MBA Master of Business Administration (Executive)

If you’re in full-time employment and aiming for a senior management role, the Executive Master of Business Administration qualification could be for you. This stimulating course explores the skills required to tackle large-scale, strategic business challenges, giving you the opportunity to grow as a leader in almost any field.

Master of Business Administration (Executive)

Key information

Award:

MBA

Mode of Study:

Part-time

Duration:

36 months

Location:

University of Bolton

Start date:

29/01/2024, 23/09/2024

Course Details

This course is designed to help full-time business professionals prepare to become senior managers. Whatever sector you currently work in, this enriching MBA programme will help you understand the problems and challenges facing enterprises and organisations – and identify potential solutions.

The aim is to stretch your management competencies into new areas of potential responsibility. The syllabus incorporates vital skills that can be applied in almost any business, such as building a thorough knowledge of an organisation and its leadership; developing creative and systematic approaches to underlying business issues; and understanding how business and management practices can be improved.

This part-time three-year programme is designed to dovetail with the demands of a full-time job. The course runs on one evening a week from 6pm to 9pm. Learning is supported via interactive in-class sessions and independent study. Course materials are available online, so you can prepare work at home, ensuring that in-class learning is highly interactive.

Highlights
  • This MBA course offers you the chance to join a well-established postgraduate community and study alongside fellow professionals aiming for a career in executive management.
  • Teaching and supervision is delivered by a dedicated team of experienced and well-qualified staff.
  • The University’s excellent libraries, 24/7 IT facilities, WiFi and learning areas are freely available for your use.
  • You'll be given access to a research methods module that will assist in your studies.
  • Successful completion of the Executive MBA may entitle you to be considered for the CMI’s Level 7 Diploma in Strategic Management and Leadership (though this will incur additional voluntary costs).
Key Features
  • You’ll have the opportunity to develop your knowledge and understanding of strategic management issues.
  • You’ll have the chance to expand your research and analysis skills and use them to prepare your masters level dissertation.
  • Teaching is conducted by a highly dedicated team, with specialist knowledge in a wide range of subject areas and close links to business and industry.
Professional recognition

Graduates of this Executive MBA may be eligible for a dual award from the CMI - the CMI’s Level 7 Diploma in Strategic Management & Leadership.


  • You should have both of the following: significant work experience in a business or management capacity; and a UK Honours degree/postgraduate degree (or equivalent) in a relevant subject.
  • We’ll consider your application if you don’t possess the above qualifications but have substantial managerial experience.
  • We'll consider applications where appropriate work experience can be demonstrated in lieu of, or in addition to, the published academic qualifications in line with the University’s Recognition of Prior Experiential Learning (RPEL) procedures.
  • You may be required to attend an interview and/or provide a portfolio of work.
  • When applying you must include a reference from your current employer. The reference should clearly state how long you have been employed by them and give a breakdown of your job content and roles and responsibilities.
  • Your application form must be accompanied by a reflective overview of the managerial responsibilities you have undertaken to date.
  • If English isn’t your first language, you’ll also need IELTS 6.0 with no less than 5.5 in any band (or equivalent). We also accept a range of other English language qualifications – please visit our English Language Requirements web page for more details.

Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.


No matter what part of industry or commerce you work in, the Executive MBA course will assist you in gaining a critical understanding of the problems and challenges facing enterprises and organisations and equip you with the analytical and critical faculties to identify potential solutions.

An MBA is usually undertaken as a means to progress your career. For some, the objective is to become a general manager and leader, while for others, the motivation is to switch sectors, develop a specialism further or prepare for a new business start-up. Businesses, from tiny start-ups to large companies, need someone with experience and the necessary education to support common business processes like accounting, finance, human resources, marketing, public relations, sales, and management.

What can I do with this qualification?

While an MBA often appeals to people wanting to switch industries, an Executive MBA can attract those who want to progress, graduating from middle manager to a more senior management role. A wide range of employers – financial institutions, technology companies, blue-chip companies and SMEs – recruit Executive MBA graduates. The universal appeal stems from the focus on collective business principles.

