Overview

The details

Course: MBM

Start date: October 2020

Study mode: Full-time

Duration: 1 year

Location: Southend Campus

Based in: Essex Business School

This course is available to study starting in January or October each year. Part-time study is only available if you start the course in October.

Do you want a fast-paced career in management? Are you looking for a business Masters to develop your operational management skills and strategic knowledge?

This is a broad business and applied management Masters degree, designed to give you the edge in applying for well-paid managerial positions. It is open to those without a degree in business, as well as those already in work, but without the necessary experience to undertake an MBA.

Our Master of Business Management (MBM) provides knowledge of the main functional areas within organisations, their structure and processes and the changing environments they operate in. We develop your quantitative skills in analysing financial data, so you can make informed decisions to solve complex business challenges.

You learn how to formulate strategies to meet performance objectives, as well as how to manage and allocate resources to sustain competitive advantage. You explore how to run business operations effectively in cross-cultural settings and explore the process of creating your own entrepreneurial venture.

Study areas may include:

strategic management and leadership
financial decision making for managers, including financial and management accounting
supply chain and operations management
international marketing
human resources management, organisational learning and collaboration
business research and consultancy
managerial economics
entrepreneurship

We help you to reach your leadership potential by developing your transferable employability skills in:

team work
negotiation
networking
problem solving
project management
critical thinking
communication, including engaging with different stakeholders

In the summer, you apply your business knowledge and strategic management skills to undertake a dissertation in an area of your choice.

This course can be studied on a full or part-time basis and you may be eligible for scholarships and discounts, including those for students joining us from overseas. Postgraduate loans for Masters courses are now available from the Student Loans Company, worth up to £10,000, for students from the UK and EU.

Why we're great.

Choose between starting your course in October or January and take optional modules to tailor a Masters degree that is unique to you
Develop a suite of practical management skills from leading data and business experts.
We’re just an hour from London, offering fantastic networking opportunities.

THE Awards 2018 - Winner University of the Year

Our expert staff

Our academics have a global understanding of international business and are at the forefront of their fields. Their teaching draws upon their pioneering research, academic knowledge and industry experience to ensure you benefit from the very latest thinking and your education is at the cutting-edge of real-world business issues.

Our team of international academics specialise in:

management science and data analytics
leadership and strategy
international management
organisation studies

Professor Matthew Allen teaches Strategic Management at our Southend campus. Widely published, his research focusses on understanding how companies around the world vary and how this might impact on whether they are successful, or why they might fail. He is also head of our Management Science and Entrepreneurship Research Group, which produces leading research into issues affecting the sustainable growth of business, society and the economy.

Many of our staff are members of the ESRC Business and Local Government Data Research Centre, which helps organisations in the private and public sectors to use their data more effectively to improve business performance. You are taught by academics actively involved in researching big data and collaborating with businesses to solve real-world issues.

Specialist facilities

Our Masters of Business Management (MBM) is taught at our Southend Campus, just 40 minutes from the City of London and in the heart of the Thames Gateway - one of the Government’s priority areas for economic growth, offering fantastic internship and networking opportunities.

Essex has the highest number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK – meaning you are ideally located when it comes to finding entrepreneurial organisations that could potentially be used as case studies in your assessments, particularly your final business research project.

Southend-on-Sea combines the charms of a traditional seaside resort with the attractions of a vibrant, modern town and our campus sits right at the centre. With seven miles of coastline, a thriving arts and cultural scene and a wide variety of restaurants and nightlife all on your doorstep, it’s the perfect place to live and study. Our town centre location has excellent transport links and London Southend Airport is just five minutes away by train, offering flights to over 50 destinations across Europe.

When you choose our Southend Campus for your studies, you’ll have access to a superb learning environment with state-of-the-art facilities, including:

24-hour Learning Hub with computer suites and study pods
extensive public and academic library
student services desk
modern lecture theatres and seminar rooms
employability support, events and initiatives
study skills advice
in-house dentist and Faith Centre
our cosy SU Lounge, with pool tables and large-screen TV for socialising and relaxation

A short walk from campus isThe Hive Enterprise Centre - a dedicated business hub that hosts networking events and provides finance and marketing support to start ups and growing businesses.

Your future

Our Master of Business Management (MBM) equips you with the essential analytic and problem solving skills required to launch a successful career as a manager or consultant in the private or public sectors. Inspired by your studies, you may also decide to follow in the footsteps of our successful student entrepreneurs and launch your own business. Recent graduate startups include international business incubator 0100Ventures and entrepreneurship website SlovakSTARTUP.

Read our graduate profiles to find out the types of organisations our Masters students go on to work for.

