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Global Business Operations - MSc

Currently viewing course to start in 2025/26 Entry.

Business Operations Management is a very popular management subject and leads to highly valued roles within the global job market due to the increasingly high value placed on it by industry. It exists in every business no matter the size and industry, and it plays a key role directly affecting business performance and global economics....

  • Level Postgraduate Taught
  • Study mode Full Time

This course is:

Open to International Students

Overview

Business Operations Management is a very popular management subject and leads to highly valued roles within the global job market due to the increasingly high value placed on it by industry.

It exists in every business no matter the size and industry, and it plays a key role directly affecting business performance and global economics. For example, as retail businesses transform their practices in the digital era with online shopping, the logistics industry is currently experiencing huge growth which is forecast to continue well into the future.

Professional Placement option

For our Global Business Operations degree, you will have the opportunity to take the Professional Placement version of the course, which is offered as an alternative to the standard version of the course.

This will allow you to complete a credit bearing, 20 week Professional Placement as an integral part of your Master’s Degree. The purpose of the Professional Placement is to improve your employability and transferable skills. The placement experience will allow you to evidence your professional skills, attitudes and behaviours at the point of entry to the postgraduate job market.

You will be responsible for finding and securing your own placement. The University, however, will draw on its extensive network of local, regional and national employers to support you in finding a suitable placement to complement your chosen area of study, with support from our Careers+ team as well as advice and guidance from your School.

Please note that placements will only be confirmed following a competitive, employer-led selection process, therefore the University will not be able to guarantee placements for students who have registered for the ‘with Professional Placement’ course.

Learn more about the Professional Placement route.

This course is open to International students.

What's covered in this course?

The MSc in Global Business Operations course will provide you with the academic and practical expertise to help you develop an exciting professional future in this high demand industry. Combining theory and practical application this course follows a “practice-oriented” approach to equip you with the most up-to-date knowledge and tools currently used in business practice, by covering multiple aspects such as operations management, supply network, finance management, procurement, warehousing, outsourcing, transportation, strategy, digital supply chains, ethics, governance and sustainability.

The course will enable you to develop your personal capabilities and competencies of critical thinking, creativity, professional communication, presentation and teamwork. Industry speakers, field trips, live projects in collaboration with real businesses and skills in leading edge business software tools will be embedded in the course to enable you to create a robust and competitive CV that will allow you to apply for the job or role you aspire to.

Your future career could be in areas such as operations, supply chain management and logistics leading to jobs such as Supply Chain Manager, Operations Manager, Warehouse/Inventory Manager, Logistics Clerk, Purchasing Officer, Supply Chain Analyst to name but a few. Graduates have the potential to attain very senior positions in this industry such as CSCO (Chief Supply Chain Officer) and COO (Chief Operating Officer) which receive very attractive salaries.

Significant evidence identifies operations, supply chain and logistics specialists as important future roles which are in high demand by industries, yet there is still significant shortage of these skills and talents in the market. This course provides an opportunity for you to join the industry at an exciting time, with a practice-based qualification that gives you the skills and competencies to perform successfully.

Why Choose Us?

  • Guest speakers from industry
  • Access to real world business-based case studies
  • Field trips to businesses (for example Jaguar Land Rover, John Lewis, ASDA) available to give you experience of global business operations
  • Following graduation, you will have the opportunity to apply for STEAMhouse Business Incubator membership.
  • Practice based teaching principles will give you insights and experience of real businesses to learn exactly what their needs are and what methods and techniques they are currently using
  • Research informed teaching principles will ensure you learn the most up to date knowledge
  • You will study in our state-of-the-art City Centre Campus in the UK’s second city.
  • You will work alongside other international students giving a real experience of what it is like to work and collaborate with your peers.
  • You’ll be taught by highly qualified module tutors with significant professional practice experience of a range of management and global business roles.

OPEN DAY

Join us for a virtual Open Day where you'll be able to learn about this course in detail. Booking isn't open yet for this event, register your interest and we’ll email you as soon as booking goes live.

