100% online MBA with Project Management

Map your critical path to career success with a life-changing MBA from a global university

Apply By 11 June 2024

To Start 25 June 2024

180 credits •
Complete within 12 months •
£8,880 total fees •
Research with 'world-leading' impact

Why Sunderland?

100% online MBA within 12 months
QS 5 star rating for teaching, inclusiveness, employability and facilities*
Ranked overall as a top 50 University**
Member of AACSB, CABS, EFMD and PRIME
70% of university research rated as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’***
£8,880 total fees, option to pay £740 per module

*QS World University Rankings, 2023
**Guardian University Guide, 2023
***Research Excellence Framework, 2021

An online MBA that develops effective and decisive project managers

Delivering projects on time, on budget and in line with stakeholder expectations requires effective management across the project lifecycle. The 100% online Master of Business Administration with Project Management provides you with the tools to do so, developing skills in scoping, planning, resource management and project delivery. This MBA is ideally suited to both project managers who want to advance into more senior and stretching roles as well as professionals from other functions and backgrounds who are seeking a career move into project management. As part of the MBA you will work through the management of an entire project, exploring and applying the processes and methodologies used in professional project management.

OUR PARTNERS, ACCREDITATIONS AND NETWORKS

95.3% of graduates are in employment within six months of graduating, DLHE 2016/17 (based on UK postgraduate students)

The online MBA that transcends the barriers of time and distance

Unlike traditional MBA courses, the 100% online MBA with Project Management from the University of Sunderland can be studied from any location in the UK and indeed from anywhere in the world, with no need to attend campus.

You will study in a collaborative and interactive online learning environment and will study with and learn from fellow online learners from across the world and from across and range of industries and sectors, providing you with rich opportunities to expand your global professional network. You will participate in group learning activities and interact with peers and tutors on discussion boards.

The flexible online MBA academic design ensures that it can be studied around work and family commitments at the times that are most convenient to you, meaning that you can earn as you learn, avoid taking a study break, continue your family life uninterrupted and enjoy the best of both worlds.

We have six start dates a year so you can begin your studies within weeks, and if you choose to study full-time you can complete this MBA within 12 months, fast-tracking your potential career progression.

A University that wins accolades for excellence in teaching, research and skills development

At the University of Sunderland our academics are at the forefront of important research in their fields. This is reflected by elements of the research in business at the University of Sunderland Business School which have been recognised as ‘world-leading’ and ‘internationally important’ in the latest Research Excellence Framework.

We have been ranked internationally as a leading university, receiving five stars for teaching, inclusiveness, employability and facilities in the QS World University Rankings 2023, the highest rating that can be awarded to a university, a recognition of our practical focus on developing the skills that enable career progression.

Business graduates from Sunderland have secured roles in organisations including Facebook, Microsoft, Sage, HSBC, IBM, Enterprise, Nissan, Accenture, Procter & Gamble, Merck & Co, Barclays, Nissan, Marriott Hotels, Viacom 18, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Adidas.

What will you study?

This online MBA programme will develop your project management skills, and will enable you to scope, plan, manage resources and deliver on project plans effectively, efficiently and decisively.

You will explore the processes and tools that project managers can use to manage risk and effect programmes of change, ensuring they remain resilient and successful.

In addition, you will build a broad-based knowledge and skill set across leadership, management and other key areas of the business environment.

Key knowledge and skills taught on this course:

Effective project management
Change management
Risk management
Global corporate strategy
Operations management
Big data analytics
International trade
Financial management
Organisational behaviour and cultural change
International marketing

A global University with vast experience in online teaching and learning for a global audience

For more than 40 years the University of Sunderland has been working with international students from across the world and our international credentials are reflected in our campus locations in Hong Kong, Sunderland and London, as well as our extensive international partnerships across the world including in the Caribbean, Greece, Kenya, Malaysia, Lanka, Oman, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tashkent and Vietnam. We’re proud to be a university that proactively encourages diverse learner cohorts who benefit from interactions with each other and are able to grow their global professional networks.

There is a high percentage of international students at University of Sunderland, and we have students studying by distance learning around the world. Sunderland is also one of the UK’s leading widening participation Universities and was awarded The Times/Sunday Times University of the Year for Social Inclusion 2021. We were also shortlisted as University of the Year by the THE – Times Higher Education.

Our expertise, our cutting-edge technology and our vast experience in delivering excellent online learning experiences to global students is key to what sets the University of Sunderland and our online MBA with Project Management apart.

Admission requirements

Applicants must be of age 19 and above and should have or be about to complete:

At least a UK 2.2 undergraduate degree plus a minimum of two years’ relevant work experience

A UK master’s degree (or international equivalent) plus a minimum of two years’ relevant work experience

A third-class honours degree or an ordinary degree (without honours) or UK equivalent professional qualification with a minimum of three years’ appropriate work experience

Applicants who do not hold a recognised degree will be asked to provide evidence which demonstrates a minimum of three years’ relevant organisational experience

The work experience must be at a graduate level, in either a managerial or professional capacity which may include voluntary work, placements, internships, or project management

Fees

Total course fees: £8,880
Per 15-credit module fee: £740

If you are based in the UK, you may be eligible for a government-backed postgraduate loan to cover the full costs of the course.