Our University Student Development Careers Services are on hand to help you make the most of your Essex experience. They can help you find out about further work experience, internships, placements, and voluntary opportunities to enhance your employability. You can also access employer talks on campus.

Entry requirements

UK entry requirements

A 2:2 degree or international equivalent, in any discipline.

International & EU entry requirements

We accept a wide range of qualifications from applicants studying in the EU and other countries. Get in touch with any questions you may have about the qualifications we accept. Remember to tell us about the qualifications you have already completed or are currently taking.

Sorry, the entry requirements for the country that you have selected are not available here. Please select your country page where you'll find this information.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language, we require IELTS 6.5 overall with a minimum component score of 5.5

Additional Notes

The University uses academic selection criteria to determine an applicant’s ability to successfully complete a course at the University of Essex. Where appropriate, we may ask for specific information relating to previous modules studied or work experience.

Structure

Example structure

Most of our courses combine compulsory and optional modules, giving you freedom to pursue your own interests. All of the modules listed below provide an example of what is on offer from the current academic year. Our Programme Specification provides further details of the course structure for the current academic year.

Our research-led teaching is continually evolving to address the latest challenges and breakthroughs in the field, therefore to ensure your course is as relevant and up-to-date as possible your core module structure may be subject to change.

The example structure below is representative of this course if taken full-time. If you choose to study part-time, the modules will be split across 2 years.

See full list of modules

Creating and Managing the New and Entrepreneurial Organisation

This module helps you to identify and understand the main business functions that can support an entrepreneur when determining whether there is sufficient opportunity to launch a new venture. You acquire the critical, transferable and practical skills required to create or manage a new or entrepreneurial organisation. You explore how new businesses are developed and managed, including spin-offs from large firms and social enterprises, and learn how to identify new business opportunities. Topics include: idea generation; the development of business models; networking; marketing; finance; human resource management; customer relationship management and driving growth.

View Creating and Managing the New and Entrepreneurial Organisation on our Module Directory

Managerial Economics

Managerial Economics applies economic theory to business management, decision making and forward planning. This module explores how economic concepts, such as profit, demand, cost, pricing production, competition and business cycles, can be used to solve business problems.

View Managerial Economics on our Module Directory

Global Supply Chain and Operations Management

Matching the ability to supply a product or service with customer demand is vital for any organisation. Excess supply can lead to wastage and increased costs, but too little can irritate customers and result in lost revenue. Supply chain management is a complex and challenging task, but, done right, it can create significant competitive advantage. This module explores how organisations manage their product range and operations to best align supply with demand in a global environment, categorised by expanding product variety, increasing outsourcing, and continuous advances in business analytics. You explore areas such as industry competition, resource allocation, organisational learning and competitive dynamics.

View Global Supply Chain and Operations Management on our Module Directory

Financial Analysis and Decision Making

This module equips you with a practical and critical understanding of financial analysis and the decision making of divisional and functional managers. You explore topics such as financial accounting, management accounting and financial management, including how to prepare financial accounts. You learn how accounting information is used to plan, monitor and make decisions and how financial statements can be used to infer business performance.

View Financial Analysis and Decision Making on our Module Directory

Strategic Management

This module explores how to develop profitable business strategies. You learn how to analyse a firm’s external environment, including examining the economy and its competitors, assess its internal resources and set objectives. You examine the differences between corporate, competitive and functional business strategies and develop your decision making and analytical skills. By the end of the module, you understand how a manger can shape a firm’s direction to meet its goals and stakeholder expectations.

View Strategic Management on our Module Directory

Organisation and Leadership in a Globalised World

Examine past and new approaches in relation to the study of organisations and draw relevant connections between organisational theory and practice and other sub-disciplines of management, sociology, and economics, where issues of learning, collaboration and networks are given particular attention. You explore the role of people and human behaviour alongside the study of systems, functions, and models.

View Organisation and Leadership in a Globalised World on our Module Directory

Principles of International Marketing

This module enables you to master important elements in marketing strategy implementation. You address cross cultural issues and perspectives on international marketing, focusing on buyer behaviour in both B2B and B2C contexts. You explore international market research, the implications for product and service management, marketing communications, channel management, new product development, services marketing and retailing.

View Principles of International Marketing on our Module Directory

Research Methods

Gain the key skills and competencies to carry out management research or prepare a comprehensive business plan, suitable for the completion of a Masters level programme. You address the philosophical issues underlying management research, and discover how to select methods and judge the quality and value of research outcomes.

View Research Methods on our Module Directory

Dissertation

This module develops your ability to conduct independent business and management research, using a range of methodologies for data collection and analysis. You learn how to plan, conduct and manage original research in an area of your choice and communicate your findings through a 12,000 word dissertation. The project gives you the chance to apply your business knowledge and strategic management skills.

