Introduction
The International Business Management MSc enables you to build commercial awareness and gain a deep understanding of the challenges and trends facing global business leaders today. This world’s economy is increasingly global and demand continues to grow for the leaders of the future who clearly understand the international context of business.
Study Information
Study Options
- Learning Mode
- On Campus Learning
- Degree Qualification
- MSc
- Duration
- 12 months or 24 months
- Study Mode
- Full Time or Part Time
- Start Month
- January or September
This programmes helps graduates and professionals from any background to develop a global career in business and management. By specialising in international business, you place yourself in a more marketable position because a broad knowledge of business practice around the world is highly relevant, becoming increasingly valuable to employers.
Many of our academics come from the commercial world as well as academia, and we are constantly engaging with industry, so you’ll develop the knowledge and real-world skills you need to compete. This programme helps you connect with a deeper, more focused set of business skills, with a strong view of how international organisations work. By providing you with an in-depth understanding of global practices across a broad spectrum of business fields, this programme will prepare you for a career in management.
Students studying MSc International Business Management can fast track to the MBA (IBM Graduate Pathway) upon successful completion of the IBM programme.
Available Programmes of Study
- MSc
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International Business Management
Qualification Duration Learning Mode Study Mode Start MonthMSc 12 months or 24 months On Campus Learning Full Time or Part Time January MoreSemester 1
Compulsory Courses
- Professional and Academic Skills for Business (Block) Part 1 (BU55P1)
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This course is designed to support your academic and professional learning journey as you progress with your IBM Programme.
Topics will include enhanced orientation, study skills, health and well-being and employability activities.
Successful completion of this course will be recorded on your Enhanced Transcript as ‘Achieved’.
- Getting Started at the University of Aberdeen (PD5506)
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This course, which is prescribed for all taught postgraduate students, is studied entirely online, takes approximately 5-6 hours to complete and can be taken in one sitting, or spread across a number of weeks.
Topics include orientation overview, equality and diversity, health, safety and cyber security and how to make the most of your time at university in relation to careers and employability.
Successful completion of this course will be recorded on your Enhanced Transcript as ‘Achieved’.
- Marketing Management (BU552N)
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15 Credit Points
The course will apply theoretical and practical content to explore the key concepts of Marketing in Management to provide students with an understanding of, coordinating and controlling marketing activities. A key theme running throughout the course is the importance of creating customer value. The aim is to provide you with an understanding of the role of marketing and relevant critical strategies in establishing, developing and maintaining customer value.
- Managing Human Resources (BU5577)
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15 Credit Points
Managing human resources is important for survival and prosperity of organizations and economies, and has implications for individual attitudes and well-being. Managers are expected to contribute to the delivery of the human resource strategy, supported by expert advice and guidance. This module explores the key concepts underpinning the management of human resources and their practical application in organisations today. Focus on four important themes:
· Recruitment and selection
· Equality and diversity
· Flexible employment and work-life balance
· Talent management
You will be encouraged to share your views and experiences through class discussion and debate.
- Internationalisation (BU5579)
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15 Credit Points
International Business is a wide-ranging subject that includes economic, political, cultural and technological facets. The aim of this course is to provide an introduction to the complexities of international business management by examining how the global environment and our understanding of these affect management within an international context.
- Research Practice (BU5583)
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15 Credit Points
This course introduces students to what is involved in undertaking business research in practice. Within lectures, tutorials and workshops students will develop an understanding of: Information retrieval and critical analysis; Philosophical issues in the construction of knowledge; Accessing and gathering quantitative and qualitative data; Data analysis; Student/Supervisor expectations.
Semester 2
Compulsory Courses
- Project Management (BU591K)
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15 Credit Points
This course will cover the main issues in project management: scope, quality, risk, time and cost. You will learn about project management methodologies and how to use standard project management techniques such as PERT/CPM and Gantt charts. You will learn how to schedule, manage and allocate resources and activities with the help of project-management software. You will also learn how to manage risk, how to recover from project failure and how to manage time, quality and cost and appreciate the tradeoffs among them.
