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Management

MSc

Find out more about our courses by joining a live master’s webinar

Start dates: September 2025 / September 2026

Full time: 1 year or 2 years in sandwich mode which includes one year's full-time paid supervised work experience (a work placement). Sandwich mode is only available for September entry.

Part time: MSc: 24 months for UK students only

Location: Headington

Department(s): Oxford Brookes Business School

Overview
Course details
Careers
Entry requirements
How to apply
Tuition fees

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Overview

Are you keen to lead a profit-driven enterprise or make a difference in the not-for-profit sector? Our industry accredited MSc Management is tailor-made for students like you. During your studies you'll grasp the foundations of how businesses operate, while developing your skills in cross-cultural management. You'll unleash your potential in the world of management.

Our aim is to equip you with the knowledge and abilities to thrive in various management roles. We understand today's fast moving workplace, where 'soft skills' in management have gained importance. You'll develop your self-awareness and competencies to lead and manage people within cross-cultural contexts. Also we can help you prepare for further study if you choose that path. 

So take this opportunity to build your management skills, and develop insight into cross-cultural workplaces. You’ll finish the course ready to take your first managerial step into the corporate world.

Attend an open day or webinar Ask a question Order a prospectus

Students listening to lecture

Why Oxford Brookes University?

  • Experiential learning

    Apply your learning to practice. We also run an optional study trip so you can see how businesses operate on a global scale. We’ve visited Boston, Budapest and Chengdu.

  • A diverse community with expertise

    A community with 56 nationalities across the MSc portfolio. Seeing the world from new perspectives will shape your decision-making as you move into management positions.

  • Build your network

    You’ll make new connections at networking events, guest lectures, business societies and through the Brookes Buddying network.

  • Co-curricular events

    Team up with students from across a range of disciplines to work on a problem being faced by real companies for Business Challenge Week.

  • Placement opportunities

    We’ll support you with finding a placement by polishing your interview skills and sharpening your CV.

  • Accreditation(s)

    Chartered Management Institute

    • Chartered Management Institute

Course details

Course structure

During your studies you’ll complete a range of taught modules that explore key aspects of cross-cultural management. We’ll cover everything from leadership and employability to performance and coaching.

We also arrange guest lectures from top managers to give you an insight into the organisation and operation of companies. The CEO of Taylor Wimpey, and the managing directors of Barclays and Harley Davidson have previously given lectures to students.

A key part of this course is building your applicable skills that are underpinned by accepted management theory. You’ll explore areas of management learning and develop the skills that can be applied in ‘real life’.

You’ll also have the option of a work placement, where you’ll gain first-hand understanding of how businesses work. You’ll be able to apply the learning gained from your taught modules within a real working environment.

Two students meeting after lecture

Learning and teaching

Most of the teaching on this course takes the form of interactive workshops and lectures from staff and visiting speakers. 

You will strengthen your practical analysis and decision-making skills with:

  • lectures
  • discussions
  • role-play exercises
  • These are linked with selected case studies and assessments.

Structured group assignments allow you to develop your skills in working as part of a team.

Our teaching staff have a combination of both academic and practitioner experience. They have in-depth practical insight into business and management issues.

You will also learn from visiting speakers from:

  • business
  • industries
  • consultancies
  • research bodies.

Assessment

We use a range of assessment methods including:

  • assignments
  • individual or group reports
  • group presentations
  • oral examinations.

This range of assessments will help you develop the analytical and presentation skills employers look for. 

Field Trips

The International Business in Practice Study Trip module allows you to experience ideas and practices of global business. During the trip you will have direct interaction with management executives and practices. You will: attend presentations from local management executives and experts go on site visits to major corporations and agencies. This study trip is voluntary and you will need to fund all costs associated with the trip. We have also run study trips to Chengdu, Boston and Budapest.

Study modules

Be industry ready when you graduate

By undertaking an optional work placement you can gain valuable and relevant industry experience and develop transferable skills such as communication, teamwork, networking and problem solving. A work placement can help you decide on your long-term career objectives and may lead to a job offer after graduation (would require visa sponsorship for international students).

