Master of Business Administration - MBA
- Mode of study
- Full time
- Entry months
- September
- Duration of Study
- 12 months to 24 months
- Subject Area
- Business and Management
- FEES (2022/23 academic year)
- UK - £20,000
- International - £20,000
Course Overview
Our programme will equip you with the knowledge and skills to lead contemporary organisations in an ethical and sustainable way, whether in the public, private or not-for-profit sector. The modern business world demands skills such as creativity, agility and an entrepreneurial edge. We develop these skills by embedding creativity and innovation into our curriculum.
Key facts
- Network
Study within a Business School that is co-located with over 20 innovative small and medium sized enterprises who work closely with the school. This unique setting provides opportunities for you to interact daily with entrepreneurial businesses to create invaluable networks and establish industry links during your studies. - Sustainability
We are internationally renowned for embedding sustainability into everything we do. Explore contemporary business and management sustainability challenges with a significant focus on environmental issues and social and corporate governance. - Collaborate
Work with a range of businesses during the programme including the opportunity to undertake a live business consultancy or entrepreneurial project allowing you to apply the skills required to succeed within the modern business world. You will be eligible to apply for paid work alongside an academic expert on a 'live' research project to help local SMEs bring innovative products and services to market quicker though the Keele Research and Innovation Support Programme. - Progression
Access comprehensive careers guidance through our dedicated careers advisors and extracurricular careers activities. The careers guidance is designed to support the creation of your personal brand and to plan your career development and your progression strategy. - Innovation
Benefit from innovative teaching methods including problem-based and social learning, whilst networking and developing alongside future leaders from a diverse range of organisations.
About the course
Our full time MBA programme offers a rigorous understanding of the key disciplines of management skills and leadership agility. It offers early career managers and junior leaders an in-depth knowledge of how the organisation operates, providing understanding of functional disciplines and how they relate to one another.
The course provides a deep intellectual appreciation of the complexity of the rapidly changing organisational context, interconnected across international and national boundaries. It incorporates a diverse range of stakeholders and meeting their expectations, and creating short and long term sustainable financial values for the wider society.
As part of the programme there will be a range of extracurricular activities designed to further enhance your management skills and knowledge. This may include a range of extracurricular activities such as business simulation, specific trips and study tours, participation in a recognised MBA competition, career development sessions, and professional networking activities designed to develop and improve your experience and prospects.
Course structure
The programme comprises a taught programme of nine modules amounting to 135 Level 7 (Masters) credits, plus an MBA Research Methods module (15 credits) and associated dissertation, placement or consultancy project worth 30 credits.
This amounts to a total of 180 credits for the MBA as a whole.
Core Taught Modules
- MAN-40246 Financial Management
Provides you with an insight into how the modern day business leader can use financial and non-financial information to support decision-making. - MAN-40240 Strategic Marketing
Strategic marketing is central to enabling an organisation to respond to a dynamic marketplace: it is the activity which determines and prioritises all other marketing tasks and as such is the core marketing activity. - MAN-40244 Organisational Strategy in a Dynamic World
Examines and explore several theoretical perspectives and theories – as paradoxes and/or conflicting viewpoints – and examine the strategic thinking and decision-making processes that take place for an organisation to develop suitable strategies to compete in what can be dynamic and hyper-competitive environments. - MAN-40238 Leading in Complexity
Addresses the needs of executives in today’s dynamic environment and so focuses on strategic leadership in the context of complexity and change. - MAN-40234 Digital Transformation and the Digital Organisation
Covers a range of different topics relating to the digitalisation of organisations, including: digital and data management strategies; use of data collection & analysis to support effective decision-making; and disruptive technologies and business models. - MAN-40432 Management of People and Organisations
Looks more closely at the role of management in organisations. It will provide practical skills informed by current academic thinking on management. - MAN-40262 Creativity and Innovation Management
The purpose of this module is to develop creative thinking and reflective analytical skills to stimulate new ideas to improve organisational performance and contribute to sustainable development. - MAN-40276 Research Methods
Will enable you to examine and apply appropriate paradigms for your sector and context, develop knowledge of the various research styles available to researchers, and explore epistemological rationales and ethical implications. - MAN-40242 Creating Sustainable Value Through Operations
Explores how organisations can build operations and supply chains in a sustainable way that help to deliver the triple bottom line of people, planet and profit. - MAN-40266 Organisational Responses To Sustainability Challenge
Looks at the bigger picture but focuses on how companies can respond by changing what they are doing - both strategically and operationally - to gain or maintain a competitive advantage whilst improving their sustainability performance.