- Training and Consultancy (BU591L)
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15 Credit Points
This multi-faceted course will cover the various aspects required when designing and delivering consultancy and training courses in contemporary organisations. The importance of international, cultural and ethical dimensions will be embedded in the context of research, planning and delivery. The course will provide students the opportunity to deconstruct the nature of consultancy and offer key insights into different types of client interventions, and effective engagement as well as off-the-shelf and bespoke training.
- Digital Marketing (BU5991)
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15 Credit Points
The course provides both a strategic orientation and tactical orientation:
Strategic:
§ How to align digital strategy with a wider business strategy
§ The value that (internal and external) research and analytics can bring to digital marketing decisions
Tactical:
§ Assess the quality of any website based on a range of important measures
§ Benchmark a website’s performance against online competitors
§ Investigate the potential of a business idea for a given market sector
§ Present digital marketing research and advice to a generalist audience
§ Understand the potential commercial value of social media
§ Interpret onsite analytics in support of business objectives
- New Venture Creation (BU5940)
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15 Credit Points
The aim of this course is to equip students with an understanding of key aspects of new venture creation, including business planning, pitching new ideas to investors and managing growth. This is a capstone course, by bringing together a range of different concepts.
Semester 3
Compulsory Courses
- The Leadership Challenge (BU501H)
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15 Credit Points
This course provides an opportunity to explore and develop an understanding of your own leadership behaviour. Through workshops, group activities and discussions we investigate how personality, past experience, current situations and culture shape the way each of us behave in a leadership role. Using this information as a starting point we then explore how different leadership theories and approaches can be used as frameworks for developing a deeper understanding of leadership behaviour. You will also have an opportunity to try out a range of practical tools and techniques to assist you in the development of your own approach to leadership.
- Accounting and Finance for Managers (BU5026)
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15 Credit Points
The fact that money (and understanding money) really matters in business and all managers need to understand issues like cashflow and profit might depress you, but it is true. Financial viability of customers? Deciding on the likely financial viability of a project? Reporting to shareholders about performance? Does the word “sustainable” appear in a finance dictionary? All questions we will try and address.
- Issues in International Management (BU5057)
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15 Credit Points
The course aims to provide students with an understanding of Issues in International Management as viewed from a number of diverse perspectives eg Coaching; Oil & Gas; Entrepreneurship; Technology; Accountancy & Finance
- Negotiation and Cross - Cultural Management (BU5072)
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15 Credit Points
Business cannot be conducted without some form of communication between the participants involved. This course examines a wide variety of different types of interpersonal communication in different types of business contexts and, by so doing, provides students with a detailed and practical overview of this vitally important subject area.
Programme Fees
Fee information Fee category Cost Home / RUK £15,700 Tuition Fees for 2024/25 Academic Year EU / International students £27,000 Tuition Fees for 2024/25 Academic Year MSc 12 months or 24 months On Campus Learning Full Time or Part Time September More
We will endeavour to make all course options available; however, these may be subject to timetabling and other constraints. Please see our InfoHub pages for further information.
Fee Information
International Applicants
Further Information about tuition fees and the cost of living in Aberdeen
Additional Fee Information
- Fees for individual programmes can be viewed in the Programmes section above.
- In exceptional circumstances there may be additional fees associated with specialist courses, for example field trips. Any additional fees for a course can be found in our Catalogue of Courses.
- For more information about tuition fees for this programme, including payment plans and our refund policy, please visit our InfoHub Tuition Fees page.
Funding Opportunities
The University of Aberdeen provides an Alumni Discount Scheme:
The University of Aberdeen is very pleased to offer a 20% discount on postgraduate tuition fees for all alumni who have graduated with a degree from the University of Aberdeen. More Information can be found here.
Scholarships
Eligible self-funded international Masters students will receive the Aberdeen Global Scholarship. Visit our Funding Database to find out more and see our full range of scholarships.
How You'll Study
Combining academic rigour with real-life activities designed to develop practical skills, topics cover a range of business fields, from finance and marketing to management and accounting. You will be challenged to explore these fields within an international context to understand how globalisation impacts the business community, locally, nationally and internationally. There are no exams, all assessment is done through a portfolio of work, which also provides tangible proof to prospective employers to help them gauge your business knowledge – and to help you secure a better future.
