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Oxford Brookes MBA

MBA

Start dates: September 2024 / March 2025 / September 2025

Part time: 24-30 months depending on the learning style and modules that you choose throughout your programme.

Location: Headington, Distance learning

Department(s): Oxford Brookes Business School

Overview
Course details
Careers
Entry requirements
How to apply
Tuition fees

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Overview

The Oxford Brookes Global MBA is an accredited MBA for experienced managers and professionals. It develops your knowledge, abilities and values in order to operate as an intelligent, responsible leader. You'll apply your learning throughout the MBA in your current role and consider how to develop your career.

The flexible, part-time MBA means you can choose to study fully online, mostly on-campus in Oxford, or through a blend of both. 

Online modules include live, synchronous collaborative sessions as well as asynchronous activities. On-campus teaching is delivered in intensive block-weeks. You will work with a diverse group of students from a range of industries, functions and geographical contexts and connect with the wider MBA community through extra-curricular webinars and other events. 

You will be taught by a highly-qualified, diverse tutor team, with a strong balance of academic and practitioner experience. The curriculum will equip you with creative approaches to applying holistic business knowledge for managing organisations in a complex, increasingly digital world.

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Why Oxford Brookes University?

  • A uniquely flexible MBA
    Market-leading flexibility, designed to accommodate busy executives and built on a personalised blend of the best online and face-to-face on-campus teaching
  • Pursue specific interests
    Personalise your MBA through choice of elective and 5 different final project options. Specialise through a formal pathway. Apply module content to your own organisation
  • A diverse student network
    One of the most diverse MBAs, students from over 60 nationalities collaborate across 16 time zones. They represent many functions and industry sectors, including healthcare, banking and technology
  • Expand your networks
    You will join a global network of MBA alumni who regularly come back to campus for our annual summer school and other community events, both online and in-person
  • Value for money
    We offer a high-quality MBA at a fair price and provide scholarships for those based in low-income countries and those working in the global healthcare sector. 
  • Accreditation(s)

    Accredited by the Association of MBAs, European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD). Ranked in the top 10 in Europe in the QS Online MBA Rankings 2024: Europe, Middle East and Africa.

    • EPAS - EFMD Programme Accreditation System
    • Association of MBAs

Course details

Course structure

The MBA is designed as a holistic transformative learning journey, guided through a range of personal and professional development activities, with support from your academic advisor. You will be working collaboratively with your MBA peers and tutors, and apply your learning in practice. 

The taught syllabus has a range of compulsory MBA modules, covering all key aspects of business administration and management, as well as critical thinking and research skills. You learn how subjects link up in practice through experiential learning, engaging case studies and interactive activities. 

In addition to the core modules, you will choose one elective module from a wide range of options. To complete your MBA programme, you have five options for your final MBA project:  a dissertation, an individual consultancy project, a group consultancy project, a business start-up plan or a design project. The final project connects the knowledge and expertise gained throughout the MBA to produce impactful results in an area of your personal and/or employer’s interest.
 

students in class

Learning and teaching

You will join an environment where you can readily engage in a collaborative, experiential learning process. Whether studying online or in intensive on-campus blocks, you will be involved with, and contribute to, your own and others’ learning through structured activities led by tutors and fellow students. You will take an applied approach to resolving environmental, managerial and individual issues informed by theoretical models and reflective practice, utilising the knowledge within the MBA programme community of practice. 

This experiential experience is core to your transformative learning journey. The MBA will challenge your perspectives on yourself, organisations and society and encourage changes in behaviours, based on new knowledge and skills. Application of the learning in your daily practice deepens the learning and drives impact. Ongoing reflection enables you to recognise these changes and evidence the impact, bolstering your personal and professional development.
 

Assessment

Our assessment methods are designed to support the teaching and learning process and will test your application of learning. The objective is for assessments to be varied and innovative, and to develop/enhance transferable practical skills in addition to enhancing academic understanding and knowledge. Main assessments are submitted online in a range of formats, including (recorded) presentations, reports and portfolios.

The online learning platform will contain clear assessment briefs for each module that set out the tasks.  Programme activities will prepare you for the assessment process through structured activities with both peer and tutor feedback. Tutors will provide you with timely written and/or verbal feedback regarding the strengths and weaknesses of your work, and make suggestions of how it could be improved.
 

Study modules

Taught modules

Compulsory modules

  • Transformative Learning Journey

    (Online)

    This module runs through your entire MBA learning journey, from induction to completing your MBA Project. You will draw together your learning, supporting both personal and career development. In your first teaching session you will develop personal action plans for your study and future development needs. Subsequently, you will  review and reflect on the MBA learning and its impact, as you progress through the programme, capturing evidence in your personal learning portfolio. The final assessment for this module is a viva, in which you will demonstrate your learning using evidence from your portfolio.

