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Management

MSc

Key facts

Start dates

September 2023

Location

Headington

Course length

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 and EU students

Accreditation(s)

Chartered Management Institute

  • Chartered Management Institute

Overview

The focus of this programme is the development of cross-cultural management skills in addition to providing a foundational understanding of how businesses operate.  It is ideal for students seeking to pursue a range of managerial careers in either commercial or not-for-profit organisations, and it is suitable for graduates with a good first degree in any subject.

The programme aims to enable students to develop knowledge and skills in preparing for a management career in a range of contexts or to prepare for higher study. It will enable students to develop the self-awareness and competencies to lead and manage people within cross-cultural contexts.  The programme has a focus on ‘soft skills’ in recognition of the increasing importance of these skills in today’s workplace, particularly in management roles.

Our graduates go on to successful international careers with a range of commercial and not-for-profit organisations, around the world.


 
Students listening to lecture

How to apply

Entry requirements

Specific entry requirements

A minimum of a second class honours degree (2:2) in any academic discipline, or equivalent overseas degree from a recognised institution or equivalent professional 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.

This course attracts students from a wide range of backgrounds and nationalities. Applications are welcome from those in work and seeking continuing professional development.

Entry will also be subject to two satisfactory references (one of these must be an academic reference).

 

Please also see the University's general entry requirements.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language you will need to satisfy the university's English language requirements:

  • IELTS minimum 6.0 (with a minimum of 6.0 in reading and writing and 5.5 in listening and speaking)
  • if you have completed your undergraduate degree in the UK (at least one full year of study) you will automatically meet our English language requirements

Please also see the University's standard English language requirements.

International qualifications and equivalences

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English requirements for visas

If you need a student visa to enter the UK you will need to meet the UK Visas and Immigration minimum language requirements as well as the University's requirements. Find out more about English language requirements.

Pathways courses for international and EU students

We offer a range of courses to help you meet the entry requirements for your postgraduate course and also familiarise you with university life in the UK.

Take a Pre-Master's course to develop your subject knowledge, study skills and academic language level in preparation for your master's course.

If you need to improve your English language, we offer pre-sessional English language courses to help you meet the English language requirements of your chosen master’s course.

Terms and Conditions of Enrolment

When you accept our offer, you agree to the Terms and Conditions of Enrolment. You should therefore read those conditions before accepting the offer.

Application process

Tuition fees

Please see the fees note
Home (UK) full time
£11,000

Home (UK) part time
£5,500

Home (UK) sandwich (placement)
£2,000

International full time
£16,200

International sandwich (placement)
£2,000

Home (UK) full time
£11,400

Home (UK) part time
£5,700

Home (UK) sandwich (placement)
£2,000

International full time
£16,800

International sandwich (placement)
£2,000

Questions about fees?

Contact Student Finance on:

Tuition fees

2022 / 23
Home (UK) full time
£11,000

Home (UK) part time
£5,500

Home (UK) sandwich (placement)
£2,000

International full time
£16,200

International sandwich (placement)
£2,000

2023 / 24
Home (UK) full time
£11,400

Home (UK) part time
£5,700

Home (UK) sandwich (placement)
£2,000

International full time
£16,800

International sandwich (placement)
£2,000

Questions about fees?

Contact Student Finance on:

+44 (0)1865 483088

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

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.

Funding your studies

Financial support and scholarships

Featured funding opportunities available for this course.

 

 

All financial support and scholarships

View all funding opportunities for this course

Learning and assessment

We have designed a highly flexible course for a wide range of interests in a variety of different subject areas/roles/sectors. This course is suitable for individuals:

  • from a variety of educational backgrounds
  • who may have no previous work experience
  • who want to further their knowledge and understanding of business and management to support their career aspirations.

You will study a combination of compulsory and elective modules, and choose to complete either a dissertation, a client based research project, or a synoptic research project.

Our teaching staff come from a variety of academic and non-academic backgrounds. This gives you a comprehensive and diverse learning experience.

Our student cohorts are international. So you will benefit from working with staff and peers with varied experiences and perspectives. 

Our assessment strategy offers a variety of assessment formats including individual assignments, group reports and presentations, reflections, oral and written examinations.

Two students meeting after lecture

Study modules

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 Business Leadership

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. And on this module, 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.

Finance and Accounting for Business

This will develop your critical assessment of corporate financial information from the users' perspective. You will study both financial and management accounting covering three areas:

  • Basics - terminology, purposes, users, rules and regulations and business entities
  • Financial accounting - key financial statements, published accounts and analysis and interpretation through ratios
  • Management accounting - costing, budgeting and forecasting, budget management and pricing.

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.

Consultancy Project OR Virtual Global Study Trip

You can choose between:

Consultancy Project: You will gain practical international project experience by working in a cross-cultural team on a real problem for a client organisation. You will develop problem solving and communication skills as well as the ability to work in cross-cultural teams. Your team will work virtually, face-to-face and with help from tutors.

Virtual Global Study Trip: The purpose of this 10 credit optional Study Trip Module is to give you a hands-on, intensive experience with ideas and practices in international management and international relations through visiting multinational enterprises and international organisations during the international study trip. You meet with leaders of global firms and international organisations, receive presentations from global academic experts, and tour facilities. The programme includes presentations from local and international executives, managers and academics.

Optional modules

Global Strategic Management

Strategic management is the process by which managers formulate and implement strategies to generate high performance. In this module you will develop your understanding of the managerial strategic challenge; how to deliver sustainable competitive advantage. You will engage in critical evaluation of the key strategic issues. You will consider the wider economic environment and explore why strategy is important, how organisations make strategic decisions through the processes of analysis, choice and responsible and ethical management and leadership.

