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Executive Master of Business Administration (MBA)

About the Course

Designed to provide the highest-level business qualification to senior businesspeople through flexible part-time delivery.

The Cardiff School of Management (CSM) Executive Masters of Business Administration (MBA) has been developed in conjunction with the Chartered Management Institution (CMI) and offers students associate membership of the Chartered Management Institute.

The Executive MBA provides a solid grounding in professional business practice and theory for business professionals, consolidating learning whilst providing a foundation for future leaders.

Teaching is delivered at a flexible pace to suit you and your work commitments, combining weekend teaching, online learning, and real business projects. The Executive MBA is a highly practical and action-oriented approach and can be completed in as little as 2 years but more usually 3 years.

There will be a strong emphasis on interactive teaching and learning often using case studies based on your own organisation.

For course specific enquiries, please contact Programme Director, Stephen Bibby:

Email: sbibby@cardiffmet.ac.uk

The programme consists of 7 compulsory taught modules (20 credits each) and a compulsory Management Report (40 credits).

Compulsory taught modules (20 credits each)*

  • Effective Strategic Management
  • Strategic Operations Management
  • Strategic Marketing
  • Strategic HRM
  • Finance for Decision Makers
  • Executive Skills
  • Executive Leadership​

Compulsory Management Report (40 credits)

  • Management Report & Research Methods (40 credits)

Completion of an 8,000 – 10,000-word management report based on a real-world management problem, utilising both current theory and practice. Each student on the course will be allocated to a subject expert and have access to an online research methods module. Students will have six months to complete this work. Prizes for best student and best management report are awarded at the end of the course.

*Our Executive MBA is designed for maximum flexibility, seamlessly integrating with existing executive courses at CSM. Credits achieved on these other courses can be transferred to the Executive MBA. Students who have completed the highly respected 20Twenty Leadership Programme at Cardiff Met can have their 60 credits registered as prior learning in place of three modules.

Along the way to full MBA, you will also achieve:

  • Postgraduate Certificate in Executive Business Administration in Year 1
  • Postgraduate Diploma in Executive Business Administration in Year 2
  • Executive MBA completed in Year 3

The Executive MBA is designed to:

Be action-oriented - the programme design, with its work-based assignments and leadership challenges, helps you apply your learning and ensure that as your abilities grow, your organisation reaps the benefits.

Build a foundation of knowledge - on the Executive MBA we help you grow your knowledge from the ground up via modules that refresh your existing skills and secure your understanding of key management topics.

Provide a hands-on approach - to management topics, inviting business leaders and thinkers into the programme to work with you on live case studies that allow you to explore new industries and test new approaches.

Offer complete flexibility - modules are completed in self-contained blocks delivered at weekends to fit in with your busy working week schedules. The programme can be completed within two to five years with the option to vary the number of modules taken each year to suit your lifestyle, work and personal commitments.

Focus on leadership development - which is geared to developing your knowledge of business functions and their interactions, and to building your ability to manage and lead in complex organisational situations. As part of the Executive Leadership module, you will receive 3 business mentoring sessions where you can develop your own individual skills and focus. It dovetails seamlessly with our existing, highly successful portfolio of leadership courses.

The programme is completed in weekend study (normally one weekend a month) and is comprised of core subjects, and a management report.

Each module includes two assessments and usually assessed through written assignments, presentations, and work portfolios, with no exams. This approach emphasises building critical business skills and competencies at the highest level. Much of the coursework in this Executive MBA can be focused on your company, adding significant value to your studies.

An Executive MBA from Cardiff Met is designed to elevate your management career to the highest levels. Our Executive MBA equips you with advanced business and strategic leadership skills essential for senior management positions across a range of different sectors.

With a curriculum tailored to real-world applications and opportunities for networking with industry leaders, you'll gain the expertise needed to excel in competitive global markets. The flexibility of our Executive MBA also allows you to integrate and apply learning directly to your professional context, ensuring immediate and impactful career advancement.

An Executive MBA can open doors to high-level careers, including C-level roles, senior management, strategic consulting, entrepreneurship and business ownership or director-level roles.

Applicants should normally have one of the following:

  • A Honours degree at least 2:2 and at least four years management work experience
  • Other professional qualifications such as CIM or CIMA will also be considered plus four years management work experience.

International Applicants

Students whose first language is not English will need to provide evidence of fluency to at least an IELTS 6.0 standard or equivalent. For full details about how to apply and English Language qualifications please visit the International pages on the website.

How to Apply:

Applications for this course should be made direct to the university via our self-service facility. For further information about how to apply and compulsory documents, please visit www.cardiffmet.ac.uk/howtoapply.

If you are interested in using credit from another institution, or have obtained qualifications and/or experience to study for a course at Cardiff Met, you can find further information on this as well as information on how to apply on the RPL page.

For general enquiries please contact the Admissions Team on 029 2041 6044 or email askadmissions@cardiffmet.ac.uk.

For course specific enquiries, please contact the Programme Director, Stephen Bibby:
Email: sbibby@cardiffmet.ac.uk

  • Location

    Llandaff Campus

  • School

    Cardiff School of Management

  • Duration

    2 years part time.
    3 years part time.