Executive Master of Business Administration - MBA
- Level: Postgraduate Taught
- Starting: September 2021
- Study mode: Part Time
- Location: City Centre
Studying with us in 2021/22
It is possible that the 2021/22 academic year may be affected by the ongoing disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Any arrangements put in place by the University for the 2021/22 academic year will be in accordance with the latest government public health advice, pandemic-related/health and safety legislation, and the terms and conditions of the student contract.
This course has recently been updated. Please download the course specification for the up to date information.
Do you want to study an MBA in Birmingham? Accelerate your career and build your development towards higher positions of responsibility with our Executive Master of Business Administration course.
This course will provide a thorough look at different aspects of management, decision-making, strategy and organisational improvement. It is delivered on a part-time basis so that you can continue with your career as you add to your knowledge, competence and credibility.
What's covered in the course?
This is a chance for you to self- manage your learning, developing your leadership abilities by drawing on your real-life knowledge and skills. You will gain invaluable business insight, combined with consultancy, which are key points when it comes to rising up the career ladder. Throughout the course, what you study will mirror the challenges today’s businesses face, helping you deliver appropriate and modern solutions for your organisations.
There are also plenty of networking opportunities available with course colleagues, allowing you to keep in contact with the postgraduate community created in the Business School. We ensure the course is flexible enough to substantially fit around work. Modules are a mixture of classroom and blended online learning, and client-based consultancy, with the whole course being practice-based. Classroom attendance is scheduled for a Friday and Saturday once a month, allowing it to better fit with work and personal commitments.
Why Choose Us?
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Our Executive MBA is taught by experts who have experience of working in a wide variety of roles in companies ranging from Zurich International Solutions, JP Morgan and Barclays to Maersk Line, Aviva, Hertz, Ford and The Children’s Society.
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As part of your degree you will gain the opportunity to work on live client projects undertaken with both SMEs and high profile companies.
- This course is designed for managers returning to education. It has exit routes at the Certificate and Diploma stages.
- The part-time block and blended delivery of the course ensures you can substantially work in your own time, without sacrificing too much work and personal commitments.
- The course is also a means to progress to doctoral study. Both PhD and DBA courses are offered by Birmingham City Business School.
- You will be able to work on exciting projects for real-life clients through our Business Advice Centre, giving you exposure to the challenges and issues faced by businesses as well as the chance to develop successful solutions. Opportunities are available with local, regional, national and even global businesses such as BMW.
- The Centre also offers expert support for your own entrepreneurial ideas, so you can start planning your own start-up or take your existing business to the next level. Following graduation, you will have the opportunity to apply for STEAMhouse Business Incubator membership.
Find out more
Similar Courses
Open Days
Attending one of our Virtual Open Days is a great way to find out more about the courses we offer and get answers to any questions you might have. Our next postgraduate Virtual Open Day is taking place on Wednesday 28 April.
Book now
This course is open to International students
New £11,222 postgraduate loans
You may be able to take advantage of the government’s plans to make loans of up to £11,222 available for postgraduate study.
Entry Requirements
Essential Requirements
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An honours degree or equivalent qualification. |
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If you do not have a degree you could still be considered through our APEL procedure which looks for evidence of being able to benefit from, and succeed on the programme through your management experience. |
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You should also occupy (or have occupied) a position of management responsibility for a minimum of three years. |
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Additional information for EU/International students
| Essential | ||
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Applications from international applicants with equivalent qualifications are welcome. Please see your country page for further details on the equivalent qualifications we accept. In additional to the academic entry requirements listed above, international and EU students will also require the qualifications detailed in this table. |
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| English language requirements 2020/21 | ||
| IELTS |
6.0 overall with 5.5 minimum in all bands If you do not meet the required IELTS score, you may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English courses. Please note that you must have a Secure English Language Test (SELT) to study on the pre-sessional English course. More information. |
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| Other accepted qualifications | Visit our English language page | |
International Students
Don't meet our entry requirements? You could apply for courses at our International College.
- UK students
- International students
Award: MBA
Starting: Sep 2021
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Part Time
- 2 Years
- Show fees
- Year 1 (80 credits) £4,000
- Year 2 (100 credits) £5,000
Fees for Part-time students
This course can be studied on a Part-time study basis. The cost per year of study is based on credit requirements for that year as shown here.
Award: MBA
Starting: Sep 2021
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Part Time
- 2 Years
- Show fees
- Year 1 (80 credits) £6,000
- Year 2 (100 credits) £7,500
Fees for Part-time students
This course can be studied on a Part-time study basis. The cost per year of study is based on credit requirements for that year as shown here.
If you're unable to use the online form for any reason, you can complete our PDF application form and equal opportunities PDF form instead.