Popular options for Executive MBA graduates include management consultancy, marketing and supply chain management. It can also help you specialise in your current sector or a new industry you want to move into.

Alternative career options

Graduates can also use this qualification as a stepping-stone into various other careers. Some of these roles may require relevant experience and/or postgraduate. Some possibilities include:

  • Hotel and leisure management
  • Public relations
  • Financial management
  • Information systems
  • Market research analysis
  • Product management
  • Health policy and information
  • Purchasing
  • Teaching and education
  • Media (TV, film, online, newspaper, magazine)
  • Advertising
  • Self-employment
  • Logistics
  • Banking
  • Auditing and quality assurance
  • Project management
  • Risk and insurance
  • FMCG

Course fees

Home students starting this course in the first year will be required to pay a Home fee of £3,000 per academic credit, for the academic year 2023/24.

Overseas students starting this course in the first year will be required to pay a Overseas fee of £4,817 per academic credit, for the academic year 2023/24.

Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2023-2024 academic year: EU nationals who meet residency requirements (have settled or pre-settled status) may be eligible for 'Home' fee status. If you do not meet these residency requirements, overseas fees will apply. Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for 'Home' fee status under the Common Travel Area arrangement. Please read the student finance for EU students web page on www.gov.uk for information.

The fees for a student's course of study will be set for the normal duration of that course subject only to inflationary increases – measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded in March each year to take effect for subsequent start dates.

Bursaries

Click here for more information on our Master's Bursaries.


For details of how to apply for this course, please choose your status from the options below:

You may apply directly to the University using the University's online application form. Please select your chosen start date from the list below:

You should have to hand:

  • Details of the educational establishments you attended and dates

  • Your certificates for the qualifications you are using to gain entry to the course – you will need to enter the completion date and upload copies

  • Details of any employment history including name, address, dates and role

  • Personal statement – this can be either input into the relevant field or uploaded separately

  • Details including e-mail addresses of two referees, at least one of which should be someone who can provide an academic reference

Please make sure any documents you wish to upload in support of your application are in pdf or jpeg format. Personal statements may be word documents.

Please ensure your data is correct at each stage of the application before you proceed to the next page. If you use the back button at any time during the application, you should check the validity of the data you have already input.

If you experience difficulties during the application process, contact the Admissions Team on 01204 903394 or admissions@bolton.ac.uk

International applications are not possible for this course

As an international student you are not allowed to study this course because of the restrictions on your visa.

We offer a wide range of full-time courses in lots of different subjects, many of our courses start in September and January. If you would like to see what courses are available please visit our Course Search.


A variety of teaching and learning strategies are used throughout the programme to help you acquire and develop appropriate concepts, knowledge and skills. These include lectures, seminars, tutorials and workshops. You’ll also be expected to spend a significant amount of time in guided independent study, such as general background reading, preparing for seminar activities and working on assignments.

The types of assessment you’ll be required to complete fall into two general categories, formative and summative. Formative assessments do not contribute to your overall module grade, but they are an integral part of the learning strategy for a module and you are required to complete them. They’ll be marked and you will receive feedback on your level of achievement.

Summative assessments will contribute to your overall module grade. You’ll also receive feedback on them so that you know where you’ve done well and where you can improve.

There are several different kinds of formative and summative assessments, including coursework (usually essays); reports/case studies; oral presentations; research proposal; and the dissertation.

Modules

The modules listed below may be a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules shown as part of the course.

  • Financial Management and Decision Making
  • Leadership and Management
  • Sales Management and Marketing
  • Change Management
  • Human Resource Management
  • Strategic Management
  • Research Methods
  • Dissertation
Assessment methods
LevelAssesment method
Level oneCoursework 100%
Learning activities
LevelLearning activity
Level oneGuided independent study 90%, Scheduled learning and teaching activities 10%

Disclaimer

The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory and academic reasons. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.

The academic staff detailed above teach across a range of courses in this subject area and may not teach on this course specifically.

Programme Contacts

Carol Brown
Programme Leader

Carol.Brown@bolton.ac.uk

+44 (0)1204 903775

Enquiry Team
University of Bolton

enquiries@bolton.ac.uk

+44 (0)1204 903903

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