International Business Management MSc
2 Years Full-Time | September Start

Your tutors will use a variety of teaching methods including lectures, seminars, workshops and tutorials. As this is a master’s course there is a major element of independent learning and self-motivated reflection.

Teaching is backed up by a well-designed support system that helps ensure a successful learning journey. We make sure that extensive feedback, from both tutors and peers, is built into the course.

During the second year you will have the opportunity to undertake a consultancy project for a whole semester. You will follow this up with an Applied Management Work Investigation Report that will critically analyse an issue related to your practical experience.

This course also includes a residential day for the leadership and team-building event, which is aimed at strengthening skills in team working, emotional and cultural intelligence, self-reflection, independent learning and critical thinking.

Our assessment strategy is based on our understanding that everyone has different needs, strengths and enthusiasms. Assessment methods include assignments, presentations, exams, and the master’s dissertation or consultancy project.

We are part of a select group of business schools worldwide, following accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) in business and accounting – the first in Europe to gain the double accreditation. Founded in 1916, AACSB International is the longest serving global accrediting body for business schools that offer undergraduate, Masters, and doctoral degrees in business and accounting.

Our staff are actively pushing at the frontiers of knowledge and generating new concepts and insights. Over 40% of our publication outputs and 60% of our impact case studies have been assessed as internationally excellent or world leading. The quality of our research, teaching and engagement with business were among the factors that led to Newcastle Business School being named ‘Business School of the Year’ at the Times Higher Education Awards 2015.

Newcastle Business School provides first-class teaching in a world-class environment. From social spaces and hub areas to lecture theatres and exhibition spaces, our facilities are exceptional. The 24/7 University Library achieves some of the highest levels of student satisfaction in the UK and has held the Cabinet Office accreditation for Customer Service Excellence since 2010.

The University has also invested heavily in IT labs and facilities. Business software includes ARIS Express Business Process Modelling, various SAS applications, Microsoft Project, specialist decision-making software, and Google Analytics.

Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) is embedded throughout the course with tools such as the ‘Blackboard’ eLearning Portal and electronic reading lists that will guide your preparation for seminars and independent research. Our use of lecture capture software will help you revise challenging material.

There will be plenty of opportunities to put your learning into practice. The Student Engagement Centre promotes all types of experiential learning, including volunteering. The Business Clinic enables our students to participate in a ‘consultancy firm’ to provide advice for our region’s businesses.

As a master’s student you’ll develop your research skills to a new and higher level. Your research supervisor will help you submit a proposal for your master’s dissertation or consultancy project and then discuss its development through to completion in the final semester.

If you decide on a master’s consultancy project, rather than a dissertation, you’ll still undertake primary and desk research. Through your reading, reflection and research, you’ll be expected to show a deep understanding of the issues that are involved in the client brief.

Throughout your course you’ll be an active participant in the on-going research agenda that’s at the heart of Newcastle Business School. With conferences and research events regularly taking place, and with staff discussing their own research as it relates to the topics you’ll study, there’s a strong emphasis on engaging in up-to-date enquiry-based learning.

Overall the course aims to develop you as a leader and manager, with a clear understanding of the theory and practice of global business, and how to overcome the challenges faced by managers of international businesses.

As part of this, the course includes two modules that are focused on developing global management competencies and international human resource management. Topics during these modules include emotional intelligence, cultural awareness and the ability to work in diverse groups and teams, as well as project management and decision making.

A further module, ‘Academic and Professional Development’, has a specific focus on self-development. It includes formal sessions with our Careers and Employment Service which offers a range of workshops, one-to-one advice, and networking opportunities.

In the second year of the course you will have the chance to put your new learning into practice. You will develop a track record of achievement that will help you stand out from other job applicants. We will help you find a project that matches your interests and career aspirations, building on Newcastle Business School’s very successful background in placing students.

A master’s course that takes two years, instead of just one, will carry particular weight with employers. They will understand that you’ll have a deeper understanding of topics as well as more hands-on practical experience.

Our graduates typically go into graduate positions with multinational companies or smaller businesses with operations and supply chains in several countries. A number of graduates have gone on to work in their family business.

Some employers require completion of a two-year master’s degree and this course will meet their requirement.

If you decide to start up your own business, it is good to know that the combined turnover of our graduates’ start-up companies is higher than that of any other UK university.

The course could also lead you to a postgraduate research degree such as an MPhil, PhD and Professional Doctorate.

Whatever you decide to do, you will have the transferable skills that employers expect from a master’s graduate from Northumbria University. These include the ability to tackle complex issues through conceptualisation and undertaking research, the ability to contribute to new processes and knowledge, and the ability to formulate balanced judgements when considering incomplete or ambiguous data.