Personal statement
Students are required to submit a personal statement as part of their application for this course.
Your postgraduate personal statement is going to shine a light on your personal experience, academic success, personal skills and any other factors that will support your application for further study.
Here are the key areas you’ll need to address:
Your passion and motivations
Studying a postgraduate course usually means you want to specialise in something. So what’s driving you?
Why this course?
Show that you’ve researched the course offering. What is it about this particular course that appeals to you? Is it the lecturers? The modules? Etc.
What makes you a good postgraduate candidate?
Tutors want to know that you can handle postgraduate study, so show them how your undergraduate experiences or work life has equipped you for a more advanced level of study. Key areas to address are research and group work but this can vary depending on your chosen course.
Relevant academic or work experience
Add anything relevant that relates back to your chosen course and shows how your skills will contribute towards your learning. What extra-curricular activities have you taken part in? What awards have you won? What employment or voluntary experience do you have that has helped you develop transferable skills? How do these specifically relate to the course you are applying for?
You should also mention your future plans and how a postgraduate qualification fits in. Try to look beyond your postgraduate study – do you plan to jump straight into a specific career or follow your studies with a research degree? Lastly, use plain, professional English and, where possible, utilise the language of your chosen industry.
Get more information on writing personal statements.
Additional costs
While there are no additional costs associated with purchasing text books, there may be other costs to you. If you are joining the course which has a professional body accreditation you may be required to pay membership or examination costs. For details of these costs, please click on the link below.
Based on the past experience of our students, you might find it helpful to set aside about £50 for each year of your studies for your personal stationery and study materials. All our students are provided with 100 free pages of printing each year to a maximum total value of £15.
Find additional costs for your course
Accommodation and living costs
The cost of accommodation and other living costs are not included within your course fees. More information on the cost of accommodation can be found in our accommodation pages.
Financial Support
We offer further information on possible postgraduate financial support. This includes the type of loans, grants and scholarships available both from the government and from Birmingham City University.
Did you know that you will soon be able to apply for a postgraduate loan of up to £1,222 for some courses and options?
Modules
In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 180 credits):
How You Learn
Modules are a mixture of classroom and blended online learning with the whole course being practice-based.
In addition to the classroom and blended learning, you will need to devote your own study time when this works for you or in conjunction with small groups of colleagues for some modules.
Student Quotes
Here are just a few quotes from successful graduates of our Executive MBA course.
“The Executive MBA experience at Birmingham City University has helped me better frame what I know, and understand more of what others know. It continues to help me make better decisions and choices as a result of seeing things from new and different perspectives. I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge and it was worth the commitment.”
Colette Simonczyk MBA
Tenant Services Manager, The Wrekin Housing Trust
“The Executive MBA course at Birmingham City University has provided me with an extremely powerful platform to achieve my career aspirations. The hard work and effort I exerted into the programme has paid dividends in my professional career, and the letters ‘MBA’ confirm significant meaning in business management world-wide.”
Matt Fraser MBA
Environmental Manager, Jaguar Land Rover
“Working, whilst studying the Executive MBA at Birmingham City University, allowed me to apply the theories learnt in the classroom to my organisation and gain valuable insight into the company and its workings. Although the commitment required to complete this is challenging it has proved to be an invaluable asset as it has led to my progression in the company. I found the tutors to be professional and constructive, with a wealth of knowledge and practitioner experience which immensely added to the entire experience”
Lee Jesic MBA
Senior Design Engineer, Kuka Systems
"Finding mentors with strong business management experience who could help me understand and practice dynamic management relevant to high performance organisations was a daunting task, especially coming from a disadvantaged background. The Executive MBA at Birmingham City University gave me an outstanding opportunity to learn about and practice advanced competence enabling me to deliver it at higher levels in the extremely demanding world of business leadership and management. Armed with the acquired and practiced learning, I can see the greater contributions I am now making to my organisations and how this is helping me transform my life."
Tichaona Dauramanzi MBA
Entrepreneur
Further Study
Possibilities for further study with Birmingham City Business School include MPhil, DBA and PhD options.
Campus Tours - Postgraduate
Didn't make it to an Open Day? You still have the opportunity to come and see what our postgraduate courses have to offer. If you would like to enquire about campus tour availability, just drop us an email.
Enhance your managerial career
Unlike undergraduate degrees, which are designed to get students into industry, our MBA degrees are aimed at existing industry professionals looking to climb further up the career ladder.
Companies around the world are now looking for a different kind of manager. They need people with different skillsets that can look at situations and opportunities in
unique ways. Our MBA degrees will give you the tools to stand out from the rest.
Upon completion, you will be able to effect positive change, both in your own professional practice, and within your organisation. On a personal level, you’ll be able to utilise new skills and methods to improve your efficiency, your critical engagement, and your ability to instigate change.