  • Client Project

    The Client project, which is part of the transformative learning module, gives you the opportunity to work in cross-cultural teams on a real problem within a client organisation, developing your communication and practical problem solving skills as well as your ability to work in cross-cultural teams.

  • Driving Excellence through Marketing and Operations

    (Online and on-campus)

    This module provides you a (foundational) understanding of what is involved in successfully running an organisation. You will learn how functional excellence and the effective coordination of organisation functions can be used to deliver competitive advantage. The approaches covered are applicable to private sector, public sector, and third sector organisations.

  • Analysing and Designing Organisations

    (Online and on-campus)

    This module develops skills for holistic and critical analysis of organisations, with particular attention to the role of purpose (be it profit or otherwise) and enterprise within organisations, as well as the interaction between organisations and their environments.Using systems thinking as a guiding perspective, you will gain an understanding of how organisational design influences its success and the impact on its environment. The module will also consider how organisations adapt their design to contextual developments such as digital technologies and climate change, exploring new and emerging approaches to organisation design.

     

  • Developing Enterprising and Impactful Leaders

    (Online and on-campus)

    This module aims to support you in your understanding of how transformational leadership can contribute to organisational success in a range of contexts and at all levels in organisations. You will explore the challenges and dilemmas inherent in leadership in a global context including leading diverse and virtual teams, leading change in complex and unpredictable environments, encouraging entrepreneurship, maintaining resilience and working in sustainable and responsible ways. As well as developing reflective thinking and understanding of what enterprising and impactful leadership is and how it can contribute to organisational success and working in responsible and sustainable ways, the module aims to go beyond this in developing your capacity to critically reflect on and evaluate your own leadership capabilities and identify ways of enhancing these to achieve impact in the organisational environment and be able to manage your ongoing leadership development.

  • Innovation, Creativity and Enterprise

    (Online and on-campus)

    The aim of the module is to prepare you for working in the contemporary global world, characterised by a complex, volatile and uncertain environment. Regardless of their size or profile, organisations increasingly require managers who are enterprising, innovative and creative, and a growing number of people aspire to starting and developing their own businesses. The module exposes you to a range of experimental conditions that help cultivate and develop skilful managerial responses to a given set of problems and issues.

     

  • Global Strategy Under Uncertainty

    (Online and on-campus)

    Achieving competitive success in the global marketplace is a complex and multifaceted task. This module focuses on evaluating how organisations compete and generate competitive advantage. It aims to equip you with a sophisticated understanding of strategic management for growth and sustainability in a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous environment. Students will learn to evaluate growth and competitive strategies pursued by wide ranging organisations such as start ups, small and medium sized businesses, third sector, public sector, and large multinationals in the face of a dynamic and uncertain business environment.

  • Accounting for Decision Making

    (Online and on-campus)

    This module is designed to provide an introduction to the theory and practice of management and financial accounting. The course theme of effective management reflects the involvement of accounting as a basis for providing a sound knowledge of financial reporting, financial analysis and decision-making techniques.

     

  • Methods of Enquiry

    (Online only)

    You will develop your knowledge of research approaches, methods and techniques appropriate to the MBA, as well as enhancing your ability to critically evaluate published research outputs. You will explore and critique current research in business and management and evaluate ethical and responsible business issues, preparing you for your Capstone project. You will select the final project option that is best suited to your desired outcomes. The final assessment for this module is a detailed proposal for your MBA project.

Optional modules

Digital Transformation and Leadership

You will learn about the organisational challenges and opportunities for digital innovation and transformation. You will understand the strategic and leadership issues managers face and the concepts, theories and frameworks to use in response. You explore developments in digital technologies and how to develop and justify digital strategy. You will learn about the importance of IT leadership, management and the changing relationships with IT experts and business personnel.

Enhancing Entrepreneurial Capabilities

Entrepreneurial people learn by doing, often within the context of uncertainty. You will be taught in a way that encourages responsible entrepreneurial behaviour. You will have the opportunity to gain real, practical-based experience whilst working on a company project. We aim to develop your entrepreneurial aspirations by promoting your values and self-belief.

Beyond Marketing

The focus of this module is on enhancing your marketing knowledge and developing critical skills in order to equip you for marketing for the future. You will engage with a range of contemporary marketing practices in a global context.

Creating a New Business Venture

You will develop the necessary skills to start and run your own business, or to be involved in the growth of an existing business. You will evaluate business models in terms of their economic viability, ability to deliver and quality of deliverance. You will create your own business plan for a new venture or an existing business.