The WAVES (Work and Voluntary Experience Service) or Careers Office will provide you with support and advice to get ahead in your career, and help you with your CV and applications. The team has access to a wide range of small, medium and large employers that offer postgraduate student work placements.

If you wish to pursue a placement at a particular company, our WAVES team can support you in making an approach to the company. Our Careers Office can also provide you with advice on how to use professional social media channels to pitch yourself to prospective employers.
 

Taught modules

Compulsory modules

  • Employee Engagement, Performance and Reward

    This module provides a critical understanding of how contemporary organisations can elicit employee engagement and performance, and the challenges associated with doing so. It presents theoretical perspectives on individual and collective employment relationships. You’ll develop an understanding of the challenges of managing employees, by drawing on key themes of authority, power, and control and reward and performance management. You’ll also explore dysfunction and conflict in the employment relationship from both theoretical and practical standpoints, and the role of the HR professional in managing the relationship between stakeholders.

  • Developing Skills for Leadership and Employability

    This module will encourage you to develop a strong sense of self-awareness of your own strengths and weaknesses as effective leaders and team players. It will help you to develop and improve a range of definable skills which are pivotal to successful management practice and to effective leadership in particular. You’ll develop essential skills such as the confidence and ability to articulate your skills and attributes that are required for professional development, lifelong learning and employment. This module will also provide you with an opportunity to explore different leadership perspectives on ethics, EDI, sustainability, technology and change.

  • Learning, Development and Coaching

    This module provides you with a critical understanding of the contribution that learning and development can make to individuals and organisations. You'll develop the practical skills needed to design and implement leading edge learning and development programmes. You'll also gain the critical understanding required to develop a coaching programme in the workplace and to participate in a coaching style of management.

  • Organisational Behaviour, Leadership and Change

    Management is the activity of getting things done with the aid of people and other resources. Working with human resources is a key element of this; you'll develop a deep understanding of the practical art of managing change based on a theoretical understanding of organisational behaviour and leadership. Using theoretical concepts, this module enables you to build a comprehensive understanding of the emergent properties of organisations such as culture, politics and leadership. You'll also build practical skills to address the issues facing leaders and managers in contemporary, typically international, organisations.

  • Project Management

    This module will define the term ‘project’, and will seek to analyse the many different environments in which projects take place. You’ll assess the approaches that may be taken towards the management of projects, and you’ll practise a range of techniques used by professional project managers to plan, control and deliver projects successfully. As projects drive change, an important element of project management is ensuring the support of stakeholders so that the change can be effectively managed, all of which you’ll explore in depth throughout this module.

  • Managing International Organisations

    This module examines a range of international organisations and their different purposes. Your studies will focus on multinational companies, small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the European Union and other similar organisations such as the UN. These institutions influence and relate to the operations of global businesses. You will also explore the political, economic and social environments in which international organisations function and the challenges they face. Leading business executives and subject experts will be invited to speak to you.

  • Research Methods

    This module prepares you for completing high quality, systematic business and management research, and equips you to be successful in your Final Research Project. You will learn how to undertake effective research, drawing upon a range of secondary and primary data sources, and will be introduced to a range of tools required for research including methodological issues, data collection techniques and study skills.

Final Research Project

Compulsory modules

  • Final Research Project

    The final research project module is a 50 credit module and runs over two semesters. This module will provide an opportunity for you to undertake a substantial independent research project by applying and extending the streams of study, knowledge and practical skills gained in other modules. It’ll allow you to demonstrate a wide range of skills such as research, critical thinking, project planning, problem-solving and 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. These options currently are Dissertation, Client Project, Integrated Business Research Project, and Business/Concept Development.

Work Placement

Optional modules

Enterprise Work Placement

You'll expand your enterprise skills in the context of the workplace. The focus will be on building your intrapreneurial mindsets during your placement, helping you to develop the curiosity, creativity, vision and resilience to be successful in a variety of organisations. You'll draw on the OBBS Golden Thread and Brookes attributes embedded within your degree, for you to be a change agent on your placement, so you drive innovation in one or more of the following areas: ethical business behaviour, inclusivity, responsible management, sustainability, digitalisation and internationalisation. Drawing on on your research skills you'll propose evidence based innovative solutions to your placement organisations’ challenges.

