Full time: 1 Year

Part time: 2 Years

Location: Headington

Department(s): Oxford Brookes Business School

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Overview

We’re in a complex world and we’re facing the challenges of:

  • climate change
  • resource shortages
  • demographic shifts 
  • and global conflict.

Together we’ll question how businesses will cope in the future? What are the challenges they will face? And what are the solutions to solve them?

On the MSc Business and Enterprise, you’ll learn from professionally experienced staff, and you’ll meet guest entrepreneurs and innovation experts who’ll share practical insights into current business challenges. You’ll have the support and guidance you need to develop and refine your own ideas. You’ll also be able to progress your skills for either starting a business or excelling in the corporate world.

Throughout your studies, you’ll be able to develop an ‘idea’ with a view to implementing it. Your study will help you to progress your idea, fueling your entrepreneurial drive. You’ll also have time to reflect and learn from your experiences on the course, so you’re better equipped for your future corporate career.

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Student on a laptop

Why Oxford Brookes University?

  • Business creativity

    Work on an idea that supports your interests and aspirations.

  • Learn from experts

    Professionally experienced tutors, and guest entrepreneurs and business innovation experts.

  • Diverse cohort

    Whatever your background, join this course to learn business and enterprise.

  • Support

    You’ll receive support and guidance for your ideas throughout the course.

  • Future career

    You’ll graduate better equipped for the corporate world.

Course details

Course structure

Through your learning you'll develop relevant skills for your future career. You will have the opportunity to visit business environments. You'll also have the opportunity to be part of the business challenge week. This is where businesses present real business issues for student groups to work on presenting a solution. 

On the course you'll focus on key elements like:

  • learning through experience
  • enterprise building
  • global perspectives
  • research engagement.

Which all feature throughout the course. You also have the opportunity to gain firsthand experience of global business environments and practices through optional virtual study trips and placements. 

Additionally, you'll look at developing your leadership and employability skills, where you can take part in co-curricular activities. You'll graduate from the course ready to strike a path as an entrepreneur or join an international company as a key asset.
 

Group of students working together

Learning and teaching

You'll learn through self study time as well as face-to-face taught sessions. Your modules have specified times for scheduled learning, self study and teaching activities. 

Your tutors are academic researchers and/or from an industry background. They have in-depth practical experience of business and enterprise issues. Your studies will include:

  • interactive workshops
  • business simulations
  • lectures 
  • group work
  • guest speakers.

The theory you learn on the course, will give you the working knowledge to put it into practice. You’ll also study international case studies which will inform your learning, and build your enterprise skills. You’ll start this course with a creativity and design thinking session to start collaborating and sharing ideas.
 

Assessment

Your assessment on the course will help you develop your skills and knowledge for your employability. You'll have the support to overcome academic challenges and progress your learning. Your assessment is through:

  • individual essays
  • business reports
  • group presentations
  • oral exams
  • online discussion forums

Most of your assessments will be through individual contribution, but there is also some assessed group work. 

Inclusivity and diversity is in all assessments throughout the course. Which gives you the opportunity to select the focus of your assignments where appropriate.
 

Field Trips

Your optional International Business in Practice Study Trip module will help you experience ideas and practices of global business. On the trip you'll interact with management executives and practices. You'll attend presentations from local management executives and experts. You'll also go on site visits to major corporations and agencies. The study trip is voluntary and you'll need to fund all associated costs for the trip. Recently there have been study trips to Chengdu, Kuala Lumpur and Budapest. 

Study modules

Taught modules

Compulsory modules

  • Research Methods

    This module helps to prepare you for completing high quality, systematic business and management research. You’ll also gain the skills and knowledge to be successful in your Final Research Project. 

    You’ll learn how to undertake effective research, and draw upon a range of secondary and primary data sources. You’ll be introduced to a range of research tools that will help you build a strong base for research including methodological issues, data collection techniques and study skills.