Project and Contract Management

You will focus on principles, practices and techniques vital to leading and managing business projects. You develop the skills to ensure projects are delivered on time, to a high quality and meet budgets. You explore project environments and the critical role of stakeholders. Approaches and techniques to plan, control and deliver projects successfully give you the essential tools for decision making. You learn to influence and negotiate with stakeholders and to understand the commercial and contractual aspects of supplier management.

Strategic Corporate Finance

Your study will be focused around the corporate lifecycle. You will develop your knowledge of business models, techniques and theories, while learning more advanced methods, applying your new knowledge to a company's strategic position. You will engage in individual problem solving and group investigations, exploring issues in financial management through case studies, exercises and virtual presentations.

Business in Emerging Markets

You will develop knowledge and understanding of doing business in emerging markets, with particular focus on one each from Africa, Asia and Latin America. You will learn about market entry, viable strategies, stakeholder management and risks, and how to capitalise on the exciting opportunities offered by these rising economic powers.

Business Analytics for Decision Makers

This immersive and interactive module provides you with the opportunity to learn about the principles, theories and practices of business analytics as used by entrepreneurial and innovative organisations for strategic benefit. You will develop data insights, critical business intelligence knowledge and learn the frameworks for reviewing, reflecting, analysing and critiquing the ethical application of Business Analytics for effective business decisions.

Contemporary Issues in Finance and Accounting

Aimed at those with a prior accounting education, you will examine the big issues that finance professionals are likely to face and to develop key critical understanding and analysis skills to deal with these. Such issues frequently have a significant impact on society, and so the focus on stakeholder impact (environmental, social and governance) will be a key thread.

Pathways

Compulsory modules

  • Global MBA

    The Oxford Brookes Global MBA provides you with the leadership skills, strategic thinking, and overall insights that you would expect to build and manage a complete business organisation. The flexibility of the programme, choice of electives, and the scope to choose your own final MBA project topic also allows for personalised themed pathways through your MBA in a sector or specialism you currently work in or aspire to work in. Your personal Academic Advisor and our tutors can help you shape your personal pathways. You can create your own themed pathways for your MBA in, for example Strategy, Marketing or Digital, or you can opt for one of our pathway awards: MBA with Enterprise, MBA with Business Analytics or MBA with Advanced Accounting and Finance.

  • MBA with Enterprise

    While all core modules contribute to this pathway, the modules Innovation, Creativity and Enterprise, Developing Enterprising and Impactful Leaders and Global Strategy under Uncertainty are particularly relevant. 

    In addition, to complete this pathway, the module Creating a New Business Venture is compulsory and you also need to select one of these electives: Enhancing Entrepreneurial Capabilities, Digital Transformation and Leadership, Business Analytics for Decision Makers or Business in Emerging Markets.

     

  • MBA with Business Analytics

    While all core modules contribute to this pathway, the modules Driving Excellence through Marketing and Operations and Innovation, Creativity and Enterprise are particularly relevant. In addition, to complete this pathway, taking Business Analytics for Decision Makers is compulsory and you need to select one of these electives: Beyond Marketing, Digital Transformation and Leadership, Contemporary Issues in Accounting and Finance or Creating a New Business Venture.

  • MBA with Advanced Accounting and Finance

    While all core modules contribute to this pathway, the modules Accounting for Decision Makers (ACCA exempt) is particularly relevant. In addition, to complete this pathway, taking Strategic Accounting & Finance is compulsory and, if you are not,  you need to select one of these electives: BDigital Transformation and Leadership, Business in Emerging Markets, or Business Analytics for Decision Making.

  • The Final MBA Project

    Independent of which pathway option you choose, you will undertake a ‘capstone’ final project to help integrate your learning, apply the key insights you gain from the MBA in practice, and provide an opportunity to develop deeper expertise as well as actionable insights in an area of interest for your future directions. This project can take the form of one of a Research Project (Dissertation); Consultancy Project; Business Start-up; or Design Project.

    For your capstone projects, an individual supervisor will be appointed to help advise you on your project on a one-to-one basis.

    Students are encouraged to undertake projects of direct interest and relevance to themselves, and examples of past final MBA ‘capstone’ projects demonstrate the wide diversity of our students’ interests. If you want to complete one of the Pathway Awards, your final project needs to be relevant to the Pathway theme.

Please note: As our courses are reviewed regularly as part of our quality assurance framework, the modules you can choose from may vary from those shown here. The structure of the course may also mean some modules are not available to you.

Research

Researchers at Oxford Brookes Business School provide new insights into an increasingly complex world.

Technical innovation, shifting population, the internationalisation of business and transformation of communications drive a need for clear analysis. Through collaborations with other universities, government bodies and industry, our research projects stretch from the local, to the global.

We aim through our work to provide practical and ethical solutions to some of the most pressing challenges.