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.

Research

Studying for your MSc Management degree at Oxford Brookes Business School also offers you the opportunity to engage with our excellent research.  Our academics investigate core challenges facing contemporary societies, ranging from refugee entrepreneurship and internationalisation to sustainable tourism, security and the changing world of work and organisations - including the impact of artificial intelligence.

We address questions such as:

  • How can social media address well-being and social isolation?
  • How can individuals be happier and how to navigate the increasingly complex world of work?
  • How can technologies be used to map movements, reduce congestion and improve the quality of life?

And many others!  Please visit our research pages to learn more.

Being a Masters student at OBBS offers plenty of opportunities to be a part of our research culture and to discuss your own research ideas with one of our academics.

Researcher with laptop and notes

Careers

By the end of this Chartered Management Institute (CMI) accredited course, you’ll be ready for a range of careers. Our alumni have forged successful paths with prestigious commercial powerhouses and inspiring not-for-profit organizations across the globe. Others join management consultancies or go on to study for a PhD.

A few examples of graduate roles include:

  • business change manager at DSV - Global Transport and Logistics
  • finance business controller at Informa
  • managing director at Miyabi Consulting Group
  • account director at Revere Agency
  • senior consultant at Amadeus FiRe AG.

You’ll also find our past students working at big names including:

  • ​PricewaterhouseCoopers
  • Oxfam
  • Google
  • Sainsbury's
  • Nestlé
  • Unilever.

We work closely with Brookes Enterprise Support and their suite of start-up leadership workshops and mentoring. There are plenty of opportunities for networking throughout the course, so you may even find a future employer before you graduate.

Student profiles

Mark Dale

"I chose Oxford Brookes University because, the most important thing was, of course, the programme. I really wanted to start on the Master’s degree with the focus on people communication and on cross-cultural acknowledgments as well."

Read more about Mark
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Our Staff

Mark Dale

I chose Oxford Brookes University because, the most important thing was, of course, the programme. I really wanted to start on the Master’s degree with the focus on people communication and on cross-cultural acknowledgments as well.

Read more about Mark

Tom Elsworth

With his 35 years of experience, Tom has worked for multi-million-pound companies, acting as Head of Employee Relations, Head of Public Relations as well as Directorships of SMEs. Tom shares his knowledge as a senior lecturer in the Business School.

Read more about Tom
Left
Right

Tom Elsworth

With his 35 years of experience, Tom has worked for multi-million-pound companies, acting as Head of Employee Relations, Head of Public Relations as well as Directorships of SMEs. Tom shares his knowledge as a senior lecturer in the Business School.

Read more about Tom

Related courses

Related course
International Business and Supply Chain Management
Related course
International Business Management
Related course
Business and Enterprise
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Entry requirements

International qualifications and equivalences

How to apply

Application process


Apply now

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
£12,450
Home (UK) part time
£6,225
International full time
£18,950

Questions about fees?

Contact Student Finance on:

financefees@brookes.ac.uk

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
£12,450
Home (UK) part time
£6,225
International full time
£18,950

Questions about fees?

Contact Student Finance on:

+44 (0)1865 534400

financefees@brookes.ac.uk

The full-time fees quoted are for the taught Year 1. Fees will be charged for the placement year in Year 2 and are available on request from finance-fees@brookes.ac.uk. 

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

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.

We offer a non credit-bearing International Study Trip which is available to all postgraduate Business School students.

The International Study Trip modules allow you to experience ideas and practices of global business. During the trip you will have direct interaction with management executives and practices. You will attend presentations from local management executives and experts and go on site visits to major corporations and agencies. These study trips are voluntary and you will need to fund most of the costs associated with the trip. We have run study trips to Boston, Chengdu, Kuala Lumpur and Budapest.

As an example of costs, the fees in 2022 and 2023 were around £2000 per student and included: accommodation for seven nights, insurance, company visits and group transportation for all activities. This fee did not include international airfare, visa application fee (if relevant), dinners and activities during your free time.

Funding your studies

Financial support and scholarships

Featured funding opportunities available for this course.

Postgraduate Master's Loan - England

 

 

All financial support and scholarships

View all funding opportunities for this course

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.