You will then be required to select one of the following options: - MAN-40252 Dissertation OR MAN-40256 Consultancy Project OR MAN-40258 Placement Project
This module aims to provide an opportunity for you to undertake a substantial piece of independent research, a consultancy project or a work-placement.
Dissertation
The dissertation is a formal written academic project of between 15,000 and 20,000 words, making it ideal preparation for future academic research at MPhil or PhD level or for the report-writing and scrutiny expected of senior management professionals. Taking inspiration from your own interests, and with support throughout from a highly experienced supervisor with relevant expertise, you’ll choose an important and emerging topic to conduct either quantitative or qualitative research in various accounting fields, such as corporate governance, social and environmental accounting, performance management, auditor independence and audit quality, and so on.
Consultancy Project
You will have the opportunity to spend eight to 12 weeks undertaking a management research project on behalf of an organisation (chosen by Keele Business School). You’ll put into practice what you’ve learned, developing and applying your skills to solve a business problem, issue or focus on a specific project. As part of the eventual assessment, you’ll present your findings to the host organisation, exactly as you would do within the workplace.
Two previous Keele Business School students have worked with a local council, one undertaking a feasibility study for the establishment of a school for those wanting to work in the circus, the other developing an evaluation tool to assess applications for the town’s local market. Another Keele Business School student worked with a manufacturing company to investigate new markets for its tile boards outside of the ceramic market such as weddings, mood boards and displays.
Please note that participation in the Consultancy Project is only available after a comprehensive selection process. Additional information can be found here.
Placement pathway
In an increasingly competitive job market, employers are looking to recruit employees who have high-level knowledge, skills and workplace experience. With support from the Faculty Placement Officer, you will gain first-hand professional experience on a suitable, paid work placement for between eight weeks to 12 months. During your placement, you will be required to complete an extended project on behalf of the organisation. As part of the eventual assessment, you’ll present your findings to the host organisation, exactly as you would do within the workplace. Your placement can be based anywhere in the UK giving you the opportunity to work with local, national and international organisations.
Students who require a visa to study in the UK may be able to add in a work placement depending upon the programme. The ability to add a work placement is dependent upon the UK Immigration rules at the time of the request. It may be that for some programmes students will not have the option to request a placement period to be added to their programme before they arrive in the UK and would need to apply for a new visa. There is no guarantee that a placement will be provided and that students who have a visa are subject to a number of restrictions on the type of work, including placements they can undertake.
How the course is taught
The mode of study is full-time.
Acquisition of knowledge and understanding is through subject specialist and guest lectures, small-group discussions and tutorials, individual consultation, guided reading and self-study, and through the research dissertation, consultancy project or placement module.
These principal learning and teaching methods are assisted by a variety of mixed learning activities, such as group and individual presentations, individual feedback on assignments, the use of real business case studies and both summative and formative assessment.
How you'll be assessed
We use a mix of unique assessments to test students’ attainment of the learning outcomes. For example:
- Individual and group-based assignments including those based on case study material. These test the quality and application of subject knowledge. In addition they allow you to demonstrate your ability to carry out basic bibliographic research and to communicate ideas effectively in writing in an appropriate scholarly style using the Harvard, or recognised alternative, system of referencing.
- Exercises and online exams test your ability to frame and solve analytical and numerical questions. They demonstrate your competence and familiarity with a range of mathematical techniques that form the everyday tool-kit of the modern economist.
- Literature reviews and research reports test your knowledge of different research methodologies and the limits and provisional nature of knowledge. They also enable you to demonstrate their ability to formulate research questions and to answer them using an appropriate strategy.
- Presentations and reflective reports to assess your subject knowledge and understanding. They also test your ability to work effectively as a member of a team, to communicate what you know orally and visually, and to reflect on these processes as part of your personal development.
- Examinations in different formats to test your core and in-depth knowledge as well as your ability to apply that knowledge responsibly in understanding social problems. Examinations may consist of essay, short answer and/or multiple choice questions.
