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    Management - MSc

    If you’re seeking to get a head start in your management career, our career-focused MSc will help you become a well-rounded, thoughtful, active, reflective and practical professional with a genuine appreciation of the strategic and operational challenges in running different organisations. Engaging with businesses through study trips, factory visits, live projects and guest speakers, you’ll relate management theory to real-world practice from day one, putting what you learn into context, while actively developing leadership and other essential management skills through team building, group work, individual assignments, report writing and presentations.

    Month of entry

    • September, January

    Mode of study

    • Full time, Part time

    Location

    Subject area

    • Business and Management

    Fees for 2023/24 academic year

    • UK - Full time £11,500 per year. Part time £6,400 per year.
      International - £19,900 per year.

    Duration of study

    • 1 year full time or up to 20 months with entrepreneurship or placement pathway. 2 years part time or up to 24 to 36 months depending on pathway.
    Apply now

    Please note: this course is no longer accepting applications from international students for September 2023 entry

    Why study Management at Keele University?

    Keele is ranked 3rd in the UK for business by the Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES 2019)
    Get paid to work alongside an academic expert on a ‘live’ research project to help local SMEs bring innovative products and services to market quicker through Keele Research and Innovation Support Programme (KRISP)
    Large choice of optional modules allows you to tailor your studies to match your interests
    Relate your learning to the real-world through case studies and visits to businesses – on a previous field trip, students took a factory tour of Jaguar Land Rover to see lean manufacturing and corporate social responsibility in action
    Gain substantial practical experience through a consultancy project or work placement

    Course summary

    With almost 2.5 million untrained ‘accidental managers’ in the UK alone, the need to upskill future business leaders is widely accepted as one of the top organisational priorities. Poor management costs this country around £84bn in lost productivity each year, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

    Grounded in theory and practice, our MSc will equip you with the necessary knowledge, skills and techniques to overcome some of the problems associated with substandard management – low staff morale, loss of talent, inadequate budgeting, reduced productivity and missed commercial opportunities.

    Instead, we’ll prepare you to perform executive duties in ways which motivate others and achieve business objectives successfully, with the flexibility to adapt and thrive in rapidly changing and uncertain external environments.

    Referring to real-life business examples and hearing direct from businesses, you’ll gain a comprehensive understanding of the strategic and operational challenges that can arise, in areas such as leadership, ethics or sustainability, for example. The Business School’s Grand Challenges lecture series invites key speakers to provide fresh perspectives on the political, ethical and intellectual problems we face as a world today, while our Lunchtime Lectures centre on leadership in the context of complexity and inclusion.

    Your final project will give you the opportunity to directly transfer your learning to the workplace by researching a current management topic, responding to a specific business issue or undertaking a ‘live’ work-based project.

    Through our focus on ‘real-world’ situations and teaching which proactively relates to contemporary issues, for example, the many management challenges posed by the current global pandemic, we’ll ensure you leave with a greater appreciation of the social, environmental and global implications of business. All of this will help you develop as a responsible manager, averting crises as much as possible and making appropriate contingency plans so that you can promptly resolve problems when they inevitably occur.

    Team building, group work, research, presentations and projects will help you develop vital management skills, such as business planning, decision-making, problem-solving, communication, delegation and time management.

    Management skills are needed in all types of jobs and industries – from sport and leisure, the arts and entertainment to social work, engineering and the natural sciences. We therefore welcome applicants from a wide range of undergraduate disciplines; past students have joined us having studied subjects as diverse as music and law, as well as business.

    What you’ll learn:

    This exciting master’s course aims to equip you with these necessary knowledge, skills and techniques to be able to understand how business is conducted and the various challenges facing managers from a strategic and operational perspective.

    Core topics covered on the programme include leadership, international operations and supply chains. A large range of optional modules give you the choice to retain your focus on aspects of business and management, such as accounting, entrepreneurship, people management or strategy, or broaden your scope of study to include computing or sustainability.

    Depending on availability, you can also choose to study a modern language as your optional module, from absolute beginners to advanced level in British Sign Language, Mandarin Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Spanish or Russian. Those for whom English is a second language may also choose Advanced Business English.

