Postgraduate Course

Master of Business Administration - MBA Global and MBA Global Finance

Course details

Study options

Full-time: 1 year

UK fee

£13,500 for the full course or £1,500 per 20 credits* (2024/25)

International fee

£16,500 for the full course (2024/25)

Course level

Postgraduate

Start dates

September, January

Location

Derby Campus

Course description

The highlights

92%agreed staff are good at explaining things**Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES) 2023
92%agreed the course has enhanced their academic ability**Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES) 2023
96%agreed their research skills have developed during the course**Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES) 2023

An accredited MBA course

Our MBA Global course is accredited by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and includes membership of CMI.

Managers who can perform, think and act from an international perspective are in demand like never before. Our MBA Global has been designed specifically to meet that demand, nurturing leaders who are creative, dynamic and innovative – ready to excel in senior positions worldwide.

Ours is a thoroughly modern MBA programme which will transform your business thinking as you work towards the world’s most recognised management and leadership qualification. Challenging both academically and practically, it will strengthen your professional profile so that you can solve complex business problems and inspire change within your industry.

Choose a pathway

We offer two MBA pathways to match your existing experience, current role and future plans. All give you a thorough grounding in strategic leadership, financial performance management, global operations, markets and resources, business research methods and data analysis.

Studies tailored to you

There is also an online route to the MBA to give you maximum flexibility and choice.

In the final stage of your MBA, you can choose to complete a traditional dissertation or, if you’re studying on-campus, a Corporate Placement Project (CPP). The CPP allows you to identify, investigate and resolve a real management issue within an organisation: either your own if you are working, or in a placement company.

If you have funding from your employer, you may also be interested in the Senior Leader Apprenticeship. This masters level apprenticeship is for leaders who want to develop their direction and vision, learn how to take account of market trends and environmental influences and identify longer-term opportunities and risks.

An extra qualification

Our MBA Global is accredited by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI). On undertaking and passing specific modules within the programme, you may be eligible for the CMI Level 7 Diploma in Strategic Management and Leadership Practice alongside your MBA. It means you can apply to become a Chartered Manager, the highest status in the management profession. In order to be eligible to receive the CMI Level 7 Diploma, students be studying the MBA Global rather than the MBA Global Finance, and must have successfully completed and passed the following modules:

  • Strategic and Financial Performance Management
  • Critical Perspectives in Strategic Management and Leadership
  • Dissertation or Corporate Placement Project
  • Business Research Methods and Decision Analysis
  • Global Strategic Operations, Markets and Resources

Discover our full list of modules

Student assignments submitted for the above modules, are also reviewed and approved independently by the CMI. If a student may have not undertaken one or more of the above modules as part of their programme, (i.e; the student has received approved confirmation of exemptions due to prior qualifications or work experience) the CMI will still retain the right to independently adjudge whether the prior qualifications or work experience is sufficient to ensure eligibility for the CMI L7 award.

You may be eligible for exemptions from up to three MBA modules – equivalent to 60 credits – if you already hold the CMI Level 7 Diploma or if you are a full member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) or the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA). Please contact us to discuss this further.

Our expertise

Offering substantial business and management experience, our lecturers combine academic rigour with real-world practice. They are conducting influential research and consultancy work, ensuring the knowledge they share with you is constantly refreshed. 

Our teaching is underpinned by partnerships with regional, national and international employers as well as the leading professional bodies. Our networks include major names such as Rolls-Royce, Boots, JCB, Toyota, Bombardier, DHL, the NHS, Champneys, Chatsworth House, Marriott International, The Dorchester and The Gleneagles Hotel.

We introduce you to industry experts through guest lectures and you can raise your professional profile through networking at our conferences and business events. 

Global thinking

It is increasingly important for today’s managers to move beyond a domestic mindset. On this MBA, each module gives you advanced and applied knowledge of business in an international context.  

We pride ourselves on our small but truly international classroom environment where discussions will be lively, illuminating and often surprising. You will learn best practice with – and from – a diverse community of equally driven fellow students who include current and aspiring business and finance leaders. Our MBA attracts students from countries across mainland Europe, and from across the Globe, including; the USA, India, China, Pakistan, Nigeria and the Arab states of the Gulf.

