Global Online MBA

Programme structure

On your Global Online MBA programme, you will undertake eight required modules, your choice of four electives, and a strategic consulting project or dissertation. Each of the 12 modules should take approximately 100 hours, which typically includes a minimum of 27 hours of structured teaching (live teaching and online learning/support) and the remainder made up of guided online study, independent self-study and assessment preparation.

Required modules

Your Global Online MBA study programme will feature eight required modules, which are designed to provide you with a solid foundation in management, business, and leadership. In addition to this, we have integrated social and environmental sustainability across required modules, allowing you to address this complex, multidimensional subject from different angles depending on the discipline in which it is contextualised.

 

These modules are taught online and during your residential weeks. Your required modules will be taught through a combination of bespoke authored text, lectures, seminars, plus group and networking activities.

Elective modules

As well as undertaking eight required modules you will choose four elective modules from a wide choice to customise your MBA and achieve your aims. One of your four elective modules will be a required face-to-face module. You will have a range of face-to-face modules to select from which may be based at our Warwick campus, WBS London, The Shard, or at an international location. A second face-to-face module may be studied at an additional cost. Please note that module availability may vary year-to-year depending on student demand and scheduling constraints.

Two residential weeks

Face-to-face interaction is an essential element of our programme so you will join us on campus for two residential weeks during the course. These intensive face-to-face periods of study will include the beginning of teaching for one module through lectures, case studies, seminars, group work and assessment briefings; provide an opportunity to network face-to-face with your cohort; and give you the chance to focus on yourself as a leader as well as provide the opportunity for careers and professional development support. Residential weeks typically run in March/April and September in your first year of study.

Strategic consulting project or dissertation

You will have the choice to undertake either a strategic consulting project or traditional dissertation. The strategic consulting project, which is undertaken in self-selected groups of three, focuses on practice and is based in an employment setting. The dissertation is more academic with a focus on theory, but is still highly relevant in the world of business, demonstrating that you can take multiple perspectives on a business issue and explore your subject thoroughly.

Specialisms

Alongside the MBA’s core backbone of building all-round business acumen, you can choose to specialise your MBA within social and environmental sustainability, entrepreneurship, or healthcare by selecting certain electives and basing your dissertation or strategic consulting project within your chosen area.

Leadership

You will build an in-depth understanding of leadership by focusing on three complementary areas: leading self, leading others, and leading change.

Full details
Operations Management

Examine how operations supports the long term competitiveness of an organisation. 

Full details
Corporate Reporting and Decision Making

This module will introduce you to the key management areas of management accounting and corporate reporting.

Full details
Financial Management

Gain a grounding in the basic concepts of finance, developing your skills in financial planning and decision-making.

Full details
Innovation and Strategic Entrepreneurship

Develop an integrated view of innovation and corporate entrepreneurship in different contexts.

Full details
Marketing

Learn the fundamental concepts and theories of marketing that add value to an organisation, sustain that value, and can be analysed in their application in marketing practice.

Full details
Organisational Behaviour

Build and develop analytical skills and undertake critical reflection on behaviour in organisations.

Full details
Strategic Advantage

Develop critical understandings and insights about strategy and strategic management at the business unit level. 

Full details
Managing Sustainable Energy Transitions

Develop the skills to successfully manage sustainable energy transitions.

Full details
Global Challenges for the Public Sector

Critically evaluate the distinctive nature of typical challneges facing the delivery of public services globally.

Full details
Economics of the Business Environment

Develop an understanding of how macroeconomic and market contexts themselves are determined and change over time.

Full details
Strategy & Practice

Explore the issues involved in putting strategy into practice and develop an understanding of how strategy is implemented at the individual, team and organisational levels.

Full details
Strategic Marketing

Take a deeper dive into the strategic and operational problems confronting managers within the marketing function and explore managing in markets in the longer term from a wider perspective.

Full details
Mergers & Acquisitions

Gain a broad understanding of mergers and acquisitions. 

Full details
International Business

Build on your knowledge of the global economic and business environment, and link this to strategies for management in changing global contexts.

Full details
Human Resource Management

Analyse the strategic context of Human Resource Management to understand why organisations manage in particular ways.

Full details
Modelling & Analytics for Management

Gain an introduction to modelling, and the relevance of modelling and analytics for management.