  • Creativity to Insight to Action

    This is your integrative module which pulls material from other modules and includes new content in the areas of creativity, design thinking and the creation of value propositions. 

    This is the ‘core’ of your student journey throughout the programme. You’ll have the opportunity to develop yourself and your idea by reflecting on the linkages between your entrepreneurial self, your idea, and the material from this and your other modules.
     

  • Developing Skills for Leadership and Employability

    You’ll develop self-awareness of your own strengths and weaknesses as an effective leader and team player. This module will help you develop and improve a range of definable skills which are pivotal to successful management practice and effective leadership. 

    You’ll progress essential skills such as the confidence and the ability to articulate your skills and attributes that are required for professional development, lifelong learning and employment. You’ll also have the opportunity to explore different leadership perspectives on:

    • ethics
    • Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
    • sustainability
    • technology 
    • and change.
       
  • The Practice of Business and Management

    This is a first semester module and will help you build and develop your knowledge in the area of international business and management. 

    You’ll learn about four of the business functions:

    • Operations
    • Finance
    • Marketing
    • Human Resources 
    • Managing information systems. 

    You’ll build a base of knowledge and understanding of how the business functions contribute to the success of an organisation and give a competitive advantage.
     

  • Innovation and Enterprise

    Enterprise and entrepreneurship is vital to the development of a modern economy, in terms of new business start-ups and as part of managing and growing existing organisations. This is your introduction to the conceptual underpinning necessary to understand the nature of enterprise and entrepreneurship. 

    You’ll focus on developing an understanding of factors relating to the development of the entrepreneur, the entrepreneurial idea, and the entrepreneurial organisation. By studying these areas you’ll bridge the potential gap between theory and practice regarding entrepreneurship in a range of contexts. 

    By the end of the module you’ll have developed entrepreneurial skills and techniques, such as idea generation and evaluation, communication, networking and the evaluation of risk.
     

  • Entrepreneurship in Context

    You’ll study how an entrepreneurial mindset in its widest sense is key for success in a wide range of business and life contexts. You’ll explore and practise a full range of entrepreneurial tools and techniques associated with developing and understanding individual behaviours and practices associated with entrepreneurial success, creativity and innovation. 

    You’ll explore, apply, and develop these tools, techniques, behaviours and understandings. You’ll reflect on your own qualities across all areas of enterprise whether in start-up, large organisation or not-for-profit and social enterprise contexts.

    You’ll develop the knowledge and understanding as well as the related skills and capabilities associated with enterprise in its broadest sense.
     

Optional modules

International Business in Practice: Study Trip

This elective study trip will give you a hands-on, intensive experience with the ideas and practices of global business. You’ll meet with leaders of global firms, receive presentations from global academic experts, and tour company facilities. You’ll also have direct interaction with management executives and practices through site visits to major corporations and agencies. 

All costs associated with the trip will need to be funded by you. It is not linked to university assessments in any way. If you successfully complete this module you will have it recorded on your transcript. As the destination and therefore precise costs vary from year to year, the programme fee of the study trip will be communicated to students before the application deadline.
 

Final project

Compulsory modules

  • Final Research Project

    Your final research project module runs over two semesters. You’ll have the opportunity to undertake a substantial independent research project by applying and extending the streams of study, knowledge and practical skills you’ve gained in other modules. 

    You’ll be able to demonstrate a range of skills such as:

    • researching
    • critical thinking
    • project planning
    • problem-solving
    • writing/oral skills. 

    You’ll be able to choose from different research project options, providing you with the opportunity to explore in detail an area of particular interest or relevance to you. 

    The options currently are Dissertation, Client Project, Integrated Business Research Project, and Business/Concept Development.
     

Placement (compulsory for sandwich mode)

Compulsory modules

  • Placement (compulsory for sandwich mode)

    This supervised work experience module is part of the two-year sandwich mode for students who join the Programme in September. 