An artists impression of the new Derby Business School.

New Derby Business School in the city centre

We're building a new Derby Business School, serving as an international centre of excellence. The superb new teaching facilities will build on our established reputation for inspirational teaching and research excellence, as we shape the next generation of qualified business leaders.

Find out more about our new Derby Business SchoolFind out more about our new Derby Business School
Multi-Faith Centre, Kedleston Road

Postgraduate Open Event

Join us at an upcoming Postgraduate Open Event, where you will get the opportunity to meet our expert academics and find out more about your course.

Book your Postgraduate Open EventBook your Postgraduate Open Event

What you will study

The programme is made up of three stages – Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma and MBA. To achieve the MBA qualification, you will complete 180 credits in total.

Among the course’s distinctive features is the mentoring and coaching support we provide. We have embedded two support modules into the programme – Transforming Personal Skills and Career Coaching and Mentoring – that will enhance your employability. They help you reflect on your strengths and progress while supporting your long-term career planning and professional development.

Postgraduate Certificate

The programme begins with three core 20-credit modules for all MBA students:

  • Strategic and Financial Performance Management – an opportunity for you to critically analyse and process the financial data provided by information systems so that it can be applied to strategic planning. This module also explores the role of performance measurement systems within an organisation and how the accounting and finance function can be used in the effective and timely management of performance.
  • Critical Perspectives in Strategic Leadership and Management – honing your understanding of the principal areas of strategic management and leadership practices emanating from business research and development. This module takes a holistic view of how managers formulate, implement and evaluate strategies and policies that respond to changes in both the internal and external business environment and deliver sustainable competitive advantage.
  • Global Strategic Operations, Markets and Resources – an introduction to the holistic nature of operations, markets and resources. This module approaches the subject from a strategic perspective, demonstrating how the long-term vision of an organisation can be understood, implemented and realised. This can only be possible through the appreciation of effective business operations, clear understanding of market position and relations with the market, and clarity on resource availability.
Postgraduate Diploma

You will progress to three 20-credit modules. All students take the following module:

  • Business Research Methods and Data Analysis – reflecting how managers need to conduct business research in a systematic and objective manner to assess new opportunities or future strategies. This module prepares you for your dissertation or corporate placement project. It brings your knowledge of your own professional practice together with the skills to investigate issues of professional concern. You will pursue your research interests, address workplace problems and report on your findings.

MBA Global students also take:

  • Risk Management in a Global Context – providing a critical analysis of the management of risks within the global business environment, and how effective management can lead to successful performance. Using a variety of live and historic case studies, you will consider risk identification strategies, risk analysis approaches, and the management of risks.
  • Global Supply Chain Management and Logistics – this aspect of an organisation is seen as a ‘strategic asset’ which can improve efficiency, customer satisfaction and financial results. As a consequence, managing the supply chain is key in terms of how an organisation performs to meet its goals and strategy. Through a series of case study approaches, both live and historic, you will gain an appreciation of the vast nature of the supply chain, from tangible raw materials to the often intangible transfer of knowledge.
MBA

Whichever pathway you take, you will conclude your MBA studies with either a traditional dissertation or a Corporate Placement Project (CPP). Both are worth 60 credits.

For the CPP, you can specialise in an area that reflects your current role, professional interests and career aspirations. You will investigate and resolve a real management challenge within your organisation – bringing significant benefits to your employer before you have even finished your studies.

Recent CPP examples include:

  • Exploring the possible impact of a global pandemic on a multinational organisation’s IT services and recommending ways of building organisational resilience
  • Developing business continuity exercises and testing for a regional public sector housing provider
  • Assessing how Industry 4.0 technology and processes could transform a regional manufacturer’s warehouse management operations and supply chain
  • Devising an online social media marketing and promotion presence to support a leading regional provider of high-end hospitality and events
Postgraduate Certificate

The programme begins with three core 20-credit modules for all MBA students:

  • Strategic and Financial Performance Management – an opportunity for you to critically analyse and process the financial data provided by information systems so that it can be applied to strategic planning. This module also explores the role of performance measurement systems within an organisation and how the accounting and finance function can be used in the effective and timely management of performance.
  • Critical Perspectives in Strategic Leadership and Management – honing your understanding of the principal areas of strategic management and leadership practices emanating from business research and development. This module takes a holistic view of how managers formulate, implement and evaluate strategies and policies that respond to changes in both the internal and external business environment and deliver sustainable competitive advantage.
  • Global Strategic Operations, Markets and Resources – an introduction to the holistic nature of operations, markets and resources. This module approaches the subject from a strategic perspective, demonstrating how the long-term vision of an organisation can be understood, implemented and realised. This can only be possible through the appreciation of effective business operations, clear understanding of market position and relations with the market, and clarity on resource availability.
Postgraduate Diploma

You will progress to three 20-credit modules. All students take the following module:

  • Business Research Methods and Data Analysis – reflecting how managers need to conduct business research in a systematic and objective manner to assess new opportunities or future strategies. This module prepares you for your dissertation or corporate placement project. It brings your knowledge of your own professional practice together with the skills to investigate issues of professional concern. You will pursue your research interests, address workplace problems and report on your findings.

MBA Global Finance students also take:

  • International Finance – covering the way the global financial system functions and exploring international sources of finance and suitable investment opportunities. This module enables you to form a critical awareness of the risks associated with international trade, and to examine how fluctuations in exchange rates affect a business.
  • Mergers and Acquisitions – a module which integrates a wide range of business functions, concepts and theories. As part of an organisation’s strategic plan, mergers and acquisitions have a long-term focus. This module therefore provides you with a strategic perspective on the management of finance and in particular the use of mergers and acquisitions in business strategy.
MBA

Whichever pathway you take, you will conclude your MBA studies with either a traditional dissertation or a Corporate Placement Project (CPP). Both are worth 60 credits.

For the CPP, you can specialise in an area that reflects your current role, professional interests and career aspirations. You will investigate and resolve a real management challenge within your organisation – bringing significant benefits to your employer before you have even finished your studies.

Recent CPP examples include:

  • Exploring the possible impact of a global pandemic on a multinational organisation’s IT services and recommending ways of building organisational resilience
  • Developing business continuity exercises and testing for a regional public sector housing provider
  • Assessing how Industry 4.0 technology and processes could transform a regional manufacturer’s warehouse management operations and supply chain
  • Devising an online social media marketing and promotion presence to support a leading regional provider of high-end hospitality and events

Please note that our modules are subject to change - we review the content of our courses regularly, making changes where necessary to improve your experience and graduate prospects.

How you will learn

We deliver a dynamic study experience, taking you beyond the classroom so that you can apply your learning to real-world business challenges, including delivering practical solutions for your own organisation.  You will be inspired by a mix of:

Ours is an engaging learning environment, where you will receive plenty of individual support from tutors. We provide you with key reading and research resources, and you can make the most of the University’s online teaching portal.

How you are assessed

Our wide-ranging assessment methods are designed to enhance your transferable skills, personal and professional development. They may include:

Our structured approach to formative assessment means that you will receive ample feedback on your progress throughout the MBA.

Who will teach you

Pouria Liravi in front of trees

Dr Pouria Liravi
Programme leader

Pouria is a Senior Lecturer at Derby Business School. He is a Chartered Member of Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS) and a Chartered Member of the Institute of Logistics and Transportation (UK). He supervises student projects at undergraduate, postgraduate and DBA (Doctor of Business Administration) levels.

View full staff profileView full staff profile

Entry requirements

Applicants should normally hold a good honours degree (minimum upper second class) from a UK university (or overseas equivalent) in any subject or a professional qualification deemed to be of equivalent standing. Alternatively, applicants may have significant management experience and a substantial record of achievement. Applicants meeting these criteria may not have previously studied at university.

We welcome and encourage all applicants as long as they can be considered adequately prepared to succeed on the programme. If learners have few or no formal qualifications, they may be able to gain entry to the programme if they have the required communication and learning skills as well as the knowledge, experience and motivation to succeed.

