Course overview

Our Association of MBAs (AMBA) accredited MBA programme is one of the longest-running MBAs in the UK. Whatever your expertise or sector, you will find it intellectually stimulating, challenging, relevant and rewarding.  The part-time programme is for course members in employment who wish to study on a part-time basis.  The Executive MBA is conducted over two years of teaching and a further six months for completion of the research programme. Please view the year one Timetable for 2012-13.

If you would prefer to take time out of your management career to study on a full-time basis,  please visit our full-time MBA option. Here some UK-specific aspects, such as UK law, have been replaced with a more global focus. 

What is an MBA?

An MBA is a globally recognised master’s programme that encapsulates the educational requirements of senior and executive level management.

What is the Association of MBAs?

The accreditation by the Association of MBAs (AMBA) represents the highest standard of achievement in postgraduate business education and demonstrates the quality, reputation and comparability of our programme.

Portsmouth Business School is a member of the Association of MBAs Group Membership Scheme, which means that Portsmouth MBA students and alumni are entitled to free extended individual membership of the Association. Membership provides you with exclusive access to a global network of over 5000 AMBA members and information with regards to MBA specific careers, networking and knowledge services for support throughout your studies and your career. Further information on the Association and membership services can be found on the AMBA website here www.mbaworld.com/ourservices.

Why join the Portsmouth MBA?

The programme is structured to develop your strategic abilities through a process of applied problem solving. Complex problems and real cases are explored, together with issues of strategy, change and leadership.

• You will undertake group consultancy projects with local/regional organisations.
• Your projects can be applied to organisations internationally.
• Evening Hot Topic seminars encourage you to exchange ideas and present you with opportunities to network with managers from outside the University and with MBA Alumni.
• There will be talks by visiting speakers on topical themes and organisational visits both of which are particular features of the MBA European residential week.
• Applied coursework offers you the opportunity to develop soft-skills and apply new concepts and theoretical knowledge to complex situations in real organisations making a direct contribution to your effectiveness.
• Master Class programme supports your development of highly specific areas of knowledge in a concentrated manner.
• We also have strong ties with the Institute of Directors, the Insitute of Leadership and Management and the Chartered Management Institute. 

Who should join us?

Our MBA is designed for experienced graduate managers from any discipline who aspire to pursue an executive programme which focuses on interdisciplinary perspectives.  You will need a good bachelors degree from a UK university (or equivalent), but not necessarily in a business-related subject. We welcome applications from managers without a Bachelors degree but with significant managerial experience as we have a limited number of places for non-graduate entry.

What is the commitment?

The high quality standards of an AMBA accredited MBA provides 500 hours of academic contact. In order to make the most of the programme, we would expect you to spend a further 12 hours a week of self-learning. Self-learning might entail reading around the subject, preparing for classes, working on assignments, preparing for exams and thinking and applying knowledge in the workplace.

How much will the MBA cost?

The most current fees for our Master of Business Administration (Executive) and Master of Business Administration can be looked up in the fees and funding section. For totally self-funding students Portsmouth Business School offers a number of scholarships or bursaries.

How will the MBA help my career?

The MBA will facilitate, through your learning and your coursework (much of which is work-related), the effectiveness of your organisation. You will also be working and learning with fellow students from a variety of backgrounds, industries and disciplines which will further broaden your knowledge and experience.   The MBA programme is ideally suited as a career development step to senior and executive management roles and responsibilities.

Find out more

For further information, please contact our Admissions Team (details above). We also hold regular postgraduate and part-time open evenings at which you can see our facilities, enjoy a guest lecture and meet the academics and current students over drinks and canapés. 

Course content

The MBA programme is designed to build a foundation of knowledge and skills in business and management.  It introduces our applied problem-solving and integrated approach to learning.

The MBA includes the directly taught, largely discipline-based subjects, such as marketing and finance, along with the opportunity for you to apply and integrate the knowledge gained in seminar-based small group work exercises.

These exercises are based on relevant case studies, including several requiring application to your own organisation (past or present), to enable you to develop your diagnostic, decision-making and implementation skills.

The MBA also develops the strategic aspects of management - a facet of organisational life characterised by complexity and uncertainty.  You will learn how to develop and critically review relevant frameworks to enable you to meet these challenges.  This process will allow you to explore the managerial competencies required to lead and facilitate strategic change and to understand contemporary organisational challenges. 

To see when each unit is studied please view the course structure.

Units include:

Part One

The first part of the MBA programme is designed to build a foundation of knowledge and skills in business and management. 

Developing Organisational Capabilities Unit

This unit explores finance, marketing, operations, innovation, law and corporate social responsibility and how they influence and improve the overall management of an organisation.  It introduces activity based learning (in particular, the case study method and problem-solving) to explore the interdependencies and application of different academic frameworks and concepts to managerial contexts.  Professional/personal development activities and a team building/leadership residential are also included.  The learning strategy is group-based and emphasises the integration of disciplines.

