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Introduction
Why choose this course?
Overview
The Oxford Brookes Global MBA is an accredited MBA for experienced managers and professionals, which develops your personal and professional expertise. You'll apply what you learn throughout your MBA as you focus on your current role and performance and how to further develop your future career.
We offer a highly flexible part-time MBA and you can choose to study fully online, mostly on-campus in Oxford, or, most likely, through a blend of both.
Each online module includes live, synchronous collaborative activities. In addition there are opportunities to engage with the wider MBA Community through extra-curricular webinars and other events. On-campus teaching is delivered in intensive block-weeks in the dedicated MBA room on Headington campus.
From the start we'll teach you how to critically analyse real-world cases and the fundamentals of virtual collaboration and teamwork. We'll encourage you to assess your career up to this point with an honest self-audit. With our support we will help you think about what you expect to get out of the MBA, and what you are able to put in.
Modules
Compulsory modules
Personal and Professional Development Parts 1 and 2
(Online and on-campus)
You will draw together the holistic MBA themes, supporting both personal and career development. You will develop personal action plans for your study and future development needs and review and reflect on the MBA learning as you progress through the programme.
Client Project
The Client project 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 common (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 to undertaking holistic and critical analysis of organisations and enterprises, 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, students will gain an understanding of how organisational design influences its success (as defined by its purpose) 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 both 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
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 intensive blocks)
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.
Professional Development Module
The core modules are complemented by a Professional Development module and career support to help you choose your pathway through the MBA and identify options for your future career beyond your MBA journey.
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.
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, taking Creating a New Business Venture is compulsory and you 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.
Optional modules
The Final MBA Project
Independent on 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.
Learning and teaching
We deliver learning online as well as face-to-face in intensive block weeks, so you can access the MBA from all corners of the world. This way of learning helps you to develop an entrepreneurial mindset.
You join a global community of professional MBA students, faculty and alumni in a flexible way. Ideas, resources, opportunities and innovative solutions arise from our collaborative, networked programme philosophy. These MBA networks remain important business and social networks beyond your time on the MBA programme.
The Oxford Brookes Global MBA provides you with the leadership skills, strategic thinking, and overall insights that you would expect to build. 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.
Entry Criteria
ENTRY REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
Home Office Share Code
For EU students only.
IF no Qualification
Please provide CV with at least 2 years of work experience, and employee reference letter.
Assessment
ASSESSMENT METHODS
1. INTERNAL ENGLISH TEST if you don't have an English accredited certificate
2. Academic Interview
Entry requirements
Specific entry requirements
Open to working professionals with a minimum of three-five years' relevant managerial or professional experience in the private, public or charitable sector.
Additionally, applicants will have:
 a good degree (or GPA equivalent) or relevant postgraduate/post-experience qualification from a recognised institution, or a professional qualification from an approved and recognised body which is equivalent to a degree;
 alternatively, it is possible to enter the MBA programme without a degree on the basis of a minimum of seven years' relevant managerial or professional experience.
 all applicants need two written references (normally one academic).
Selection process
Applicants will be invited for an online interview to establish whether there is a mutual fit. There is a short-track process for applicants who are ACCA-members, who do not require an interview.
Learning and assessment
The MBA syllabus has a range of compulsory MBA modules, covering all key aspects of business administration and management. While you study subjects separately, you learn how they link up in practice through engaging case studies and interactive activities. The Methods of Enquiry module focuses on critical thinking and research skills essential for your MBA studies and final project.
After these core modules, you choose two MBA elective modules. For the final stage of your MBA programme you have five options for your final MBA project to choose from: a dissertation, an individual consultancy project, a group consultancy project, a business start-up plan or a design project. Through the final project you connect the knowledge and expertise you have gained throughout the MBA by exploring an interest in depth.
Wherever you’re based in the world, we’ll make your study experience highly personal and supportive, and you will develop strong collaborative relationships with our MBA community of fellow students, alumni and academic tutors.
MBA modules are assessed in a range of formats, including (recorded) presentations, business reports and portfolios. All assessments are submitted remotely, unless they are part of an on-campus module.
The ‘capstone’ final project 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.
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.
Career Opportunities
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