Many of the tutors on the MBA are active researchers, who bring their insights directly into the classroom. Some capstone projects result in research publications too. 

Learn more about Oxford Brookes Business School Research

Students in a lecture

Careers

Studying the Oxford Brookes University Global MBA will help you become the leader you want to be. 

You will be inspired and challenged by fellow working professionals and our approachable tutors who will support you in having the ability to drive change in your career.

Student profiles

Rita Purdeen-Nandlal

"There were many competing priorities with work and study, however the Global MBA's flexibility, module structure and tutor support really helped me to plan ahead and balance this."

Read more about Rita

Sarah Phibbs

"The global programme appealed to me, interacting with people from all over the world with a diversity of industry backgrounds and ideas"

Read more about Sarah

Sergio Pyles

"My Global MBA journey, crowned with the Best MBA Capstone Project prize, was made possible by the unwavering support of my family and encouragement from my company and colleagues. Achieving these personal and professional milestones couldn't be done without all the support I got and I feel really grateful for that."

Read more about Sergio
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Related courses

Related course
International Business Management
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Entry requirements

International qualifications and equivalences

How to apply

Application process

Apply directly for the MBA


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Tuition fees

Please see the fees note
Home (UK) distance learning
£14,400 ACCA member or £18,950 for a non ACCA member
International distance learning
£14,400 ACCA member or £18,950 for a non ACCA member
Home (UK) distance learning
£14,800 ACCA member or £19,500 for a non ACCA member
International distance learning
£14,800 ACCA member or £19,500 for a non ACCA member

Questions about fees?

Contact Student Finance on:

financefees@brookes.ac.uk

Tuition fees

2024 / 25
Home (UK) distance learning
£14,400 ACCA member or £18,950 for a non ACCA member
International distance learning
£14,400 ACCA member or £18,950 for a non ACCA member
2025 / 26
Home (UK) distance learning
£14,800 ACCA member or £19,500 for a non ACCA member
International distance learning
£14,800 ACCA member or £19,500 for a non ACCA member

Questions about fees?

Contact Student Finance on:

+44 (0)1865 534400

financefees@brookes.ac.uk

Fees quoted are the full price of the course.

The following factors will be taken into account by the University when it is setting the annual fees: inflationary measures such as the retail price indices, projected increases in University costs, changes in the level of funding received from Government sources, admissions statistics and access considerations including the availability of student support. 

How and when to pay

Tuition fee instalments for the semester are due by the Monday of week 1 of each semester. Students are not liable for full fees for that semester if they leave before week 4. If the leaving date is after week 4, full fees for the semester are payable.

  • For information on payment methods please see our Make a Payment page.
  • For information about refunds please visit our Refund policy page

The programme fee for September 2024 and March 2025 entry is £18,950.

The fees quoted are the full price of the course. Payment can be made in four instalments.

ACCA members receive credit for the Accounting and Finance module and an elective module. As such ACCA members can complete the programme in 18 – 24 months. ACCA members are not interviewed as part of the admission process.

The programme fee for ACCA members starting in September 2024 is £14,400.

The programme fee for ACCA members starting September 2024 and March 2025 entry is £14,400.

The fees quoted are the full price of the course. Payment can be made in two instalments.

Additional costs

Please be aware that some courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees. Specific additional costs for this course are detailed below.

Funding your studies

Financial support and scholarships

Featured funding opportunities available for this course.

Postgraduate Master's Loan - England

Global Diversity Scholarships

The Global Diversity Scholarship for the Oxford Brookes Global MBA programme aims to support those who are based in lower-income countries, to provide enhanced opportunities and to celebrate the truly global reach of our MBA programme.

They are offered to all students who live and work in specific countries based on the UN Development Index and World Bank NI data (PDF).

The value of the Global Diversity Scholarship is £4,000 for Full Programme students or £1,500 for ACCA students (note that the ACCA route is only open to ACCA members who have completed all papers). 

Global Healthcare Scholarships

This scholarship is for prospective students working in the global healthcare sector. It builds on the programme’s growing intake of students from healthcare organisations and recognises the global importance of advancing the healthcare sector. For the purpose of deciding who qualifies, the healthcare sector is defined as all medical/healthcare services providers such as hospitals, hospices, care homes, clinics, as well as all medicine/drug developers and manufacturers; it also includes related research. We are aware that global healthcare can take many forms, so if you don't fall within those two broad categories but think you might qualify, please contact us to discuss.

There are also University Discounts available for certain groups. 

All financial support and scholarships

View all funding opportunities for this course

Information from Discover Uni

Part-time study

Part-time study

Part-time study

Programme changes:
On rare occasions we may need to make changes to our course programmes after they have been published on the website. For more information, please visit our changes to programmes page.