MSc Business Management

Entry year
2024/25
Course code
N20B12
Application
University
Level
Postgraduate
School
Bristol Business School
Campus
Frenchay
Duration
One year full-time, three years part-time
Delivery
Full-time, part-time day release, starts September
Programme leader
Dr Linh Duong

You may be interested in the following alternative courses, where you study the same core business modules as you do in MSc Business Management and you also study a specific business area in more detail:

MSc Business with Digital Management

MSc Business with Supply Chain Management

This course is open for applications

Page last updated 6 February 2024

Introduction

Whatever your background or UG degree subject area, this course will equip you with a wide range of practical business skills, from market research and strategic analysis tools, to techniques for motivating individuals in the workplace in a variety of different industry sectors.

The manager's role has become increasingly challenging with intense competition, increasing expectations, sustainability, innovation, technology change and alliances all making managers' tasks ever more complex and demanding. Yet with the ability to deal confidently with challenges like these, you can look forward to a rewarding future in virtually any organisation.

The MSc in Business Management will give you the skills and insight needed for a successful business career in a variety of different industry sectors, as well as the qualifications and confidence to lift you above other candidates in the job market, whatever your background or undergraduate degree subject area.

You can study MSc Business Management which provides you with a solid grounding across all the main business disciplines or you can choose to study one of two different pathway programmes in Digital Management or Supply Chain Management. You can access information on these courses at the top of this page.

Watch: The learning and teaching experience

Structure

Content

The optional modules listed are those that are most likely to be available, but they may be subject to change.

You'll study:

Core modules

  • People and Organisations - provides you with a critical and enquiring understanding to be able to deploy a variety of perspectives for analysing organisations and people.
  • Strategic Analysis - introduces you to the terminology of economics and strategy to develop your understanding of strategic analysis and practice.
  • Meeting Customer Needs - introduces you to how organisations are transformed to better identify and satisfy the needs of their customers.
  • Managing Finance - covers the principles and techniques of information management and looks at how to manage finance to support decision making in a global context.
  • Personal and Professional Development (Business and Management) - is a spine module that applies a practice-focused teaching and learning approach. Emphasis is placed on the relevance and applicability of knowledge to your own individual professional and academic development with respect to your future career. You will also develop your interpersonal and communication skills.
  • Management Project and Research Methods - involves developing your own academic research project and gives you the opportunity to investigate an area of particular interest to you and of relevance to your career.

Previous topics include:

  • How does engagement with Corporate Social Responsibility relate to performance?
  • Working towards empowerment within a manufacturing team environment a first person and reflective study
  • Examination of work-life issues in a small family business
  • An exploration of dynamic capabilities and the operating environment of a local aviation company
  • Opportunities, barriers and challenges faced by refugee community organisations in Bristol
  • The value of mergers and acquisitions: an examination of post integration success and failure.

Optional modules

You'll study three modules from*:

  • Leadership
  • Managing Change
  • International Project Management
  • Innovation, Creativity and Enterprise
  • Customer Relationship Marketing
  • Global Marketing
  • Management Consultancy
  • Sustainable Procurement
  • Emerging Markets: The New World Order.

*subject to availability.

This structure is for full-time students only. Part-time students study the same modules but the delivery pattern will be different.

The University continually enhances our offer by responding to feedback from our students and other stakeholders, ensuring the curriculum is kept up to date and our graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need for the real world. This may result in changes to the course. If changes to your course are approved we will inform you.

Learning and Teaching

Many of our tutors have worked in industry, as well as being active researchers in the field of business and management. This combination of practitioner-led teaching, backed by the latest research, means you can look forward to insightful, up-to-the-minute teaching that will equip you to take your management career to the next level.

You'll learn through formal classes and seminar sessions, with a focus also on group work and independent study. Our diverse cohort means you will be able to work with, and learn from, students from many different countries and backgrounds. The work will include assignments, exercises, case studies and presentations, with an emphasis on independent learning to develop your problem-solving skills.

For more details see our glossary of teaching and learning terms.

Study time

Full-time:

If you opt for the full-time course, you'll attend the University for 12 months, with between eight and twelve hours of teaching scheduled a week during both teaching terms and mentored study during the final project term.