    100% ONLINE PROGRAMMES

    We also offer a suite of 100% online programmes. Our online part-time courses have been specifically designed with the demanding lives of full-time professionals and individuals with family responsibilities in mind. The flexible design of the courses means that you can develop your own study schedule and access academic content at times that suit you. 100% online Management programmes include:

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    Course structure

    You will study a mixture of core and optional taught modules during semesters 1 and 2. After you have completed the taught modules of the course, you will undertake a large project in semester 3 to further develop your knowledge in a specific area of management.

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    "The consultancy project not only provided me with invaluable ‘hands on’ experience in industry, but I also got paid for my expertise. With Swan Physio Ltd, a small independent physiotherapy business, the project entailed redesigning and mapping out the administrative processes within the business to make them more accessible/transparent and run more smoothly and efficiently. They were able to train new members of staff to undertake the administrative tasks a lot quicker and easier, to provide a better service to their customers. I presented the outcomes of my project to academic staff and the organisation."

    Bethany, Management Graduate

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    Entry requirements

    Academic Entry Requirements

    You will need at least a second class honours degree or overseas equivalent qualification in order to apply to study the programmes. If you have appropriate professional qualifications or relevant work experience you may also be considered.

    English Language Entry Requirement for International Students

    Anyone applying from a country where English is not the first language is required to take an official test of English language obtaining at least IELTS 6.5 with a minimum of 5.5 in each subtest.

    Pre-Master's in Business 

    The Keele University International College offer a one semester Pre-Master's in Business programme for international students who do not meet the traditional entry requirements for a postgraduate business degree at Keele University.

    Please visit the Keele University International College for more information on how to apply, entry requirements and course details.

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    Funding

    Some travel costs may be incurred if an external project or placement is undertaken; any such costs will be discussed with the student before the project is confirmed. It may be possible for the student to select an internal project and that would not incur any additional travel costs. There may be additional costs for textbooks and inter-library loans.

    Living costs

    Keele University is located on a beautiful campus and has all the facilities of a small town. Student accommodation, shops, restaurants and cafes are all within walking distance of the teaching buildings. This is a very cost effective way to live and to reduce your living costs.

    Scholarships and Funding

    We are committed to rewarding excellence and potential. Please visit our Scholarships and Bursaries webpage for more information.

    Please note, if your course offers a January start date, the January 2023 start date falls in the 2022/23 academic year. Please see the 2022/23 academic year fees for the relevant fees for starting this course in January 2023.

    Planning your funding

    It's important to plan carefully for your funding before you start your course. Please be aware that not all postgraduate courses and not all students are eligible for the UK government postgraduate loans and, in some cases, you would be expected to source alternative funding yourself. If you need support researching your funding options, please contact our Financial Support Team.

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    Your career

    This master’s degree will equip you with a broad knowledge of business, finance, economics and marketing, as well as a range of practical skills and work experience, much sought-after by employers across a large variety of sectors, including the public, private and voluntary. You could pursue careers in management consultancy or specialise in specific areas of business, such as product, retail, risk, sales or human resource management.

    Graduates from this programme have gone to pursue a range of managerial and professional careers such as HR consultant, marketing director, sales manager and operations manager. Recent employers include companies in various manufacturing and services sectors and also organisations in public sector, ranging from a restaurant in Birmingham, Whitbread and Xiao Noodle Store to a mobile phone company in China, the Greek Navy, UPS and PDSA.

    On completion, you’ll be ideally placed to pursue further postgraduate studies at MPhil or PhD level.

    Examples of the roles you might progress to during the course of your career include:

    • Business analyst
    • Business development manager
    • Management consultant
    • Project manager
    • Risk manager
    • Sales executive
    • Supply chain manager

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    Postgraduate Study at Keele Business School

    As a postgraduate student at Keele Business School you will benefit from being taught in small groups by lecturers who are recognised experts in their fields.

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    Teaching, learning and assessment

    How you'll be taught

    Our teaching and learning strategy is wide-ranging and innovative, seeking to give you a rich learning environment that draws actively upon leading edge research, as well as current business practice.

