Multi-Unit Leadership and Strategy - MSc
- Level: Postgraduate Taught
- Starting: October 2020
- Study mode: Part Time
- Location: City Centre
Studying with us in 2020/21
While the majority of our teaching will be carried out face-to-face this year, you will be taught as part of a blended learning approach. This means that you will have a mix of on-campus and online learning. Find out more about learning and teaching in 2020/21.
This course is only available to those already working in Multi-Unit Leader roles and who have completed the Postgraduate Diploma
Designed specifically for those already working in multi-unit leadership roles, this course builds on the knowledge gained from the postgraduate diploma in Multi-unit leadership and helps you to develop a deeper understanding of multi-unit leadership and strategy.
Our partnerships with multi-site clients such as Premier Inn, Saint-Gobain and Greene King, as well as our expert staff and visiting industry experts, ensure this course provides fresh and cutting-edge information.
What's covered in the course?
We’ll look at the five key attributes of effective multi-site managers – expertise, emotional intelligence, entrepreneurialism, energy and ethics.
You’ll explore staff deployment and use of capacity, as well as devising exciting business strategies and showing great self-awareness. As a multi-unit manager, you’ll be responsible for a number of branch managers and staff, so you must possess a strong amount of trustworthiness and a good moral compass. You’ll also be responsible for helping keep customers happy and sales high, so a strong knowledge of what customers want, alongside a drive to succeed, is highly desirable.
Businesses need to change and adapt to move with the times, so this course will also provide a critical understanding of how to lead change, ensuring you make the right decisions that guarantee a good transition for a business.
A business thrives on cost, speed, quality, safety, dependability and flexibility. These key areas will be explored, and you’ll become an expert at ensuring these topics are used effectively in an everyday business environment.
You’ll study at our new £63 million development, The Curzon Building, which opens its doors in September 2015 and boasts a richly stocked library filled with physical and electronic resources, a new Students’ Union and student support facilities. You’ll be taught by staff with extensive industry experience.
Why Choose Us?
- Our course enables you to become a highly effective multi-unit manager.
- With a wide range of professional accreditations, excellent industry links and a practice-based approach to learning, we’re committed to enhancing your career.
- The University is an active research centre, and the latest Research Excellence Framework 2014 report found that we’ve doubled the amount of staff producing internationally recognised research.
- You’ll work in our new, cutting-edge facility, The Curzon Building, which opened in September 2015 becoming a focal point of the City Centre campus and a hub for all of our student support service.
Find out more
Open Days
Our Open Day for this course will take place in Spring 2021. Register now and we will contact you when the booking form goes live.
Register your interest
This course is open to International students
Discover Birmingham City Business School
Visit our School site for more student work and extra information.
*Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey 2016
Entry Requirements
UK students
| Essential | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Applicants must have successfully completed the Postgraduate Diploma in Multi-Unit Leadership and Strategy and interview. |
EU / International students
| English language requirements 2020/21 | ||
|---|---|---|
| IELTS | 6.0 overall with 5.5 minimum in all bands | |
| Other accepted qualifications | Visit our English language page | |
- No English certificate is required for applicants from countries that appear on our English exemption list. Please contact the International Office for this list.
International Students
Don't meet our entry requirements? You could apply for courses at our International College.
- UK/EU students
- International students
Award: MSc
Starting: Oct 2020
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Part Time
- 9 months
-
TBC
Award: MSc
Starting: Oct 2020
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Part Time
- 9 months
-
TBC
The University reserves the right to increase fees in line with inflation based on the Retail Prices Index or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament up to a maximum of five per cent.
Fees/application information
This course is only available on a bespoke group basis, eg for a group of individuals from the same organisation.
Fees are agreed with the sponsoring company.
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
Course Structure
You'll study part-time over nine months. There will be five supervisor review sessions, as well as a lot of self-study. To be considered for entry, you must have completed your postgraduate diploma in Multi-Unit Leadership and Strategy.
The course is assessment-based and will consist of a research proposal of 3,500 words, a literature review of 2,500 words and your final report, which will be 12,000 words in length. There will also be a presentation and a Q & A session, which will take approximately one hour.
Enhancing employability skills
The course is a chance for you to expand upon your current skillset, honing your skills and improving your understanding of how a successful multi-unit manager works.
We have a number of partnerships with multi-site clients, including Premier Inn, Mecca Bingo, Hungry Horse and Jewson. This ensures we produce successful managers and provide them with contemporary ideas and fresh insight.
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.
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
Professor Chris Edger
Professor of Multi-Unit Leadership
Professor Chris Edger holds the chair of Multi-Unit Leadership at Birmingham City Business School (BCBS), Birmingham City University. He has also taught at the University of Birmingham and the Warwick Business School, where he was the winner of several teaching excellence awards on the Warwick MBA Programme.