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 Unit

Sustaining Organisational Value builds on the Developing Organisational Capabilities unit with the further development of finance, operations, quantitative approaches to decision analysis, information systems, digital marketing and sales management as well as specialised areas of marketing that develop the organisation into its future environment.  Agency law, product liability, corporate social responsibility and ethical negotiation are also explored.  This unit continues to use activity based learning to explore the interdependencies and application of different academic frameworks and concepts to managerial contexts.  The learning strategy is again group-based and emphasises the integration of disciplines and themes.

Part Two

You will develop strategic insights and capabilities on a corporate international business level, based on the knowledge you have acquired in part one.  Units include:

Strategic Management and Master Classes Unit

Strategic Management and Master Classes address 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 explored.  This subject emphasises group-based activities and includes company visits, external corporate speakers and the European residential.  This pivotal unit adopts a multi-disciplinary perspective and seeks to present and evaluate some of the key components involved in the strategic management of organisations in a complex and chaotic global environment.

Course material emphasises a study of strategic management, corporate challenges and change management within an increasingly knowledge-based economy, through a problem-orientated approach.  The unit is contextualised within the behavioural and economic concepts to the management of organisations and the contexts in which they operate.  The social and political context is also covered, looking into issues such as political systems, education, globalisation, business ethics and social responsibility.  Group based learning forms a significant feature of this unit and is accompanied with company visits, external corporate speakers and the European residential.

You are expected to complete a minimum of eight Master Classes. These offer the opportunity to gain specialist knowledge and skills. The Master Classes involve intensive study and exercises as well as active debate of the issues.  The classes may also include MBA Alumni and invited guests from the business communit.  Master Classes will run in a conference that will take place in April/May before the University Exam Period. These classes are programmed in advance for specific days (including Saturdays).

Strategic Leadership, Culture and Change Unit

Strategic Leadership, Culture and Change aims to develop your analytical and decision-making skills in complex strategic situations.  The unit introduces key aspects of organisation and managing people, emphasising the pivotal role occupied by organisational structure, technology, culture and emotion, and their operations across local and international contexts.  The unit prepares you for leadership and deals with issues such as managing diversity, cross-cultural behaviour, human resource management and the management of teams so that you are better placed to cope in an increasingly complex business environment.

Consultancy and Research Methods Unit

The unit operates in two phases; the taught part of the course covers techniques used in management research, quantitative and qualitative methods of analysis and consultancy intervention.  It 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.  After the taught element you will operate as part of a small team to apply and develop your consultancy skills with a Group Consultancy Project in a host organisation, usually at Board level.  This team-based assignment provides an opportunity to directly assist senior management in finding innovative yet realistic solutions to their current and future strategic challenges.

We have been operating these projects since 2001 and they have been highly successful for the organisations involved.  Course members consider this assignment to be one of the most rewarding experiences on the MBA programme.

Part Three

MBA Research Project Unit

The final part of the programme 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.

Many course members undertake their research project within their current organisation.  Full time course members often carry out their project with their most recent organisation, or with one introduced in the earlier stages of the MBA programme.  We encourage this because it highlights the relevance and practical application of your studies.

The MBA Research Project combines a review of previous research undertaken in your chosen topic and your own data collection and analysis.  The Research Project provides a unique opportunity for you to demonstrate the subject knowledge you have acquired, as well as your analytical abilities and problem-solving skills - both are highly regarded by potential employers.

Teaching and assessment

The assessment methods used on the programme vary according to the topic content and the way in which the learning has been applied. All course members are given guidance and support to prepare for their assessments.

Current management practice is characterised by team work and the use of presentations to communicate ideas and strategies, consequently we use group work and presentations extensively alongside work related assessments, reports and a dissertation.

Our friendly and supportive environment uses formal lectures and seminars to provide the basis for the development of relevant knowledge, which is further enhanced in activity-based case studies. Our aim is to promote your career prospects by putting you into simulated situations where you have to analyse complex problems, explore the uncertainties involved, evaluate possible solutions and plan their implementation.

You will be assigned a personal tutor and have access to a specialist Academic Skills Unit that offers assistance on a wide range of issues from essay writing to time management and referencing conventions. If English is not your first language, there are free courses available to help familiarise you with the use of English for academic purposes.

Career prospects

Facilities and features

We offer a wide range of facilities aimed at helping you get the most from your time as a student at the University. The University Library is at the centre of academic life providing an abundance of information to help with study and research. There are over 10,000 electronic journals available, together with thousands of ebooks, which can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection. The Library has also invested heavily in the purchase of electronic resources. All students have a network account giving access to a range of course-specific resources.

As you would expect from a large and vibrant business school we offer modern facilities, a Virtual Learning Environment and support to help the busy working professional to manage the work/life and study balance. Above all you will find that our approach to learning is friendly, supportive and participative. The programme encourages active involvement and debate with a lively exchange of ideas and knowledge.

Entry requirements

The entry requirements for Master of Business Administration (Executive) are shown above, for more detailed information please contact:

Department: Portsmouth Business School
Tel: +44 (0)23 9284 4888
Email: mba.admissions@port.ac.uk