Part-time:

The part-time route is designed to help you fit your studies around your other commitments. You should be able to complete the Certificate stage in eight months, the Diploma in 20 months and the full Masters in 31 to 35 months, or in a shorter amount of time, depending on when you begin your final project. You'll typically have 3-5 hours of teaching a week during each teaching term and mentored study during the dissertation terms.

Study support:

If you have been out of higher education for a while, we provide skills sessions to help prepare you for studying again as well as sessions for non-native English speakers.

Assessment

The course primarily uses continuous assessment through marked assignments, which are either organisation or role-focused, and of great practical benefit to you as an individual and to your organisation. You will typically have one shorter assessment during the module and a longer assessment at the end.

For more details see our full glossary of assessment terms.

Features

Fieldwork

Students who opt to take the Management Consulting module will engage in a team-based 'live' consulting project conducting fieldwork with a local organisation.*

* Subject to project availability and meeting client needs.

Meet leaders of industry

As a student at Bristol Business School, you will have the opportunity to hear about the challenges, issues and decisions being made at the highest level of strategic leadership. Our inspirational line up of speakers has included Lisa Opie, Managing Director of BBC Studios UK Production, and Dr Bevis Watts, Chief Executive of Triodos Bank UK. Read more about the speakers you can hear from at the Business School.

Study facilities

While you are studying with us, you will have access to a wide range of facilities to enhance your learning experience. This includes:

  • facilities at Bristol Business School, including our collaborative learning rooms, computer labs, and Bloomberg trading room (the same trading platform used by the city investment banks)
  • the University library which is open 24 hours a day
  • access to specialist business software in areas such as finance and project management.

Find out more about the facilities and resources UWE has to offer.

Take a Virtual Tour of the Business Management facilities and see what's on offer here for you.

Life

Postgraduate support

Our support includes access to fantastic facilities, study tools and career consultants, plus practical help to access everything from funding to childcare.

Bristol

A stunning city for student living with all the qualities to make you want to stay.

Sports, societies and activities

There is more to your experience here than study. Choose to make the most of it and try new things.

Health and Wellbeing

We provide support in the way you need it.

Campus and facilities

Discover our campuses and the wealth of facilities provided for our students.

Careers

Careers / Further study

The MSc in Business Management at Bristol Business School will give you the broad-based skills and insight needed for a successful career in business or management, with the opportunity to work anywhere in the world, and in any sector.

If you are studying the course alongside your current employment, the skills and qualification you gain will help you improve your performance in your current role, while also enhancing your future prospects.

You will have access to careers support while you are studying with us (and for three years after you graduate) through the University's careers service.

Our award-winning careers service helps you develop your employment potential through career coaching, a vacancy service for internships, placements, jobs, global opportunities, volunteering and community activity plus support for entrepreneurial activity, and access to employer events.

Fees

Supplementary fee information

More information on fees can be found on our tuition fees pages.

For funding options, please see our funding and scholarships information.

Entry

Entry requirements

You will need:

  • A good honours degree (normally minimum 2.2) in any subject.

If you do not meet the above grade requirement but have at least 12 months relevant professional experience and/ or equivalent qualifications, we will consider you on an individual basis.

Personal Statement

You are required to complete a personal statement for this course. Please read the personal statement guidance carefully and make sure that you answer the questions on the postgraduate application form within the personal statement tabs, keeping to the advised word count.

UWE Bristol's International College

International students who do not meet the academic or English language requirements to study this course can qualify by completing preparatory study at our International College.

English language support

If you meet the academic requirements but require additional support to take your language skills to the required level, you may be able to attend one of our pre-sessional English courses. Students who successfully complete the pre-sessional course can progress onto their chosen degree course without retaking an IELTS or equivalent.

Read more about our Pre-Sessional English Programme.

Deferred entry

We are not able to offer deferrals for this programme. However, we appreciate there may be extenuating circumstances to consider and therefore we will consider requests on a case by case basis.

English Language Requirement

If English is not your first language, you will be required to meet the UK Border Agency and Universities minimum English Language requirements such as the International English Language Test (IELTS) overall score of 6.5 with 5.5 in each component.

For further details please see our English Language requirements pages.

How to apply

Apply now

Read about postgraduate applications.

Read more about international applications and key international deadline dates.

For further information