Full details
Management Accounting

Learn to make expert use of financial and other information in managerial planning, decision-making and control.

Full details
Leading & Managing Change

This module will introduce you to the idea of change and its significance for organisations. 

Full details
Entrepreneurship & New Venture Creation

Gain key insights into entrepreneurs and the firms they create and manage. 

Full details
Economics of Wellbeing

Through this module you will gain a strong overview of the main theories and empirical studies of wellbeing economics. 

Full details
Creating Sustainable Organisations

This highly practical module will provide you will a toolset for leading sustainability functions.

Full details
Corporate Finance

This module will provide you with the skills and tools of modern finance theory.

Full details

In addition to your residential weeks, one of your four elective modules will be a required face-to-face module. You may select your face-to-face module from elective modules offered to our Executive MBA students at our Warwick campus (typically taught Wednesday to Saturday) or at WBS London, The Shard (typically taught on a Friday/Saturday every other week or Friday to Monday).

Examples of the kind of modules that may be available are:

  • Behavioural Sciences for the Manager

  • Entrepreneurial Finance

  • Managing Organisational Performance

  • Leadership & the Art of Judgement

  • Project Management

  • Negotiation Theory and Practice.

View further details on our modules at the University of Warwick and WBS London.

Alternatively, you can choose to complete your face-to-face elective module overseas, including five international modules that are offered primarily to our Global Online MBA participants. Examples of these include:

  • Luxury Industries and Brand Management - Bocconi, Italy
  • Leading Global Organisations - Dubai
  • Strategic Cloud Business Innovation and Cyber Risk-managed Value Creation - Michigan Ross, USA
  • Managing Sustainable Energy Transitions - (international location TBC)
  • Design Thinking & Service Design -  Aalto University, Finland

Module locations and availability may vary depending on student demand and scheduling constraints.

You will have the choice to undertake either a strategic consulting project or traditional dissertation.

The strategic consulting project focuses on practice and is based in an employment setting. You will work as part of a group on the project with 10% of your assessment being based on group work and 90% based on an individual consulting report. This is your opportunity to consolidate everything you have learnt and apply it to a real business.
Academically, it tests your ability to apply your learning to real management issues.

Professionally, it may well open the door to your next career move.

If you choose to undertake the dissertation option, although more academic with a focus on theory, it is still highly relevant in the world of business. It will demonstrate that you can assimilate your learning, take multiple perspectives on a business issue and explore your subject thoroughly.

Previous participants have explored: 

  • Equity crowdfunding and its role in future startup and small business finance 

  • Formulating a donor loyalty framework 

  • Implementation of a knowledge management strategy in a business critical group.

Alongside the MBA’s core backbone of building all-round business acumen, you can choose to specialise your MBA within social and environmental sustainability, entrepreneurship, or healthcare by selecting certain electives and basing your dissertation or strategic consulting project within your chosen area.

You will initially study your eight required modules, which are then followed by elective modules, at least two of which will be in your chosen specialism. You will also undertake your dissertation or strategic consulting project in your chosen specialist area, supervised by an appropriate member of faculty. 

On completion, you will gain a letter of acknowledgement from the Dean of Warwick Business School to confirm your success in your chosen specialism.

All specialisms are also available on our Global Online MBA (London).

Social and Environmental Sustainability Specialism

This specialism will enable you to manage an organisation to achieve social and environmental goals as well as financial ones. Whatever sector you work in, from corporates and new ventures to non-profits and the public sector, the modules provide the skills you need to manage sustainably, whether you are a general manager, maintain another functional specialism or take a sustainability-specific role.

The specialism has a particular focus on sustainability transitions, for both organisations and the wider systems (food, clothing, transport and energy) within which they operate.

By choosing the Social and Environmental Sustainability Specialism you will:

  • Have a toolset for leading a sustainability function, or equally for participating in the organisation’s transition towards sustainability
  • Advance your skills in creating social and environmental impact across diverse contexts through sustainable innovation and systems transformation
  • Understand in particular the carbon and energy transition engendered by the climate change challenge, and how to position an organisation within that transition.

Complete at least two of the following modules:

  • Creating Sustainable Organisations (L, online)
  • Business & Sustainability (SBS)
  • Managing Sustainable Energy Transitions (W, international location TBC)

The dissertation or strategic consulting project can relate to any aspect of social and/or environmental sustainability.

