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MBA

Master of Business Administration

The University of South Wales’s Master of Business Administration (MBA) will develop the knowledge and skills to be a successful strategic business leader.

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Key Course Details

  • Start Date

    September

  • Location

    Pontypridd

  • Campus Code

    A

Fees

  • International students

    £16,900*

  • Start Date

    September

  • Location

    Newport

  • Campus Code

    C

Fees

  • Home students

    £1,500*

  • Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits.

Whether you work in a public or private sector organisation, you will learn how to integrate cutting-edge research and practice across all key business areas to achieve business transformation. You’ll also have the option to opt into the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) Level 7 Diploma in Strategic Management and Leadership. This is built into the curriculum, so no additional assessment is needed, you just need complete registration in the required time and successfully pass the required assessments above 40%.

Module Overview

The MBA will expose you to core areas of business with an emphasis on the strategic nature of decision-making through a diverse range of modules.

Leadership and Management Theories and Practice
Develop your knowledge and understanding of a range of leadership and management theories and their contemporary application in a range of organisational settings.

Strategic Financial Management
Gain an understanding of the issues and techniques of strategic financial management from both an internal and external stakeholder viewpoint.

Strategic Analysis Tools and Techniques
Evaluate the strategic environment of an organisation; internally and externally and gain the skills to direct and manage the development of business and corporate strategy.

Project Management and Consultancy Skills
Students will learn to evaluate the strategy and scope of a project while gaining an understanding of the project management process and leadership issues. 

Strategic Marketing
Understand and critically evaluate how strategic marketing interfaces with general business strategy. In addition, appraise the difference between good strategic marketing practice and practice that falls short of professional quality.

Strategic Operations Management
Gain an appreciation of operational processes, techniques, planning and control systems with reference to both manufacturing and service industries from a qualitative and quantitative perspective.

Research Methods
Conduct a proper scientific investigation and present it in a written format. This will develop your understanding and research skills in a management and/or professional development context.

Management Project
Explore the concept, theories and practice of project management and consultancy skills and learn how these key skills are vital within a business context to ensure rigorous decision making.

Why USW?

Businesspeople discussing projects and working in an office on laptops.

Why USW?

Top in Wales

Business, Management and Marketing is top 5 in UK and top in Wales for Teaching Quality.

(The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025)

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Typical qualification requirements:

A minimum 2:2 Honours degree from a UK university, or recognised international equivalent qualification.

International applications welcomed:

We welcome international applications with equivalent qualifications of our entry requirements. For more details related to your country of residence, please view our dedicated country pages.

English language requirements

International applicants will need to have achieved an overall of IELTS 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component/TOEFL 72 overall and a minimum of 18 in reading, 17 in listening, 20 in speaking and 17 in writing or equivalent.

Equivalents can be located on our English Language pages.

If you have previously studied through the medium of English, IELTS might not be required, please visit our country specific page for further details. If your country is not featured, please contact us.

If you do not meet the English entry criteria, please visit our Pre-Sessional course pages.

Contextual offers

We may make you a lower offer based on a range of factors, including your background (where you live and the school or college that you attended, for example), your experiences and individual circumstances (as a care leaver, for example). This is referred to as a contextual offer, and we receive data from UCAS to support us in making these decisions.

USW prides itself on its student experience and we support our students to achieve their goals and become a successful graduate. This approach helps us to support students who have the potential to succeed and who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university.

 

We're here to help

Whether you a have a question about your course, fees and funding, the application process or anything else, there are plenty of ways you can get in touch, and we'd love to talk to you. You can contact our friendly admissions team by phone, email or chat to us online.

 

Fees and Funding

International Full-time Fee

£16,900

per year*
UK Part-time Fee

£1,500

per 20 credits*

Further Information

Studying at university is one of the most significant investments you'll ever make. Whilst you’re studying, you’ll have two main financial obligations – tuition fees and living costs. There’s lots of financial help available from the University of South Wales and external funding sources, that may provide loans (which have to be paid back) and grants, scholarships and bursaries (that don't).

*Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits. Once enrolled, the fee is anticipated to remain at the same rate throughout the duration of your study on this course except as described below.

Please be aware that we may increase the maximum fee for home students on full-time undergraduate courses only where the Welsh Government increases the permitted level of inflation of fees. Fees for all students (including part-time, postgraduate and international students) may be amended in accordance with our applicable Fees and Debt Management Policy.  We will ensure that students are given clear, intelligible, unambiguous and timely information about our courses and costs in good time, ahead of the next academic year.

 

Fees and Funding Scholarships and Busaries Alumni Discount

Additional Costs

As a student of USW, you’ll have access to lots of free resources to support your study and learning, such as textbooks, publications, online journals, laptops, and plenty of remote-access resources. Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of travel, memberships, experience days, stationery, printing, or equipment.

Students have the opportunity to gain the CMI Level 7 Diploma in Strategic Management and Leadership. This is embedded into the MBA curriculum, so requires no additional assessments, but is subject to students successfully completing the required MBA modules. The cost for CMI registration and moderation is £250 (price correct at time of writing).

Cost: £250

University Quality Assurance

At USW, we regularly review our courses in response to changing patterns of employment and skills demand to ensure we offer learning designed to reflect today’s student needs and tomorrow’s employer demands.

If during a review process course content is significantly changed, we’ll write to inform you and talk you through the changes for the coming year. But whatever the outcome, we aim to equip our students with the skillset and the mindset to succeed whatever tomorrow may bring. Your future, future-proofed.

Course Highlights

How you'll learn

Taught sessions are delivered through self-guided study, lectures, seminars, group work, case studies and exercises. You will have the opportunity to strategically analyse organisations, deliver presentations and prepare marketing and business plans. Alongside your MBA studies, you will also be part of a study visit to see first-hand how different companies operate. You are also encouraged to attend the many guest lectures organised by the Business School, to broaden your understanding of important subject areas.

Accreditation

In addition to your MBA qualification, you will also have the opportunity to gain the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) Level 7 Diploma in Strategic Management and Leadership.

Assessment

The MBA qualification assessed through written assignments, presentations and project work. The MBA involves the completion of a business research project which will develop your communication and consulting skills.

Research

Your studies will be underpinned by the latest research undertaken by the South Wales Business School Research Group. This means you will be taught by academics who are at the forefront of their specialist field.

Careers and Employability

Possible career paths

This demanding and dynamic MBA course is designed for those looking to take their career to the next level. It will help you develop the knowledge and skills to be a successful strategic business leader and equip you with an insight into the business practices you will need for a future in an ever-changing global environment.

Developed in close consultation with a range of employers who have contributed significantly to making our graduates more effective in the workplace, the University of South Wales MBA is recognised globally as a qualification due to its relevance within the world of work. The completion of a management project gives you the chance to showcase your knowledge and analytical skills that are essential to top employers.

Careers support

The University’s Career Services offers a range of advice and guidance to students, and references to the services available to all listed at southwales.ac.uk/careers will be added to the course website by default. However, if there are other important course or subject specific initiatives run at local a level, there is an opportunity to add further details here. Whether this includes connecting with professionals, industry experts or mentors, or strategies to enhance their competitiveness and aspirations in the job market, further details will provide prospects with the confidence, encouragement, and motivation to commit to applying. 

Studying at USW

Our courses are designed with industry leaders and provide the practical skills and experiences industry demands. Our flexible courses reflect the need for life-long learning. If you value education in practice, not just in theory, then USW is for you.

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Postgraduate fees and funding
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Pontypridd Campus, Sport Park
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Postgraduate Open Events

How to apply

There is an online application process for this course. Please choose the application form for your preferred start date and mode of study (i.e. full-time or part-time).

International admissions

Please see our international admissions advice for further information about how to apply as a prospective international student.

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