Next Event: 5 February 2025

Register your interest

Entry Requirements

Essential requirements

We require one of the following:

Essential Requirements
Essential - Entry to Stage One

An honours degree of a British University or equivalent institution (minimum 2:2)

An equivalent graduate level qualification from an overseas university or equivalent institution (minimum 2:2)

A pre-masters programme approved by Birmingham City University

A pre-masters programme with a minimum of 55% average

Other qualifications will be considered on a case by case basis.

Additional information for EU/International students
Essential

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.

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.

Other accepted qualifications Visit our English language page

If you have a qualification that is not listed, please contact us.

Fees & How to Apply

Please select your student status to view fees and apply
  • UK Student
  • International Student

UK students

Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament. View fees for continuing students.

Award: MSc

Starting: Sep 2025

  • Mode
  • Duration
  • Fees
  • Full Time
  • 1 Year
  • £10,820 in 2025/26
  • Full Time
  • 18 Months (Professional Placement)
  • £11,900 in 2025/26

International students

Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament. View fees for continuing students.

Award: MSc

Starting: Sep 2025

  • Mode
  • Duration
  • Fees
  • Full Time
  • 1 Year
  • £18,600 in 2025/26
  • Full Time
  • 18 Months (Professional Placement)
  • £20,460 in 2025/26

Access to computer equipment

You will require use of a laptop, and most students do prefer to have their own. However, you can borrow a laptop from the university or use one of our shared computer rooms.

Printing

You will receive £5 print credit in each year of your course, available after enrolment.

Field trips

All essential field trips and associated travel costs will be included in your course fees.

Access to Microsoft Office 365

Every student at the University can download a free copy of Microsoft Office 365 to use whilst at university and for 18 months after graduation.

Key software

You will be able to download SPSS and Nvivo to your home computer to support with your studies and research.

Key subscriptions

Subscriptions to key journals and websites are available through our library.

Specialist software

You will be able to access free licences for specialist software such as Witness Class.

Free Adobe Creative Cloud licence

Students studying on this course can request a free licence to install the entire suite of applications on up to two personal devices.

Excess printing (optional)

Once you have spent your £5 credit, additional printing on campus costs from 5p per sheet.

Personal stationery and study materials (optional)

Based on the past experience of our students, you might find it helpful to set aside about £30 for each year of your studies for your personal stationery and study materials.

Placement expenses (optional)

If you choose to undertake a placement, you'll need to budget for accommodation and any travel costs you may incur whilst living or working away from home.

Field trips (optional)

This course includes the option of additional trips that may enhance your experience, at extra cost. In recent years 15 students have gone to Tennent Brewery in Glasgow, a trip costing around £225 per person.

Accommodation and living costs (optional)

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.

Personal statement

You’ll need to submit a personal statement as part of your application for this course. This will need to highlight your passion for postgraduate study – and your chosen course – as well as your personal skills and experience, academic success, and any other factors that will support your application for further study.

If you are applying for a stand alone module, please include the title of the module you want to study in your Personal Statement.

Not sure what to include? We’re here to help – take a look at our top tips for writing personal statements and download our free postgraduate personal statement guide for further advice and examples from real students.

Course in Depth

Year One

In order to complete this course you must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 180 credits):

Professional Placement Year

In order to complete this course with a Professional Placement you must successfully complete all of the above modules in addition to the below (totalling 240 credits):

Download course specification

Download now

Employability

International

Welcome to Birmingham City University, home to students from over 70 countries all around the world!

Our Business 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.

International Services

Our international pages contain a wealth of information for international students who are considering applying to study here, including:

The University is conveniently placed, with Birmingham International Airport nearby and first-rate transport connections to London and the rest of the UK.

Facilities & Staff

Curzon facilities eatery
Curzon facilities staircase
Curzon facilities student hub

Our Facilities

We are constantly investing in our estate and have spent £400 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 and Business 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 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
  • Accessible IT facilities with full Office365 for all students for free
  • Shared facilities with the wider campus including the Parkside Building and Millennium Point

Our staff

Dr Shishank Shishank

Associate Professor in Digital Transformation and Operations Management

Dr Shishank is an Associate Professor in Digital Transformation and Operations Management at Birmingham City University. Dr Shishank brings industry experience to his role having undertaken project management position in an Oil company before joining the University to pursue his MSc degree. He has also worked as an operations and strategy...

More about Shishank