Entrepreneurship Specialism

This specialism will enable you to make calculated decisions between seizing opportunities and managing risk. Whether you want to set up your own business or develop your entrepreneurial mindset within a large corporate or an owner managed business, we will equip you with the innovative skills to find creative solutions to day-to-day problems. 

By choosing the Entrepreneurship Specialism you will: 

  • Develop your entrepreneurial mindset, attitude and skills to enable creative problem-solving in business 
  • Understand the main conceptual frameworks that have shaped research and practice on innovation and creativity 
  • Review the financial, control and investment opportunities faced by rapidly growing companies in entrepreneurial settings. 

Complete both of the following modules: 

  • Entrepreneurial Finance (SF, W)
  • Entrepreneurship & New Venture Creation (WL, online)

If you choose to take the Entrepreneurship specialism as part of your MBA, the dissertation or strategic consulting project will give you the opportunity to dive deeply into a new business idea, tackle an existing issue or use the opportunity to help launch your own venture.

Healthcare Specialism

This specialism will appeal to both clinical and healthcare management professionals across the healthcare sector, who are looking to develop both their general leadership capabilities, and their sector-specific understanding. 

Whether you’re a clinician on the frontline under increasing pressure to deliver effective results for patients, or a manager required to deliver efficient services under tight budgetary pressures, the modules can give you the skills and confidence you need to take on a healthcare leadership role. 

By choosing the Healthcare Specialism you will: 

  • Deepen your knowledge of theories around health systems and apply critical thinking to strategic issues related to health organisations 
  • Build your leadership capabilities within the healthcare industry to implement change management initiatives 
  • Broaden your understanding of the growth in digital innovation in healthcare and consider key factors impacting on digital healthcare solutions. 

Complete at least two of the following modules:

  • Global Challenges for the Public Sector (W, online)
  • Improving Health Systems (L)
  • Strategic Leadership for the Healthcare Industry (L)

The modules listed in this section for each specialism are elective modules that are part of specialism requirements. 

Key
L - delivered at WBS London
SF - delivered in San Francisco, California, USA
W - delivered at Warwick campus
WL - delivered at both Warwick and WBS London
SBS - UBC Sauder School of Business, Vancouver, BC Canada

Please note that these modules are illustrative and subject to change.

How we teach

Our cutting edge technology will ensure you feel fully connected and that you never miss anything, regardless of your schedule. Teaching primarily takes place via our bespoke online learning environment my.wbs, which houses our teaching materials, interactive spaces and our online classroom: wbsLive. Easy to use, my.wbs enables interaction in lectures, discussions and syndicate groups. It also allows you to test yourself, to access lessons and lecture recordings, submit assignments and to connect with other students and academics. 

  • Face-to-face module - In addition to the residential weeks, the programme includes one required face-to-face module which is included in your tuition fees. You may have the option to take further modules face-to-face at an additional cost
  • Teaching team - Each module has a teaching team of subject specialists to support you online. They will facilitate wbsLive sessions, moderate online discussions and make sure you are up-to-date with subject-relevant topical information
  • Study materials - You will receive tailor-made multimedia study materials with additional reading and resources. You will also have timetabled webinars throughout each module. You’ll also be able to access video interviews featuring our faculty and inspirational business leaders
  • Exclusive online business insights - Our interactive study materials are supplemented by free online access to business and management journals and the extensive University of Warwick library which includes business databases such as Mintel, Amadeus and Statista. 

Learning facilities 

Our online learning environment lets you take control of your learning, access webinars, participate in group work and communicate with your lecturers and Programme team. 

For each module, there is a dedicated welcome page with a text introduction and welcome video from the module leader providing you with an overview of which topics will be covered.  

Every module consists of nine lessons and is delivered through a mixture of text, video, screencasts (audio over slideshow), activities, webinars and assessments. You can even test yourself with multiple choice quizzes and receive immediate feedback to keep your learning on track. You will also work with your group online. Additionally, for most modules, you will have access to the core textbook online (you will be given an ebook to be accessed via your digital bookshelf). Much of the online content is downloadable and can be viewed whilst travelling. 

my.wbs is built to be compatible with a wide range of types and size of device, all you will need is an internet connection and up-to-date browser versions to access learning materials. For the best experience our recommended computer specification is shown at https://warwick.ac.uk/compspec. my.wbs works well on any modern iOS or Android device.