Successful improvements in your personal professional practice will then benefit your organisation. The MBA degree alone can open doors, but the possibilities opened to you by utilising your skills to improve your organisation are even more impressive.
Already a managing director, in charge of your own company? The MBA degree can still benefit you internally and externally. The knowledge and skills you will pick up over the course of your degree can allow you to become an industry leader, growing your company’s reputation through innovation. The accompanying benefits of this could help cement your company’s industry position for years to come.
If you want to learn more about how an MBA degree from Birmingham City Business School could help improve your career prospects, contact Martin Eley or Tony Birch.
OpportUNIty
OpportUNIty: Student Jobs on Campus ensures that our students are given a first opportunity to fill many part-time temporary positions within the University. This allows you to work while you study with us, fitting the job around your course commitments. By taking part in the scheme, you will gain valuable experiences and employability skills, enhancing your prospects in the job market.
It will also allow you to become more involved in University life by delivering, leading and supporting many aspects of the learning experience, from administration to research and mentoring roles.
Our Graduates
Derrick Dunkley
Since graduating with an MBA, Derrick has contributed to and published international guidance and policies, and presented at international conferences in Asia, Europe and in The United States of America. He is now the Asset Management Development Manager for National Grid, and Chair of The Nuclear Sites Licence Provisions Group.
In 2012, Derrick became the first global recipient of the President’s Award for Asset Management by the Institute of Asset Managers, and recently became a finalist in the Black British Business Awards 2017 in the category of STEM Leader of the Year.
What our graduates say
“The Executive MBA experience at Birmingham City University has helped me better frame what I know, and understand more of what others know. It continues to help me make better decisions and choices as a result of seeing things from new and different perspectives. I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge and it was worth the commitment.”
Colette Simonczyk MBA, Tenant Services Manager, Wrekin Housing Trust.
Welcome to the Birmingham City Business School, home to students from over 70 countries all around the world!
Birmingham City Business School is one of the UK’s largest, most established and most respected business schools. Our programmes are practice based and many have an international focus, which means your course will be entirely relevant to today’s business world. Almost all of our courses, both at undergraduate and postgraduate level, are open to international students.
We also have links with universities across the world, including Europe, the USA, China, India and Malaysia.
Our international pages contain a wealth of information for international students who are considering applying to study here, including:
- Explore some of the good reasons why you should study here
- Find out how to improve your language skills before starting your studies
- Find all the information relevant to applicants from your country
- Learn where to find financial support for your studies
The University is conveniently placed, with Birmingham International Airport nearby and first-rate transport connections to London and the rest of the UK.
Birmingham City University International College (BCUIC)
International students who have a serious interest in studying with us but who perhaps cannot meet the direct entry requirements, academic or English, or who have been out of education for some time, can enter Birmingham City University International College (BCUIC) and begin their degree studies.
BCUIC is part of the global Navitas Group, an internationally recognised education provider, and the partnership allows students to access the University’s facilities and services and move seamlessly through to achieving a Bachelor’s degree from Birmingham City University.
Our Facilities
We are constantly investing in our estate and are currently in the process of spending £340 million on new learning facilities.
The Curzon Building
This course is based at our City Centre Campus – and specifically The Curzon Building, alongside other Social Sciences, Law, Business and English students.
The £63m building offers students a unique social learning space, including a dedicated student hub incorporating student support services, in the heart of Birmingham’s Eastside development.
The Business floors house an extensive number of IT facilities, breakout areas, and specialised rooms. The Marketing Link Agency is designed to replicate a modern marketing firm, allowing students to get real-life experience of working in the marketing sector. There is also the City Trading Room, which features state of the art stock market tracking equipment, keeping you up to date with all the financial comings and goings of the London Stock Exchange and Wall Street.
The Curzon building is also conveniently close to Birmingham’s business and financial centre, allowing for strong links between your studies and the real world.
The Curzon Building also features:
- An impressive new library with access to over 65 million full text items and stunning views of Eastside City Park
- Your Students’ Union which is located in a beautifully restored 19th century pub, The Eagle and Ball
- A modern 300-seat food court with space to study and socialise
- Brand new, accessible IT facilities with full Office365 for all students for free
- Shared facilities with the wider campus including the recently opened Parkside Building and Millennium Point
Dr Martyn Brown
Senior Lecturer in Organisation Studies and Coordinating Director of Post Graduate Framework Degrees
Dr Martyn Brown has a background in engineering but also spent four years as a professional musician. He has worked in engineering consultancy and events management in the voluntary sector and has carried out marketing consultancy on the West Bank. He holds an MBA from Aston University and a PhD examining the rise in interest in spirituality in the workplace.