Strategic Management MSc
Course code: MN2AJ (required to complete application form)
Steering organisations to success in this turbulent 21st century is no mean feat, and requires a person that can ensure a company continues to adapt and thrive as the environment changes. This online MSc aims to make you that person. As you’ll probably be a busy senior executive or middle manager in the UK or overseas, you’ll want a qualification that can be completed in your spare time and that doesn’t restrict your life. And that’s exactly why an online masters is ideal for you.
Prepare to move into senior management
Moving up the management scale in any organisation requires you to become more strategic in your outlook, and to have an awareness of the wider issues at play. This MSc Strategic Management helps you develop these qualities.
Build up qualifications as you study – not just at the end
We've designed this course so that it's flexible to suit you. It will take you 26 months to study for the full MSc, depending on how much learning you can fit in around your other commitments. You gain a PG Certificate after 4 modules, a PG Diploma after 8 modules and the full Masters after 9 modules and an Independent Study. So if you really can’t complete the full programme, you can still gain an award and recognition for your work.
Studying online gives you the flexibility to study at the most convenient time and place for you. Course modules still operate within a fixed semester or term time, but you can choose to study during the day, in the evenings or at the weekend rather than having to attend fixed lectures.
Course Length:
Up to 2 years part time study
Start Dates:
September, January and May
Entry Requirements:
You should normally have the following.
- An undergraduate degree (at least a 2:2) or equivalent professional qualifications/experience
- 2-3 years' relevant work experience.
If English is not your first language, you should also be able to demonstrate proficiency in English – for instance IELTS 6.0-6.5/ TOEFL 550-575 [PC213-232].
Fees:
| Per Module | Modules | Total | Start | |
| UK/EU | £525 | 12 | £6,300* | Sept/Jan/May |
| Overseas | £585 | 12 | £7,020* | Sept/Jan/May |
*Prices correct for 2012/2013. Subject to annual increase in September 2013.
New flexible payment plans available
Choose from three options:
- Pay only for the modules you are studying
- Pay your full course fees upfront and avoid annual increases
- Pay for all modules studied in the year and receive a 5% discount (September enrolment only)
Career Information:
The MSc Strategic Management will deliver the strategic capabilities for senior executives, prepare middle managers for the boardroom, develop skills and knowledge for career change managers and is ideal for middle managers in non-profit enterprises wishing to acquire competitive business skills and techniques.
Testimonials:
Washington Murungo from Zimbabwe, graduated from this course and works as a senior manager in the retail banking division of a large corporate bank, with responsibilities for service, operations, sales, and lending. He said:
“The 3 years of academic learning has been fruitful for me and I recommend others to take up strategic management as a course if they are to successfully drive their organisations forward in these turbulent times.”
Another graduate, Michael Karasavvas, said:
"The course gave me the skills and knowledge I needed to work in an international environment and taught me how to be effective and productive within an organisation. It embedded quality values through teaching and research, which I still practice in my current business activities.
“Derby gave me the education and attitude I needed to start my business career."
Course Leader:
Student Profile:
Washington Murungo from Zimbabwe, graduated from this course and works as a senior manager in the retail banking division of a large corporate bank, with responsibilities for service, operations, sales, and lending. He said:
“The 3 years of academic learning has been fruitful for me and I recommend others to take up strategic management as a course if they are to successfully drive their organisations forward in these turbulent times.”
Another graduate, Michael Karasavvas, said:
"The course gave me the skills and knowledge I needed to work in an international environment and taught me how to be effective and productive within an organisation. It embedded quality values through teaching and research, which I still practice in my current business activities.
“Derby gave me the education and attitude I needed to start my business career."
Career Information
The MSc Strategic Management will deliver the strategic capabilities for senior executives, prepare middle managers for the boardroom, develop skills and knowledge for career change managers and is ideal for middle managers in non-profit enterprises wishing to acquire competitive business skills and techniques.
Modules
Stage 1
Core Module
Being able to take an overview of business problem solving and decision making processes is necessary for a successful career in business management and administration. To make effective business decisions you need to be able to handle complex and unstructured material.
This module looks at the differing perspectives and theories among academics and practitioners in the field of strategy. It aims to give you a broad view and understanding of the strategic management process and how it can be applied to organisational and industrial contexts. It will also enhance your analytical, problem solving and decision making skills.
We will cover the following topics.
- Introduction and historical background of strategic management
- The various types of strategy organisations can adopt: Porter's generic strategies, strategic management in non-profit governmental organisations and in small firms.
- The process of preparing, writing and evaluating the business mission.
- The process of generating and selecting strategies via a strategy-formulation framework.
- The cultural and political aspects of strategy choice and the role of the Board of Directors.
- Objectives, policies and resource allocation.