View Dissertation on our Module Directory

Theories and Practice of Entrepreneurship (optional)

This module equips you with a critical understanding of a range of economic, sociological, psychological and managerial theories of enterprise creation and development. Live examples, case studies and journal articles show how these theories apply in practice to real business situations. Working in groups and individually, you have the opportunity to suggest strategies for responding to the issues raised in these case studies. Topics include new business creation, innovative growth and the impact of entrepreneurship on economic and social development.

View Theories and Practice of Entrepreneurship (optional) on our Module Directory

International Business and Strategy (optional)

Achieve an advanced understanding of international business and strategy, and the content and processes of different international expansion modes. You examine why firms enter international markets, and explore different forms of international growth by observing current business practice, case study evidence and theory.

View International Business and Strategy (optional) on our Module Directory

Innovation Management (optional)

This module explores how organisations use innovation to gain a competitive advantage by capitalising on organisational, market and technological change. You examine how innovation strategies are developed and managed and acquire the knowledge and skills needed to manage innovation at operational and strategic levels.

View Innovation Management (optional) on our Module Directory

International Human Resource Management (optional)

Explore the impact of internationalization processes on human behaviour within organisations from an international perspective, identifying key aspects of human resource management in multinational firms. You gain an understanding of cross-cultural dimensions of international management, and comprehend trends and challenges in the global work environment

View International Human Resource Management (optional) on our Module Directory

Teaching

We develop your practical management skills and functional knowledge through:

lectures, seminars, lab sessions, group work and workshops
an optional research seminar series from our Management Science and Entrepreneurship Group, where you can hear from world-respected academics

Assessment

Coursework and exams.

Dissertation

You undertake a dissertation in an area of your choice.

If you start this course in October, you will start work on your dissertation during the summer term (term three) after you have completed your autumn and spring term modules.

If you start this course in January, you will start work on your dissertation during the summer term (term two) and you will receive feedback on your first draft. You will continue to work on your dissertation during the autumn term (term three) and will have the opportunity to incorporate learnings from your autumn modules before you submit the final version at the end of the year.

Fees and funding

Home/UK fee

£11,820

International fee

£18,460

Fees will increase for each academic year of study.

What's next

We hold open days for all our applicants throughout the year. Our Southend Campus events are a great way to find out more about studying at Essex, and give you the chance to:

tour our campus and accommodation
find out answers to your questions about our courses, student finance, graduate employability, student support and more
meet our students and staff

If the dates of our organised events aren’t suitable for you, feel free to get in touch by emailing southend@essex.ac.uk and we’ll arrange an individual campus tour for you.

You can apply for this postgraduate course online. Before you apply, please check our information about necessary documents that we’ll ask you to provide as part of your application.

We aim to respond to applications within two weeks. If we are able to offer you a place, you will be contacted via email.

For information on our deadline to apply for this course, please see our ‘how to apply’ information.

With its lively, state-of-the-art facilities and a close-knit international community, Southend is the perfect environment for living and learning.

If you're joining our School of Health and Social Care, East 15 Acting School, Department of Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies, or Essex Business School, you may well be studying at our Southend Campus.

Famous for its beach resort and pier, Southend-on-Sea stretches along seven miles of award-winning coastline, providing plenty of opportunities for a wide range of water sports and leisure activities.

How to get to Southend Campus

Find out more

If you live too far away to come to Essex (or have a busy lifestyle), no problem. Check out our website to find out more information about our Southend Campus, watch videos and view our campuses.

Our staff travel the world to speak to people about the courses on offer at Essex. Take a look at our list of exhibition dates to see if we’ll be near you in the future.

At Essex we pride ourselves on being a welcoming and inclusive student community. We offer a wide range of support to individuals and groups of student members who may have specific requirements, interests or responsibilities.

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The University makes every effort to ensure that this information on its programme specification is accurate and up-to-date. Exceptionally it can be necessary to make changes, for example to courses, facilities or fees. Examples of such reasons might include, but are not limited to: strikes, other industrial action, staff illness, severe weather, fire, civil commotion, riot, invasion, terrorist attack or threat of terrorist attack (whether declared or not), natural disaster, restrictions imposed by government or public authorities, epidemic or pandemic disease, failure of public utilities or transport systems or the withdrawal/reduction of funding. Changes to courses may for example consist of variations to the content and method of delivery of programmes, courses and other services, to discontinue programmes, courses and other services and to merge or combine programmes or courses. The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will also keep students informed appropriately by updating our programme specifications.

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