Course overview
Our Master’s in Business Administration programme will provide you with the strategic, financial and people skills you’ll need to progress and perform effectively at senior levels.
The programme combines management theory with real business applications. From day one you’ll be able to apply new knowledge and skills in your workplace. You will develop a broad foundation of knowledge in core modules, and focus your studies around a particular sector or discipline in elective modules.
The flexibility of the Distance Learning MBA allows you to study from anywhere in the world, with our new Virtual Learning Environment. We provide live online sessions with tutors that help you contextualise your learning.
Our refreshed MBA has been designed with your future employability in mind, and we continue to work with major employers on our MBA Advisory Board and International Advisory Board to ensure our syllabus deals with contemporary issues.
Established over 60 years ago, the University of Bradford School of Management has a rich heritage and an international reputation as one of the innovators in business education. The Distance Learning MBA has been delivered for 25 years and is therefore one of the longest-running and most respected global online MBA courses in the world.
FT Rankings
In the Financial Times’ 2024 Online MBA Rankings, our Distance Learning MBA was again ranked 1st in the world for value for money and is also now 1st in the world for ESG and net zero teaching.
According to the latest FT rankings we’re number 1 in the UK & 4th in the world for Overall Satisfaction and 6th in the world for our Programme Delivery.
Our online MBA is ranked 3rd in the world for student demographics, with 80 per cent of those on the course classed as international students and we have moved up to 4th in the world for ‘International Mobility’, which looks at alumni’s citizenship and work location before their MBA, upon graduation and three years after graduation.
Our Careers Services for MBA students is ranked 6th in the world, our graduates are ranked 8th in the world for career progression three years after completing our online MBA.
Our Distance Learning MBA is also ranked 26th in the world in CEO Magazine’s Global Online MBA rankings.
Recognition
Study method
- Online
- Blended
- In-class
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Duration study load
- 2-3 years – Part-time
Entry requirements
Entry requirements
If you’d like a quick view on your suitability and eligibility for The Bradford MBA before you complete a full application, simply send us your CV and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Please email it to study@mba.bradford.ac.uk
All applications are considered on their individual merits and will be assessed using a collective approach, which takes into account professional status and work experience as well as academic achievement.
Work experience
Candidates must have at least three years’ postgraduate work experience, which can be from any industry, including both private and public sectors, and charitable organisations.
Academic and professional achievements
You should have a good first degree awarded by a UK university or overseas equivalent, or a relevant professional qualification. If you do not have a first degree or professional qualifications you will need to demonstrate significant management or business leadership experience (normally at least seven years). We will also consider an academic recommendation based on interview.
Numeracy and literacy competencies
We will require evidence of numeracy and literacy competencies, and you may be required to complete an authorised online aptitude test such as the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) or School equivalent (The Bradford Test).
If English is not your first language, we may need evidence of your proficiency in English through a recognised test (IELTS, TOEFL or PTE-A).
Assessment
With the aim of helping students focus on their career trajectory, the range of subject areas will enable students to assess and find creative solutions to complex issues. Your knowledge and understanding of each subject area studied will be assessed by the most appropriate means.
Learning experiences and assessments are done through the following methods:
- Online multiple-choice quizzes
- Individual and group assignments
- Live online tutorials
- Various discussion forums
- Reflective personal reports
- Multimedia presentations
- Online collaboration, discussion and viva voce
- Formal examination
Testimonials
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Tim SheenMBA Distance Learning"“I remember on my first day on the MBA, I had paid around £19,000 for my MBA, and one of the lecturers said, “How many better decisions do you have to make to get the £19,000 back? And it wasn't very many, maybe one or two. For me, it's paid back incredibly because my career's advanced, but also for the company I work for, ten times their investment easily"
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Egor ElizarovMBA Distance Learning"The MBA has helped me to move through the glass ceiling from a pure technical position to a management position. Doing the MBA made me realise that I was undervalued, and when I was promoted, they changed my salary accordingly, and the cost of the MBA was paid back in a year or so."
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Tatjana WalkerMBA Distance Learning"As a mother, wife and someone working full-time in a very demanding role, having the flexibility to tailor my learning and study time has enabled me to have a good work/life/study balance."
Delivery
Our Distance learning MBA programme consists of three stages:
- Core modules – designed to help you get back into learning and provide fundamental knowledge of management principles and theory, before leading into an in-depth understanding of specialist topics that are essential and relevant to the contemporary commercial world
- Elective modules – designed to help you explore contemporary management topics in more detail
- Management project – enables you to put the knowledge and skills gained throughout the programme to practical use on a relevant management issue
Each module contains study units that you will progress through each week under the guidance of a module leader. This equates to approximately 14-16 hours of study per week.
Module content is available 24/7 to supplement live scheduled teaching sessions.
If work or family life is particularly busy we offer flexibility for completion of the MBA in two to three years.
Subjects
- Competitiveness through Technology and Innovation
- Leadership for Transformational Change
- Digital Marketing, Branding and Strategy
- Accounting and Economics for Decision Making
- MBA Management Project
- Corporate Finance and Crowdfunding
- Enterprise and Innovation
- Entrepreneurship and Creativity
- Organisational Agility
- Marketing Communications
- Global Supply Chain Management
- Management Consulting
- Digital Health and Informatics
- Materials, Resources, Energy and Competitiveness
- Business Models for a Circular Economy
- Diversity, Scale and Development
- Circular Economy Core Principles and Concepts
- International Business Strategy
- Financial Risk Management in European Banking
About University of Bradford
Making a difference and changing lives through equality of opportunity.
At the University of Bradford, our focus is on creating the conditions for social, cultural, and economic impact. We are committed to social inclusion and our work to expand opportunity and enable students to reach their potential has led to us topping the Social Mobility Index of English universities for the last two years.
Our students belong to a supportive University community and achieve the best outcomes as graduates. Our University Strategy sets out our ambitions for 2025, which we will achieve by using our proud heritage as a springboard and remaining steadfast in our commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion.
We will harness our strengths in research, innovation, teaching and partnerships to extend our reputation, influence, and impact. All of this will create a values-led culture that is inclusive and effective in enriching lives and benefitting society.