Entrepreneurial Theory & Practice

It is recognised that entrepreneurship is vital to the development of a modern economy, both in terms of new business start-ups and as part of managing and growing existing organisations. This module will introduce you to the fundamentals of enterprise and entrepreneurship and will help develop vital entrepreneurial skills, behaviours and practices necessary for success.

Corporate Governance and Social Responsibility

This provides alternative perspectives on strategic management and corporate governance. This will encompass stakeholder issues including ethics, sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR). You will develop your understanding of approaches to solving problems when governing in the corporate sector. Your studies will consider current issues and consider the social implications of governance. You will also focus on the impact of globalisation on international management practices, equipping you with the knowledge to enhance management decisions involving ethical choices. Finally, you will consider your assumptions about the role of managers and organisations in a complex and challenging context through the exploration of contemporary issues in CSR.

Strategic Business Simulation

This teaches you about group decision making. It involves a live new business development scenario, through which you apply your understanding of business principles to a computer simulation. The simulation will challenge your ethical, environmental and sustainability decisions when running an international business and will consider a range of business functions. You will develop management skills such as team management, budgeting, implementing a communications strategy and coping with unexpected competitor activity.

Procurement and Supply Chain Management (SCM)

In this module you focus the important commercial aspects of SCM, centred around how the procurement cycle operates in an international context. You explore the range of relationships between trading partners (i.e. purchasers and suppliers), as well as the techniques that are used to source products and services, select and appraise suppliers, and develop and manage supply contracts.

Strategic and Sustainable Logistics

In this module you will study the processes required to manage the flow of materials and products from suppliers to customers in order to achieve a competitive advantage. You will evaluate how effective logistics and procurement systems can become key business enablers. You will learn how the management of international supply chains should form a significant element of the strategy of any organisation operating on a global basis.

People Resourcing and Talent Management

A major objective of the human resources function is the mobilisation of a workforce. Organisations can only function if they are able to assemble teams of people with the necessary skills to meet their goals and retain effective performers. This module focuses on the practical aspects of recruitment, selection, employee retention and exiting. You will develop the knowledge and skills required for resourcing and talent management within a global context. You will also gain an understanding of how performance management can support the strategic objectives of an organisation, how the performance of people can be enhanced and inspired by leadership, and how it contributes to high-performance work organisations.

Managing Employment Relations

This will develop your understanding of managing employment relations within a global business. Employment relations is a changing subject which is influenced by external factors (political and economic) and internal factors (management and management style). You will explore the impact of different national environments on employment and the roles of different stakeholders in employment relation systems. You will also critically review employment relations in an organisation and make suggestions to drive improvements to Human Resource Management. This module includes a practical skills workshop.

Customer Insight and Engagement

You will explore how to acquire, retain and grow the share of wallet of good customers, as well as how to demote undesirable customers without triggering revenge behaviours. It is based on the premise that customers are the essence of the organisation as without customers, the organisation would fail. The module takes a customer-centric approach, and acknowledges the hyper-connected environment in which organisations operate today. Technologies and methodological approaches to obtain customer insight and to build detailed customer profiles are discussed. Moreover, the module considers how to engage with customers in ways that add value to both parties. It uses real case studies, as well as students’ own experiences as customers.

Corporate Finance Concepts

You will consider how accounting and corporate finance issues are related. You will study the fundamental ideas and theories of corporate finance and how accounting practice links with corporate financial decisions. This module will enable you to make the links between specific financial management techniques and concepts and how these relate to the objectives of an organisation..

Strategic Brand Management

Creating powerful brands and appropriate brand positioning strategies are essential to many international businesses. You will learn about brand attributes, brand values and brand personality. You will develop an understanding of product management and innovative approaches to new product development. How ethical, environmental and socio-cultural factors impact brand strategy is explored, and the use of digital communications technology to further develop brand relationships is discussed.

International Business in Practice - Study Trip

There is a second study trip on this course. Although this module provides you with no credit towards your degree, you will see directly how global leaders operate in an international environment.  Students on previous runs of this module have visited Boston, USA, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Chengdu, China.

Having successfully completed the assessment (pass/fail), this module will appear on your transcripts, which will enhance your employment potential. Please note that the number of students who can join this field trip is limited and the cost is not included in the course fees. (Further details can be found in the ‘Additional costs’ section.)

Final project - choose one of:

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.

Integrated Business Research Project

In this module you will integrate, apply and extend your knowledge and skills gained within the core modules through an international case study and oral examination. You will learn more about the complexity of the Business and Management by synthesising and applying the learning gained in other modules.

Work placement

Optional modules

Work placement

This supervised work experience module is part of the two-year sandwich mode for students who join the Programme in September. The module supports and assesses students who are engaging in paid supervised work experience (a placement) in a role relevant to their programme.  It provides students with the opportunity to understand first-hand how businesses work and to apply the learning gained from the taught element of their programme within a real working environment.

We will provide support to help you find a placement - our team has a database of opportunities and runs events where you can meet potential employers. A placement will provide you with valuable experience, although securing one takes a lot of effort and success is not guaranteed. You would need to cover your own living and travel costs throughout the duration of 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 that shown here. The structure of the course may also mean some modules are not available to you.

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.

 

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, Kuala Lumpur and Budapest.

Assessment

Assessment methods used on this course

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. 

Research

Studying for your MSc Management degree at Oxford Brookes Business School also offers you 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: https://www.brookes.ac.uk/business/research/

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

After you graduate

Career prospects

On graduation from the MSc Management you will be able to pursue a range of different careers. Previous students have gained managerial positions in global organisations (commercial and not-for-profit), some have joined management consultancies and some are studying for a PhD and pursuing academic careers.

Examples of companies which have employed students from this course include:

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

Our Staff

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

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.