- Management of conflict, structural and cultural issues, and the production, operations and human resource considerations when implementing strategies.
- The nature and role of strategy evaluation: a strategy evaluation framework and the importance of contingency planning.
- Global issues in strategic planning: global competition, cultural considerations, and conducting business with Triad and non-Triad nations.
How will I be assessed?
It’s 100% coursework. You will be asked to investigate and report on the strategic issues surrounding a complex organisation (preferably your own or if not, a case scenario) – minimum 3,000 words.
Credits: 15
Core Module
Total Quality Management (TQM) has grown in importance for Western organisations in recent years. The principles developed in post-war Japanese industries have now been adopted globally by major corporations such as Ford, IBM and Rank Xerox.
In this module you will examine the roots and history of TQM and the growth, development, and considerable expansion of the methods in recent years. You will also look to future directions and consider the concepts of Best Practice Management.
You will cover the following areas.
- The history and background, growth and development of TQM.
- The critical factors, principles and techniques of TQM.
- Implementation – models and case studies.
- Techniques and methods: strategic models such as European Quality Award, ‘hard’ elements eg benchmarking and ‘soft’ elements eg leadership.
- The links between business strategy, marketing, and TQM.
- The development of Best Practice Management.
How will I be assessed?
It’s 100% coursework.
Credits: 15
Core Module
Metrics (or measures of success) are a current hot topic in management and the same can be said for 'value for money' in modern strategic management. Both predicting and measuring decision outcomes are essential to efficiency and effectiveness, particularly in the allocation and monitoring of scarce resources.
This modules introduces you to the necessary quantitative methods you’ll need to aid decision making in a strategic context. It's also designed to develop your analytical and problem solving skills.
We will cover:
- Introduction to statistics.
- Advanced statistics.
- Probability and queuing theory.
- Quantitative decision making.
- Correlation and regression.
- Forecasting techniques.
- Linear programming.
- Further topics in linear programming.
- Inventory control.
- Project planning.
- Project appraisal.
How will I be assessed?
It’s 100% coursework.
Credits: 15
Core Module
The work of accounting and finance departments seem to have a pervasive effect on the management of all types of organisation. Therefore, strategic managers need to recognise the importance of accounting numbers. They need to work within the frameworks, and yet be in a position to question and challenge.
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- transform accounting data into meaningful and relevant management information so that it can impact on the strategic management process
- apply appropriate management accounting or financial management techniques to achieve a greater level of effectiveness in strategic analysis, planning and control, both in the long and short term.
You will cover the following areas.
- The differentiation of the purposes and substance of financial accounting, cost and management accounting, and financial management.
- Systems of financial and cost data capture and report development.
- Applications of management accounting in decision making, as well as planning and control.
- Corporate reporting and financial performance evaluation, including benchmarking and the ‘Balanced Scorecard’.
- Agency theory, stakeholder analysis, risk and reward.
- Investment decisions.
- Valuation of the firm and the working of the stock market.
- Financial structure, financing strategy and corporate planning.
- Working capital management.
How will I be assessed? It’s 100% coursework.
Credits: 15
Core Module
Good marketing research is fundamental to strategic management and marketing planning. This involves the key areas of researching consumer requirements, monitoring the environment and managing marketing intelligence.
In this module you will examine the principles of good research. In addition to prescribed reading from leading marketing research texts, we’ll ask you to consult research texts from specialist areas such as the social sciences and quantitative schools. You will also consider computer software packages (such as SPSS, Excel, Snap, Nudist, and Idealist) which help design appropriate tools, as well as analyse and present data.
What you learn during this module will come in very useful when you undertake your Independent Study, in the final stage of this course.
How will I be assessed?
It’s 100% coursework: you will be required to submit an assignment.
Credits: 15
Core Module
In this module you will consider the management of information from a strategic perspective and link information systems strategy with organisational strategy.
By completing this module, you will learn how to:
- critically analyse an organisation’s information systems capability, with specific reference to the organisation’s underpinning business processes and strategy
- devise and apply an appropriate information systems strategy for an organisation that is supportive of, and integrated with, its business strategy.
You will cover the following areas.
- Extracting ‘value’ from information systems and the ‘productivity paradox’.
- Relevant strategic analysis tools: analysing the internal and external business environment and their impact on information systems strategy.
- Developing information systems strategies and their integration with underpinning business strategies.
- Management and organisation of the IS/IT function.
- Current developments including an introduction to knowledge management and e-business strategy.
How will I be assessed?
It’s 100% coursework.
Credits: 15
Stage 2
Core Module
This module has again been designed to build upon the Strategic Management one. You will explore the global changes that are impacting on multinational and international organisations and their industries.