Learning Methods
- Group Projects
- Individual Projects
- Lectures
- Seminars
- Tutorials
Assessment Methods
With no exams, all assessment is done through a portfolio of work. This portfolio not only becomes our way of assessing and appraising you, it also provides tangible proof to prospective employers to help them gauge your business knowledge – and gives you a powerful recruitment tool to help secure a better future beyond the programme.
Why Study International Business Management?
This 'conversion' Masters programme is open to graduates from any discipline, and provides a broad-based training in international business theory and practice. You’ll gain a good understanding of economic fluctuations and an understanding of how to interpret and use financial data. You will:
• Develop a well-rounded skillset with the tools to succeed
• Strengthen your capacity for geographical and cultural mobility
• Develop a truly international perspective
• Learn essential communication and professional skills
Entry Requirements
Qualifications
The information below is provided as a guide only and does not guarantee entry to the University of Aberdeen.
This programme is open to graduates from any discipline and does not require business or management study to be completed at undergraduate level.
Our minimum entry requirement for this programme is a degree at 2:2 (lower second class) UK Honours level (or a degree from a non-UK institution which is judged by the University to be of equivalent worth).
Please enter your country to view country-specific entry requirements.
English Language Requirements
To study for a Postgraduate Taught degree at the University of Aberdeen it is essential that you can speak, understand, read, and write English fluently. The minimum requirements for this degree are as follows:
IELTS Academic:
OVERALL - 6.5 with: Listening - 5.5; Reading - 6.0; Speaking - 5.5; Writing - 6.0
TOEFL iBT:
OVERALL - 90 with: Listening - 17; Reading - 21; Speaking - 20; Writing - 21
PTE Academic:
OVERALL - 62 with: Listening - 59; Reading - 59; Speaking - 59; Writing - 59
Cambridge English B2 First, C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency:
OVERALL - 176 with: Listening - 162; Reading - 169; Speaking - 162; Writing - 169
Read more about specific English Language requirements here.
Document Requirements
You will be required to supply the following documentation with your application as proof you meet the entry requirements of this degree programme. If you have not yet completed your current programme of study, then you can still apply and you can provide your Degree Certificate at a later date.
- Degree Transcript
- a full transcript showing all the subjects you studied and the marks you have achieved in your degree(s) (original & official English translation)
- Personal Statement
- a detailed personal statement explaining your motivation for this particular programme
International Applicants
Careers
Following on from this programme, there’s a wide range of potential career opportunities in management roles across a variety of sectors and types of businesses and organisations. Graduates have been hired by multinational corporations in the UK and beyond, government and public institutions, and also international relief and environmental organisations.
Industry Links
Because many of our academics come from the commercial world as well as Academia, and because we are constantly engaging with the industry, we are able to give you the focused knowledge and real world skills you’ll need to compete.
Accreditation
Our International Business Management MSc is accredited by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI). CMI is the only chartered professional body in the UK dedicated to promoting the highest standards in management and leadership excellence. Students who complete degree programmes that are CMI accredited will graduate with a professional qualification and be a member of the CMI.
This degree holds accreditation from
What our Alumni Say
Carina Hoddo Steinbakk
Our Experts
- Programme Leader
- Jing Cai
Information About Staff Changes
You will be taught by a range of experts including professors, lecturers, teaching fellows and postgraduate tutors. Staff changes will occur from time to time; please see our InfoHub pages for further information.
Facilities
- 24 hour access to our online Learning Support provided via our Virtual Learning environment MyAberdeen.
- Membership of the University Library, learning materials including access to core text books.
- The Business School is home to the biggest societies on campus including the Economics and Business Society, InternNetwork, Aberdeen University Consulting Group, the Trading and Investment Club, AIESEC, and the Fintech and Blockchain Club.
Sir Duncan Rice Library
The University’s award winning Sir Duncan Rice Library is listed in the “Top 20 spellbinding University libraries in the World”. It contains over a million volumes, more than 300,000 e-books and 21,000 journals.
Find out moreBusiness societies
Join our business societies such as the Entrepreneurial Society
Support
24 hour access to our online Learning Support provided via our Virtual Learning environment MyAberdeen, as well as access to international networking and continuing professional development.
Get in Touch
Contact Details
- Address
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Business School
University of Aberdeen
MacRobert Building
King Street
Aberdeen
AB24 3FX