We welcome applications from international students. If your first language is not English you will be expected to have IELTS 6.5 (with at least 5.5 in each skill area). You may be exempt from providing evidence of English language proficiency if you have gained your undergraduate degree from a UK university. Please see further information for international applicants, including a list of documents required.

All applications are considered on an individual basis. Applicants may be invited to an interview, either on campus or online, as part of the application process.

When submitting your application, please ensure it is complete, with all the relevant documents requested in the application form.

Fees and funding

2024/25 (August 2024 - July 2025)

TypeFull-timePart-time
UK

£13,500 for the full course or £1,500 per 20 credits*

N/A

International

£16,500 for the full course

N/A

Please note fees normally increase in line with inflation and the University's strategic approach to fees, which is reviewed on an annual basis. The total fee you pay may therefore increase after one year of study.

* UK full-time fees paid within one academic year are rounded down to the nearest £50 if applicable

Additional costs and optional extras

About postgraduate awards

Please note at postgraduate level, you’ll need to gain the following number of credits in total to obtain the respective awards. If you have any questions please contact us.

AwardCredits
Postgraduate Certificate60 Credits
Postgraduate Diploma120 Credits
MA or MSc180 Credits

This means you will gain 180 credits in total to complete the full MA or MSc. If you are studying part time you will normally complete your studies over two or three years, depending on the course structure.

Funding your studies

Find out more about fees, postgraduate loans and support you may be entitled to.

Find out about funding your studiesFind out about funding your studies

Alumni discount for Derby graduates

We offer a discount on postgraduate course fees for all Derby alumni.

Find out about the Alumni discountFind out about the Alumni discount

Students chatting to each other

International student scholarships

We have a range of scholarships and discounts available to international students which can be used together to offer a reduction in your tuition fees.

Find out if you're eligible for an international scholarship Find out if you're eligible for an international scholarship

How to apply

Please look at our application deadlines before you apply.


Careers

The strong international perspectives of our MBA bring a whole new dimension to your CV. Our emphasis on work-based learning also equips you to apply your knowledge in ways which make an immediate impact – whether you are embarking on a new role or advancing your professional practice within your own organisation.

Equally important are the integrated support modules which will help you plan the next stage of your professional development. You can boost your employability through access to career coaching, mentoring and career development workshops.

Gaining a postgraduate degree can significantly boost your earning potential. Latest government statistics* show that postgraduates earn on average £6,000 more per year than graduates, with a median salary of £40,000.

Our Careers and Employment Service will provide you with support from day one of your course to ensure you leave Derby as a ‘work-ready’ graduate – industry aware, motivated and enterprising. Throughout your studies, you’ll also benefit from our Personal Development Planning (PDP) scheme which enables you to reflect on your learning and develop your career ambitions.

The support continues once you’ve completed your course too: you are entitled to further help and guidance from the Careers and Employment Service for up to three years after leaving the University.

*Graduate Labour Market Statistics 2018, Department for Education

Further study

Inspired by the intellectual challenge of the MBA, you could choose to undertake PhD research and develop an academic career. You may be entitled to an alumni discount on your fees if you decide to extend your time with us by progressing from the MBA to a doctorate.

Contact us

If you need any more information from us, eg on courses, accommodation, applying, car parking, fees or funding, please contact us and we will do everything we can to help you.

Contact us Contact us

† Additional information about your studies

Full time: 1 year

Download programme specification

Teaching hours

Like most universities, we operate extended teaching hours at the University of Derby, so contact time with your lecturers and tutors could be anytime between 9am and 9pm. Your timetable will usually be available on the website 24 hours after enrolment on to your course.

Additional costs and optional extras

We’re committed to providing you with an outstanding learning experience. Our expert teaching, excellent facilities and great employability prepare you for your future career. As part of our commitment to you we aim to keep any additional study costs to a minimum. However, there are occasions where students may incur some additional costs.

The information provided on this page is correct at the time of publication but course content, costs and other individual course details do change from time to time and are updated as often as possible, so please do check these pages again when making your final decision to apply for a course. Any updated course details will also be confirmed to you at application, enrolment and in your offer letter.

Included in your fees
Optional costs not included in your fees

Other courses you might like