the heart of the UK's most successful economic region and in a centre for leading industries, which provides you with a host of learning opportunities. As a business student you'll have easy access to London and the 'M4 Corridor' - a hub for technology and financial services - as well as the numerous businesses and hi-tech firms located in the Oxford area.
Because Oxford is one of the world's great academic cities, it is a key centre of debate, with conferences, seminars and forums taking place across education, science, the arts and many other subjects.
In addition to our own excellent libraries and resource centres, our postgraduate students have access to the world-renowned Bodleian Library, the Bodleian Law Library and the Radcliffe Science Library.
Support
Support for students studying International Trade and Logistics
We take great pride in the pastoral, academic and career development support provided to our postgraduate students. Our postgraduate support coordinator will ensure that whatever problem you may have is addressed rapidly and effectively for you. Our dedicated careers centre will provide advice and workshops to help develop those key skills needed to develop you career and get the right job. The programme director and all academic staff provide open office hours when students can walk in without an appointment to discuss academic or pastoral concerns. A dedicated and caring team of postgraduate programme administrators ensure the efficient and effective support of students in a friendly and approachable manner.
How Brookes supports postgraduate students
Supporting your learning
From academic advisers and support co-ordinators to specialist subject librarians and other learning support staff, we want to ensure that you get the best out of your studies.
Personal support services
We want your time at Brookes to be as enjoyable and successful as possible. That's why we provide all the facilities you need to be relaxed, happy and healthy throughout your studies.
Research
Research areas and clusters
The Business School has an active programme of research based around six key research areas:
- accounting, governance and information management
- economics and strategy
- hospitality, leisure and tourism management
- human resource management and organisational behaviour
- marketing and operations management
- pedagogy.