    A key strength of our programme is our commitment to developing your critical thinking skills through class debates and team building exercises, which will not only set you apart from other Management graduates, but will benefit you for the rest of your working life. Encouraging you to question, apply and evaluate different theories, creative approaches and techniques, you’ll build confidence, develop sound judgment and become adept at generating ideas and alternative solutions.

    You’ll learn from leading researchers and external practitioners, gaining industry insights through guest lectures and field trips. For example, previous students visited the New Vic Theatre as part of the Leadership module to uncover creative ways of leading and team building through working with its award-winning Borderlines programme, a founding partner of CASIC, Keele University’s Community Animation and Social Innovation Centre. It uses theatre to help people find new and positive ways to understand themselves, their communities and their responsibilities.

    Teaching schedule

    Teaching takes place over the first two semesters. There are no formal group classes during Semester 3, but you consult with supervisors and access the University’s learning and teaching facilities and support services.

    • Semester 1 runs from the end of September to the end of January, with an assessment period in January.
    • Semester 2 runs from the last week of January to the middle of June, with the assessment period in June.
    • Semester 3 runs from June to the end of September.
    How you'll be assessed

    Assessment is varied and includes the use of essays, skills portfolios, reflective diaries, exams, workbooks, presentations, reports, posters and practical projects. Most modules combine several forms of assessment.

    Where possible, assessment is designed to reflect skills and practices in the workplace, including team working, idea generation, meeting deadlines and so on, so you get a feel for the pressures of everyday working life.

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    Keele Postgraduate Association

    Keele University is one of a handful of universities in the UK to have a dedicated students' union for postgraduate students. A fully registered charity, Keele Postgraduate Association serves as a focal point for the social life and welfare needs of all postgraduate students during their time at Keele.

    KPA interior

    Hugely popular, the KPA Clubhouse (near Horwood Hall) provides a dedicated postgraduate social space and bar on campus, where you can grab a bite to eat and drink, sit quietly and read a book, or switch off from academic life at one of the many regular events organised throughout the year. The KPA also helps to host a variety of conferences, as well as other academic and career sessions, to give you and your fellow postgraduates the opportunities to come together to discuss your research, and develop your skills and networks.

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    Our expertise

    Teaching staff

    You will be taught by a range of leading experts in marketing, branding and strategic management, who will share their own professional experiences, which helps to put marketing in the broader context of the business environment. Their specialist expertise spans topics such as: creative methods of engagement; gender, identity and stereotypes; the design and organisation of operations and supply networks; environmental and sustainable accounting; management practices; gender and diversity in organisations; international employment relations; consumers and brands; and consumer behaviour/marketing.

    Teaching team:

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    Facilities

    The course is run from Keele Business School’s new home – the Denise Coates Foundation Building – a state-of-the-art facility complete with 220-seat lecture theatre, a ‘think lab’ study space, data laboratory, cafe and business lounge.

    Home to our accounting, business management, economics, finance, HRM, international business, management and marketing programmes, our Business School is the first to be located on a Science Park. As well as new teaching spaces, our building is unique in that it is also home to the Smart Innovation Hub, a project part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), which includes space and support programmes for innovation-led businesses, providing opportunities for students and staff to work collaboratively with entrepreneurs and business owners, gaining invaluable networks and experience.

    If you choose to study business and management modules available, you’ll have access to the Bloomberg Suite with all its economic, financial and business real-time data, world news, analyses and reports from the world’s biggest financial organisations. You can choose to complete the Bloomberg Market Concepts (BMC) certificate free of charge, an eight-hour e-learning, self-paced course which covers economic Indicators, currencies, fixed income and equities.

    Based in the heart of England, Keele University is easily accessible by motorway and public transport. You’ll find everything’s on your doorstep, with the most important facilities gathered together at the centre of campus, which, at 600 acres, is one of the biggest in the UK.

    80% of our research is deemed world-leading or internationally excellent (REF, 2021). In the global top 20 for campus sustainability, environmental and corporate responsibility underpin the running of our own business and these themes are embedded into our teaching of future professionals and leaders.

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