We’ll consider how these changes, and the opportunities and threats which they create, also lure domestic enterprises into the international business arena. And we will focus on how various types of enterprise are expanding and relying more on their international operations, as well as how they develop strategies to either internationalise their domestic operations or expand their current international business operations as part of their overall organisational strategy.
We will cover these areas:
- The international management process and the global environment.
- The globalisation process.
- Competitive analysis? A global perspective.
- The impact of foreign direct investment on the industries and economies.
- The international planning process and types of international strategy.
- International human resource management, marketing and operations management.
- The impact of country cultures on international development.
- Financial considerations in the global marketplace.
- New economy imperatives: the role of technology in international business.
- International management: a future perspective.
How will I be assessed?
It’s 100% coursework.
Credits: 15
Optional Module
You will learn about the critical role of strategic marketing planning for organisation’s operating in domestic/international markets. We will look at large, medium and small organisations in a variety of sectors. We also consider issues in both developed and developing countries, alongside issues faced by organisations operating in an increasingly volatile and competitive global environment.
You will cover:
- Understanding the market environment.
- Impact of regions and culture on domestic/international marketing strategy development.
- Applying tools and concepts for strategic marketing analysis.
- Market, customer and competitor analysis.
- Marketing strategy development and implementation.
- Organisation structure, culture and orientation.
- Constraints on international operations and strategy development.
- Evaluation and control mechanisms.
How will I be assessed?
It’s 100% coursework.
Credits: 15
Optional Module
This course builds upon the Strategic Management module and covers the development and application of various models to help you in the selection, evaluation and control of strategies. This is an important topic for today's manager, because they have to evaluate alternative strategies based on often incomplete and conflicting information.
It will enable you to:
- define and analyse a problem and select a suitable model to help resolve it
- build a model using a computer software package
- critically appraise the limitations of the model and its application.
You will cover these areas:
- Using models for strategic decisions: the strategic decision making process, types of model, limitations, the model life cycle.
- Model design and construction: problem definition, problem analysis, definition of variables, parameter estimation, use of spreadsheets.
- Building models: financial, capital investment, forecasting, strategic and simulation.
- Data collection and analysis: validation and interpretation of simulation experiments.
How will I be assessed?
It’s 100% coursework.
Credits: 15
Optional Module
Managing change is a crucial dimension of strategic management. We’ll look at both the theory and practice of change management.
Once you have completed this module, you should be able to:
1. appreciate the link between strategy and change and understand the different approaches to change management
2. critically assess the impact of organisational culture on change and the implications for managing the political processes
3. consider critically the role of leadership and communication in the change process.
You will cover these areas:
- Developments in organisational theory.
- Managing the political and cultural dimensions of change.
- The theoretical foundations of change management.
- The planned and emergent approaches to change.
- Processes of change, aspects of communication and resistance to change.
- The role of management and leadership.
How will I be assessed?
It’s 100% coursework. You will produce an individual assignment of 3,000-3,500 words
Credits: 15
Optional Module
This module is designed to enable you to develop and apply marketing communications strategies. We’ll look at a range of consumer and industrial products and services.
We will cover:
- Marketing communications strategy.
- Developing a theoretical understanding of marketing communications.
- Managing the marketing communications process.
- Successful marketing communications practice.
- International marketing communications.
- Wider issues of marketing communications.
How will I be assessed?
It’s 100% coursework.
Credits: 15
Stage 3
Core Module
This is equivalent to 3 modules and must be taken if you intend to gain the full MSc. An Independent Study (or ‘dissertation’) normally forms a significant part of a masters. It’s a major piece of independently researched work, giving you the opportunity to carry out an in-depth investigation of a strategic management problem or issue you have chosen, in agreement with your ‘supervisor’.
How will I be assessed?
It’s 100% coursework. You will submit a dissertation of 10,000-15,000 words.
Credits: 45
You should normally have the following.
- An undergraduate degree (at least a 2:2) or equivalent professional qualifications/experience
- 2-3 years' relevant work experience.
If English is not your first language, you should also be able to demonstrate proficiency in English – for instance IELTS 6.0-6.5/ TOEFL 550-575 [PC213-232].
Apply Now
Applications for Online courses are made through the main University of Derby website.
By clicking on "Apply now" below you will be redirected to the University of Derby website to continue your application process.
Fees
| Per Module | Modules | Total | Start | |
| UK/EU | £525 | 12 | £6,300* | Sept/Jan/May |
| Overseas | £585 | 12 | £7,020* | Sept/Jan/May |
*Prices correct for 2012/2013. Subject to annual increase in September 2013.
New flexible payment plans available
Choose from three options:
- Pay only for the modules you are studying
- Pay your full course fees upfront and avoid annual increases
- Pay for all modules studied in the year and receive a 5% discount (September enrolment only)
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