MBA
Master of Business Administration (Executive)
Study part-time and see the immediate professional benefits
Course Overview
Why take this course?
Whatever your expertise or sector, you will find our programme intellectually stimulating, challenging, relevant and rewarding.
Designed for those in employment who wish to study on a part-time basis, our course encapsulates the educational requirements of senior and executive level management. We guarantee it will help you take the next step in your career.
What will I experience?
On this course you can:
- Attend our Master Class programme or our Evening Hot Topic seminars, both of which support your development, encouraging you to exchange ideas and present you with networking opportunities
- Participate in live web-based chat forums to discuss your work with lecturers and other students
- Make an effective contribution to your workplace, as well as improve your career prospects
What opportunities might it lead to?
The accreditation by the Association of MBAs (AMBA) represents the highest standard of achievement in postgraduate business education, demonstrating the quality, reputation and comparability of our programme.
Portsmouth Business School is a member of the Association of MBAs Group Membership Scheme, meaning our MBA students and alumni are entitled to free extended membership of the Association. This provides you with exclusive access to a global network of over 5,000 AMBA members and information with regards to MBA specific careers, networking and knowledge services for support throughout your studies and your career.
I know it’s a cliché but the MBA really has been a life-changing experience. All the unexpected extras and eye-opening opportunities made the course for me.
Heather Short, MBA Master of Business Administration (Executive) student
Key Facts
- Duration
- 30 months part time
- Entry
A good honours degree (or equivalent, including professional qualifications), not necessarily in a business related subject, plus normally five years (but a minimum of three years) appropriate managerial/professional experience. Applicants with no formal qualifications but with appropriate management experience will be considered for our Non-Graduate Entry Programme.
- Fees
UK/EU/Channel Islands and Isle of Man part-time students: £5,870 p/a* (30 months)
International part-time students: £5,870 p/a* (30 months)
*Please note that all fees are subject to annual increase.- Contact
- mba.admissions@port.ac.uk
+44 (0)23 9284 4888 - Department
- Portsmouth Business School
Structure & Teaching
With an integrated approach to learning, this course explores the managerial competencies required to lead and facilitate strategic change and to understand contemporary organisational challenges. You will be in a position to apply your learning directly to your workplace and experience the immediate benefits of this course. It is conducted over two years of teaching and a further six months for completion of the research programme.
Year One
The first part of the MBA programme is designed to build a foundation of knowledge and skills in business and management.
Here are the units you will study:
- Developing Organisational Capabilities: This unit explores finance, marketing, operations, innovation, law and corporate social responsibility and how they influence and improve the overall management of an organisation.
- Leadership and Team-Building Residential: This involves teams competing in a Business Project, along with other activities to explore the realities of building and leading multi-cultural teams.
- Sustaining Organisational Value: This unit focuses on the further development of finance, operations, quantitative approaches adding decision analysis, information systems, digital marketing and sales management as well as specialised areas of marketing that develop the organisation into its future environment
Year Two
During the second year you will develop strategic insights and capabilities on a corporate international business level, based on the knowledge you have previously acquired.
Here are the units you will study:
- Strategic Management and Master Classes: This addresses key issues that shape organisations, their orientation, transformation and change in complex and uncertain business environments. Behavioural and economic concepts of organisations and their business contexts are also explored.
- Strategic Leadership, Culture and Change: The aim of this unit is to develop your analytical and decision-making skills in complex strategic situations.
- Consultancy and Research Methods: This unit encourages you to think critically about the nature and value of management research as well as preparing you for the role of a consultant in an organisational setting.
Year Three
The final part of the course concentrates on research into an appropriate strategic management topic. You will be given guidance in research methods, before you carry out the necessary independent research, which will be under the supervision of a specialist member of the academic staff. We encourage you to undertake your research project within your current organisation as it highlights the relevance and practical application of your studies.
Teaching and Assessment
Our friendly and supportive environment uses formal lectures and seminars alongside activity-based case studies. We aim to promote your career prospects by putting you into simulated situations where you apply your learning to analyse complex problems, explore the uncertainties involved, evaluate possible solutions and plan their implementation. These exercises are based on relevant case studies, including several requiring application to your own organisation, to enable you to develop your diagnostic, decision-making and management skills.
How are you assessed?
We vary the assessment method according to the topic content and aim to draw on current management practices. As a result, there is a focus on group work and presentations as well as work related assignments, reports and a dissertation. You will receive full guidance to prepare for your assessments.
Facilities & Features
Master Classes
Cover a range of topical issues faced by today's professional managers
Flexible Learning
Benefit from web, email or phone access to many of our facilities and services
Support
Tutors are available to support your studies via online tutorials, email and telephone conferencing
University Library
Our library offers a wealth of information including thousands of online ejournals
Master Classes
These are a series of six-hour sessions delivered by specialist presenters, covering a range of topical issues faced by today's professional managers. They bring inspiring ideas, fresh perspectives and on-going value back to the workplace.
Flexible Learning
Although you may not be campus based, you will still benefit from web, email or phone access to many of our facilities and services. Our student website, LookUP, will be your one-stop shop for all news, information and links to other services, and 24/7 online access to the University Library’s vast electronic book, journal and database collections will help you find the right resources for your studies.
Support
Due to the work-based nature of this course and the potential pressure of juggling your course alongside work life, we aim to provide you with as much support as possible. There are tutors available to support your studies via online tutorials, email and telephone conferencing. You will also be assigned a personal tutor who will offer support and guidance throughout your studies.
University Library
Modern, comfortable and a great learning environment, our library offers a wealth of information including 400,000 books, DVDs, maps and thousands of online ejournals and newspapers. Many electronic resources are available anywhere, 24/7 and our friendly staff are always on hand to help.
I chose the Portsmouth MBA not only for the ease of fitting the course around my work and personal commitments, but also for the quality of the learning environment and for the additional credibility of an AMBA-accredited degree.
Eugen Barbu, MBA Master of Business Administration (Executive) student
Careers & Opportunities
Career prospects
The MBA programme is ideally suited as a career development step to senior management roles and responsibilities. Our graduates have reported that undertaking the part-time programme translated into improved performance at work from very early on in their studies and substantially enhanced their professional development and career prospects.
Career planning
One of the benefits of studying at Portsmouth is the support that we provide to our Master's and Research Degrees students in career planning. Our careers and recruitment service – Purple Door – can assist you in career research and finding employment opportunities. Help is also available if you wish to find a part-time job while studying your degree. We offer our postgraduate students and alumni one-to-one appointments with a careers adviser, or an online service for those not able to travel back to the University. Our alumni can call on our career services for five years after graduation.
In addition, regular employability events offer you the chance to meet employers, find out about different career sectors and improve your applications or CV. The Graduate Summer Programme provides a range of guidance and employability seminars and workshops.
Completing the MBA has stretched me in so many ways. The Fire Service has also benefited enormously from me gaining this qualification and is continuing to do so through my increased contribution to the work of the management team.
Andy Kettle, MBA Master of Business Administration (Executive) graduate