University of Northampton Executive MBA, Part Time MBA
The University of Northampton Executive MBA is an 18 month Executive MBA degree that is carefully designed to offer in depth knowledge of all critical business areas and functions. This Executive MBA includes eight weekend workshops, taught LIVE by the University of Northampton Faculty. In addition, students have 24/7 access to course materials, online resources and UON’s extensive digital library.
This Executive MBA will enhance your business knowledge and understanding, helping working professionals develop research skills, analytical skills and leadership skills. Improve management practices and equip yourself with the comprehension, confidence and competence to assist your industry and your organisations. Learn to think laterally, challenge convention and offer practical, knowledge based solutions to business issues.
The UON Executive MBA method of teaching is participative, enabling participants to consider issues in an organisation wide or total business context. Skills in analysing business and organisational problems are emphasised, as is the ability to recognise and exploit opportunities. The development of strategies and plans for business or departmental improvement is a major theme. Considerable use of group case studies are used to emulate real business scenarios resulting in significant practical learning, that can immediately be implemented in your work life.
The programme has a combination of assessment involving practical work, essays, reports and case studies. The Business research project provides an opportunity to utilise what you’ve learnt in your own organisation, or one you’re familiar with, to address an actual business issue/problem. This project is also an opportunity to focus your learning on the business area that most interests you.
Benefits of an Executive MBA
A stimulating and intellectually demanding management postgraduate development programme, this 18 month Part time Executive MBA enhances the ability to apply knowledge, skills and analytical tools to increase performance effectiveness and efficiency.
Identify sustainable personal learning and development abilities beyond the provision of the programme, and develop transferable intellectual skills employees and peers can benefit from. Increase your career prospects globally by leveraging the international network of peers in your MBA cohort.
Career Path
The University of Northampton 18 month, Executive MBA program will teach the theory of effective management practice and equip students with the essential skills, confidence and competence to succeed and progress in any chosen industry.
MBA graduates hold C-level positions in primary industries.
Academic Progression after an Executive MBA
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Entry Requirements
Applicants will normally be expected to hold a first or second class honours degree from a British university or equivalent and must always have a minimum of 2 years relevant management experience.
Relevant management experience will normally include holding a formal managerial position which involves managing people, processes and resources.
During the application process you will be asked to provide evidence of the number of staff managed, your budget level responsibilities and other resources you have coordinated.
You will be asked to provide job descriptions and other relevant information to support your application.
Exceptionally, students may be admitted without degree qualifications so long as they have evidence of at least five years’ experience of management using the criteria above.
Competitive Strategy and Innovation
Successful organisations need to be flexible and adaptable to rapidly changing circumstances. For managers, this means being able to reconcile a diversity of strategic issues, no matter what their professional background. All managers need the capability to develop and interpret strategies for their organisations, both at corporate and business levels in order to seek competitive advantage in a fast‐changing world where innovation and adaptability are key strategic weapons.
Critical Issues in Business
This module is designed to provide participants with an introduction to study on the MBA programme by making explicit the pervasive issues in business to which they will return throughout their MBA and will examine in detail in the Business Research Project. The module takes a critical perspective throughout, and sets the standards expected and required for students as they progress.
Financial Decision Making
The module is designed to provide business leaders with strategic knowledge and capability in the concepts and applications of accounting, quantitative methods and management information, including the use of IT applications. The module will equip participants with skills which will enable their critical interpretation and interrogation of accounting and financial information in corporate decision making contexts.
Leadership in a changing context
The search for competitive advantage has highlighted an increased emphasis on effective leadership skills as a major contributor to the success of an organisation. Allied to this is the need for these leadership skills to be anchored in a global perspective. This module seeks to develop an understanding of different business cultures across the world and the impact this may have on effective leadership. It will assess the relevance of classical theory and explore modern research and perspectives to establish how organisations can balance leadership and a global perspective. There is a strong emphasis on developing personal adaptability in cross cultural work environments, synthesised with a rigorous understanding of what is required for global leadership aspirations.
Managing Operations and the Supply Chain
This module is designed to provide business leaders with strategic knowledge and capability in the concepts and applications of operations, supply chain management and project management. The module will equip participants with skills which will enable their critical interpretation and interrogation of the operation of organisations globally, providing them with the knowledge, understanding and skills necessary to operate effectively beyond the bounds of their own organizations in an era of increasing outsourcing activity and off-shoring of manufacturing and service provision. It enables participants to critically consider the workings of the whole supply chain, to coordinate and manage strategic decisions within their own organizations, and to manage relations effectively with internal and external stakeholders.
Operations and supply chain decisions often require numerical analysis and the application of quantitative techniques; hence the module will include appropriate numerical analysis and interpretation.
Managing Organisational Behaviour
This module equips managers with a thorough grounding in organisation theory, behaviour and HRM so as to develop their awareness of the processes and problems of general management at an operational and strategic level. Every organisation is made up of individuals whose behaviour, individually or collectively will impact on its ability to succeed. This module considers a range of theories, tools and techniques which will help participants to understand organisational environments and the impact on organisational behaviour.
Strategic Marketing
Strategic Marketing is an essential management & leadership competence to guide senior management in today’s increasingly dynamic & complex environment. The strategic marketing module will equip senior and aspiring senior managers with the skills to help shape organisational success. A cornerstone of this is the value of the leadership and planning of marketing activity.
To reflect the increasing business emphasis on practitioner perspectives. A key benefit of this MBA component is the embedding of a Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) professional qualification. The CIM Introductory Certificate will be an additional aspect of this module which will be made available to participants.
To reflect the increasing financial pressures on all elements of business to ‘pay their way’ there will be an increased emphasis on the justification of marketing strategy and related expenditure. ROI & other metrics will be considered as legitimate tools for benchmarking marketing success.
Strategic Marketing is a critical organisational mechanism for creating and sustaining superior performance in the marketplace. Significant focus will address the 2 central tenets of marketing strategy formulation:
- The identification of target markets.
- The creation of competitive advantage.
Moreover, the module will give participants a strategic perspective of marketing management with respect to the analysis, planning, implementation and control of marketing activities.
In the current international economic environment managers are frequently required to undertake project work in addition to their core responsibilities. Frequently these projects are focused upon investigating new opportunities or potential strategic changes in order to retain and extend competitive position within a turbulent business environment.
This module aims to equip managers and aspiring managers with the necessary skills to undertake independent project work within a business environment. It will achieve this via asking participants to conduct an independent piece of research based upon an actual business case situation which may be industry or specific corporate focused. Specifically, participants are invited to pursue one of two possible approaches:
- An inductive study whereby participants are required to carry out a research project within a particular corporate or industry setting and derive some general management principles or theories.
- A deductive approach whereby participants are required to examine or test the validity of an existing management theory to a particular management context.
*Information correct at time of publishing this page, but may be subject to change by the university.