In addition, if you have successfully completed an undergraduate degree at the University of Sunderland, you are eligible for a 10% tuition fees reduction on our postgraduate programmes.

You pay tuition fees for each module taken, either module-by-module or in full at the start of your course.

If you pay module-by-module, you will pay in instalments of £740.

Modules

Developing Skills for Business Leadership

Becoming self-aware, reflecting and appreciating personal strengths and weaknesses supports self-development and leads to skills improvement. Pivotal to successful and effective management and leadership is an appreciation that professionals have different approaches to their work, originating from a range of diverse personality traits, attributes and beliefs. This module helps you to understand these and how they are determinants of an individual’s effectiveness and enables you to develop and enhance your ability to manage and lead others.

Project Management

This module provides you with a critical understanding of the core concepts of project management. In addition to exploring the tools, methods and processes used in the field, the module will provide opportunities for you to reflect on how these might be applied across a range of sectors, from complex industrial projects to multifaceted art and social projects. Throughout the module you will examine the use of appropriate software tools to support the project planning and management processes.

Risk and Change Management

In order to succeed, organisations need to manage the multitude of risks that exist in the modern world. This often means that organisations must be dynamic in a changing environment and be able to instigate and realise programmes of change. In this module you will explore the processes and tools that organisations and project managers can use to manage risk and effect change, thus ensuring they remain resilient and successful.

International Trade

Walking into a supermarket and finding bananas and coffee from South America, wine from California and New Zealand and cocoa from Nigeria is a result of international trade. This module will provide you with an understanding of how countries expand their markets for both goods and services that otherwise may not have been available domestically. It will explore how international trade leads to greater competition and competitive pricing and how this affects the consumer. You will understand the flow of goods and services across international boundaries from supply and demand factors, economic integration, and policy variables.

Financial Management and Control

This module explains how to measure and compare financial performance and use knowledge of an entity’s cost in operational and strategic management. It explores cost management and analysis, costing methods and control, strategic planning, decision making and budgeting. You will consider budgetary preparation and financial control, develop an understanding of how to appraise investment opportunities and make business financing decisions and of the role of working capital.

Global Corporate Strategy

Business is increasingly becoming global. The global view relates not only to an assessment of competitors but also the geographic and demographic arenas in which they function. This module examines key contemporary issues surrounding international and global strategic management. A framework will be established to enable you to understand the strategic management and strategic leadership processes involved in organisations. In this context, strategy can only be analysed and understood when the various stakeholders and their complex relationships are considered as part of the management of multinational enterprises. This is achieved by examining the design of strategic management and leadership processes and how strategic decisions affect the functioning of organisations operating in both domestic and international markets.

Operations Management

Operations management is the administration of business practices designed to establish the highest level of efficiency within an organisation. You will appreciate how to focus on the conversion of materials and labour into goods and services as effectively and efficiently as possible in order to maximise profit. You will also gain an understanding of the theory and practice behind the balancing of costs with revenue in order to achieve the highest possible operating profit.

Marketing in a Digitally Connected World

Against a backdrop of new technologies and a proliferation of fast-developing marketing channels, effective marketing requires an understanding and ability to design complex solutions that engage effectively with the customer journey. This module explores current marketing theory and how offline and online technologies interact with customers through a myriad of touchpoints. Customers from a range of market perspectives are considered and the application of holistic marketing approaches as a means of supporting ‘needs satisfaction’ and attaining customer loyalty is explored.

Organisational Behaviour and Cultural Change

Organisational behaviour is the study of human behaviour in organisational settings, exploring the interface between human behaviour and the organisation, and the organisation itself. A variety of factors influence organisational behaviour, including structure, policies, processes and management. You will gain knowledge of how companies can manage and lead change effectively, and by understanding organisational behaviour you will support your personal development and ability to set the standard for accepting, negotiating, and implementing change.

Global Corporate Social Responsibility and Ethics

This module develops critical insights into corporate social and environmental responsibility. Corporations have a clear ability to influence and shape the environment, our choices as consumers, the rules of government and the quality of our working lives. In recognition of this power there have been increasing calls for corporate social responsibility at national and international levels. The module examines contemporary themes using case studies to illustrate the complex relationship between business and society and the alternative frameworks through which the subject can be considered. It explores the issues of accountability and regulation and considers alternative forms of organising such as co-operatives and partnerships in order to question whether these structures enable organisations to engage with the broader aims of corporate social and environmental responsibility.

Big Data in Organisations

In this module you will investigate techniques that organisations use for performing simple analysis of data for a variety of business applications. You will develop an understanding of the types of data used in business, the differences between structured and unstructured data and how tools can be used to represent and analyse different types of data, including big data, in various contexts.
You will gain an appreciation of how data analytics can enhance business processes, for improved decision making in marketing, customer relationships, sales and forecasting. You will also learn how to apply simple analytical techniques to present information using data visualisation tools.

Enterprise and Entrepreneurship

Enterprise and entrepreneurial skills are highly valued by employers and by enterprising individuals who are interested in starting a new business or in exploiting a unique business idea. This module enables you to seize opportunities, mitigate risks, be creative and develop problem solving skills. It provides you with the knowledge and understanding to drive your business ideas forward and overcome hurdles with the aim of successfully launching new business ventures.