    You’ll engage in paid supervised work experience (a placement) in a role relevant to your course. You’ll have the opportunity to understand first-hand how businesses work and be able to apply your learning from the taught element of your course within a real working environment.

    You’ll be supported to find a placement - our placement team works with a database of opportunities and runs events where you can meet potential employers. 

    Securing a placement takes effort and success is not guaranteed. You will need to cover your own living and travel costs for your placement. Fees will be charged for the placement year in Year 2 and are available on request from finance-fees@brookes.ac.uk in May of the year of study.

Please note: As our courses are reviewed regularly as part of our quality assurance framework, the modules you can choose from may vary from those shown here. The structure of the course may also mean some modules are not available to you.

Careers

You'll graduate with the knowledge and skills to succeed as an entrepreneur. You'll also be ready for a key position in a corporate company. Through your learning you'll leave equipped to step into the business world.

Recent Business School graduates have found positions at a range of organisations, including:

  • companies producing fast moving commercial goods
  • consultancy firms
  • financial institutions
  • retail giants
  • charities
  • SMEs.

Recent examples of these employers include:

  • Amazon
  • IBM
  • Deutsche Telekom
  • Deloitte, KPMG, PwC, EY
  • Oxfam
  • BASF Group
  • Kautex Unipart
  • Raiffeisen Bank
  • Revolution Insurance
  • American Business Conferences
  • Consilio Global.
     

Our Staff

Dr Doaa Althalathini

I teach at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels in the areas of entrepreneurship, social enterprise, innovation, and research methods.

Read more about Doaa

Dr Javier Monllor

I've conducted research on the definitions and measures researchers used to study entrepreneurial opportunities, how opportunity recognition can be studied from the perspective of creativity and how social entrepreneurial opportunities are different.

Read more about Javier

Dr Simon Adderley

Simon is a senior lecturer at Brookes whose research focus is on the changing paradigms of business and the development of economic and social welfare policies.

Read more about Simon

Entry requirements

International qualifications and equivalences

How to apply

Application process

Tuition fees

Please see the fees note
Home (UK) full time
£11,950

Home (UK) part time
£5,975

Home (UK) sandwich (placement)
£2,100

International full time
£17,650

International sandwich (placement)
£2,100

Home (UK) full time
£11,950

Home (UK) part time
£5,975

Home (UK) sandwich (placement)
£2,200

International full time
£18,950

International sandwich (placement)
£2,200

Questions about fees?

Contact Student Finance on:

Tuition fees

2024 / 25
Home (UK) full time
£11,950

Home (UK) part time
£5,975

Home (UK) sandwich (placement)
£2,100

International full time
£17,650

International sandwich (placement)
£2,100

2025 / 26
Home (UK) full time
£11,950

Home (UK) part time
£5,975

Home (UK) sandwich (placement)
£2,200

International full time
£18,950

International sandwich (placement)
£2,200

Questions about fees?

Contact Student Finance on:

+44 (0)1865 534400

financefees@brookes.ac.uk

Fees quoted are for the first year only. If you are studying a course that lasts longer than one year, your fees will increase each year.

The following factors will be taken into account by the University when it is setting the annual fees: inflationary measures such as the retail price indices, projected increases in University costs, changes in the level of funding received from Government sources, admissions statistics and access considerations including the availability of student support.

How and when to pay

Tuition fee instalments for the semester are due by the Monday of week 1 of each semester. Students are not liable for full fees for that semester if they leave before week 4. If the leaving date is after week 4, full fees for the semester are payable.

  • For information on payment methods please see our Make a Payment page.
  • For information about refunds please visit our Refund policy page

Financial support and scholarships

For general sources of financial support, see our Fees and funding pages.

Additional costs

Please be aware that some courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees. Specific additional costs for this course are detailed below.

Programme changes:
On rare occasions we may need to make changes to our course programmes after they have been published on the website. For more information, please visit our changes to programmes page.