- A dissertation tests your ability to work independently, to formulate a research topic and questions, to develop an appropriate research methodology, and to demonstrate mastery of the topic through a critical engagement with the literature, the quality of its presentation and the ability to draw together all the strands of a particular argument into the approach to the solution to an academic question.
- Consultancy project test your ability to work independently and with business clients on a project of benefit to the organisation. In doing so, you will develop an appropriate research methodology and demonstrate mastery of the subject by applying to a business context. Through the final report and presentation, you will demonstrate the ability to draw together all the strands of a particular argument into the approach to the solution to a business problem.
- Work Placement report tests your ability to work independently and with business clients on a project of benefit to the organisation. In doing so, you will develop an appropriate research methodology and demonstrate mastery of the subject by applying to a business context. Through the final report and presentation, you will demonstrate the ability to draw together all the strands of a particular argument into the approach to the solution to a business problem.
Entry Requirements
This MBA is designed for professionals in the private, public or third sector. It is designed for any individual moving into or aspiring to a senior or strategic management role. This can include General Managers, Senior Managers, Section Leaders, Executives, Directors, COO, CFO, CEO, CIO roles, senior military officers as well as middle management roles that are a ‘stepping stone’ to these.
You should have:
- A 2:2 honours degree, or
- An equivalent overseas degree or
- A degree-level professional qualification or
- Non-standard qualifications and extensive work experience (on a case-by-case basis and through interviewing the candidate)
- At least two years post-graduation work experience prior to starting the course
- Applicants for whom English is a second language will be required to achieve IELTS 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 in each component. The University also accepts a range of internationally recognised English tests. If you do not meet the English language requirements, the University offers a range of English language preparation programmes
Funding
For our full-time MBA programme, we are pleased to offer scholarships of up to £5,000 based on meeting specific degree qualifications (or equivalent) as detailed below:
- £3,000 scholarship offered to students with 2:2 degree classification or equivalent (and meet the additional entry requirements)
- £5,000 scholarship offered to students with 2:1 degree or above classification or equivalent (and meet the additional entry requirements)
Your application will be assessed automatically when you apply so there is no need to provide a separate application for this scholarship. You will be notified of your scholarship within your offer letter and your offer will be based on assessment of all admissions criteria.
You may also be eligible for our £1,000 developing countries scholarship which will also be assessed when you apply and will be detailed in your offer letter.
For more information including our terms and conditions, please refer to our postgraduate bursaries and scholarships webpages.
Our expertise
The teaching team for this programme are active researchers in the core areas of management, marketing, economics and finance, accounting and human resource management and regularly present their work at conferences at home and abroad and publish in leading journals. They also are Fellow or Senior Fellow in the Higher Education Academy and have an extensive expereince of teaching MBA programmes.
We also have a qualified team of professional administrators who will support you throughout your studies and ensure your time at Keele is a rewarding experience.
Facilities
This programme is taught in modern teaching rooms within Keele Business School, all of which are equipped with computers, internet access and electronic whiteboards or projection equipment. Rooms may be arranged either in traditional lecture format or more informally to allow students to work together in small groups. The learning resources available to you on this programme:
- The extensive collection of business and management materials relevant to postgraduate study held in the University Library. Built up over an extensive period of delivering Management and Business related subjects at this level, these materials include books, journals and government publications. Much of this material is also accessible online to Keele students from anywhere in the world with a University username and password.
- The Keele Learning Environment (KLE) which provides easy access to a wide range of learning resources including lecture notes, electronic materials available in a repository maintained by the University Library and other resources – video, audio and text-based – accessible from external providers via the internet
- MS Teams which provides an ideal environment for synchronous and asynchronous distance learning.
Careers
As an MBA student you will have access to comprehensive careers guidance through our dedicated careers advisors. This guidance is designed to support you in developing your personal brand and to assist you in navigating your career options beyond the MBA.
You will have the opportunity to work with a range of businesses during the programme which will enable you to apply and refine the diverse skills required to succeed within the modern business world. As a full-time MBA student you will be eligible to apply for paid work alongside an academic expert to help local SMEs bring innovative products and services to market via the the Keele Research and Innovation Support Programme (KRISP).
Our Careers and Employability team also conduct workshops covering a range of topics such as job interviews, designing and writing CVs and covering letters, and helping and supporting students to find and secure the work placement projects.