Program Overview

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Strategic Procurement MSc

Overview

Prepare for your procurement leadership career with this fully CIPS accredited MSc Strategic Procurement course.

With a focus on strategy, sustainability and digital transformation, you’ll graduate ready to make a direct impact on your company’s future. You’ll even have a professional exam exemption — so if you choose to become an associate Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS) member you’ll have one less step to complete.

As a professional with a Master’s degree in procurement, you’ll contribute to the strategic decisions of your company, shaping the way it achieves success in managing its supply chain, suppliers and supply markets as well as internal business stakeholders.

Build an in depth understanding of the methods and roles of procurement in business as you explore digital procurement technologies, use ERP (such as SAP) tools, and access our SAP Next Gen facilities on this masters programme.

You’ll learn how to enact world class procurement processes, drive business transformation and explore procurement's critical role in securing advantage through sustainability management. You’ll develop procurement and sourcing strategies for different business scenarios, discover goal and performance metrics, and perform in active simulations in case examples as you study.

Whether you hold an undergraduate degree in a logistics or business related subject, or you’re a professional looking to upskill, this course will help you build your procurement and negotiation skills as well as your understanding of procurement processes. You don't need to have studied maths to enter this course.

Eligibility

This course accepts UK, EU, and International students.

Course Highlights

• Gain hands-on experience with SAP digital procurement tools
• Earn a CIPS exam exemption when you complete the course
• Discover strategies for different business needs
• Attend an in-house conference with procurement professionals
• Apply your knowledge in active simulations and training events
• Network with professionals including procurers, consultants and head-hunters
• Learn from lecturers with experience as senior procurement managers and CPOs from multiple industries

Accreditation

The University of Portsmouth has earned business accreditation from the AACSB in recognition of the outstanding quality of its business and management education. Less than six percent of the world's schools offering business degree programs hold AACSB business accreditation.

Entry Requirements

Qualification and Experience

• A second-class honours degree or equivalent in a business/management subject, or a masters degree in an appropriate subject
• Or, a second-class honours degree in any subject plus two or more years experience in a relevant business function(s). Relevant functions include: procurements, buying, supply chain, operations, logistics, sales, or production. Exceptionally, equivalent qualifications in combination with relevant business experience will be considered.
• Applicants may be asked to submit a portfolio in support of their application.

Non-UK Qualifications

If you're applying as an international student with a non-UK degree, you’ll need to show you meet the UK entry requirements listed above.

English Language Requirements

• English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 6.5 with no component score below 6.0.

Course Costs and Funding

Tuition Fees (September 2025 / January 2026 start)

• UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man students: £12,600 (Full time)
• EU students: £12,600 (Full time)
• International students: £17,900 (Full time)

Funding Your Studies

Explore how to fund your studies, including available scholarships and bursaries.

Modules

Each module on this course is worth a certain number of credits.

You need to study modules worth a total of 180 credits. On this course you'll study 6 modules worth 15 credits and 3 modules worth 30 credits.

Full-time

Year 1

All modules on this course are core.

• Research into Advanced Procurement (30 modules)
• Data Analytics Knowledge and Skills for Procurement (15 credits)
• Digital Tools for Procurement (15 credits)
• Methods for Procurement (30 credits)
• Risk Management for Procurement (15 credits)
• Commercial Knowledge and Skills for Procurement (15 credits)
• Financial Knowledge and Skills for Procurement (15 credits)
• Negotiation, Leadership and Teamwork Skills for Procurement (15 credits)
• Transforming Business Strategy and ESG Through Procurement (30 credits)

Facilities

SAP Next Generation Lab

Gain practical skills with cloud-based software such as SAP and S&P Capital IQ, in our dedicated lab.

Business Simulation Suite

Experience the boardroom in our replica business suite.

How You'll Spend Your Time

We recognise that you'll probably be juggling more demands when you do your Master's degree, as you may be working or you may have family responsibilities.

We'll give you as much indication here as we can of how much time you'll need to be on campus and how many hours you can expect to spend in self-directed study, but please note that these indications are always subject to change. You should receive your full timetable several weeks before you start with us.

Teaching

The teaching on this course includes:

• Lectures
• Seminars
• Exercises
• Computer labs
• Group and individual activities

Teaching Staff

The experts who teach on this course include:

• Dr Philip Brabazon

Assessment

You'll work on and submit an assignment for each module during in the weeks after the relevant study block.

You may be assessed through:

• Individual or group structured reports
• Case-study analysis
• Data processing
• Research based essays
• Recorded video presentations
• Role play in simulated environment
• Online tests

Career Development

Procurement professionals excel in both the public and private sectors, with the UK government alone holding more than a thousand procurement vacancies in 2022.

You’ll graduate from this MSc Strategic Procurement degree in an excellent position to enter the evolving procurement sector or progress your current career in the industry.

The procurement profession is governed by the UK Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS), with a structured career path from graduate buyer to Chief Procurement Officer. If you choose to join CIPS as a member after you the course, you’ll start your career journey with a module exemption.

The average UK salary for a graduate trainee/buyer in 2021 was £27.5k, with UK procurement professionals earning an average of £53k (CIPS 2023 Salary Guide).

Procurement has a role in all fields of commerce, including private and public sectors, large and small organisations, and manufacturing and service based enterprises — so you can work in any sector that interests you.

Supporting You

Master's study is more focused on independent learning than undergraduate study, but you'll get lots of support via video, phone and face-to-face from teaching and support staff to enhance your learning experience and help you succeed. You can build your personalised network of support from the following people and services:

Types of Support

• Personal tutor
• Student engagement officers
• Business study support tutors
• Academic skills support
• Library support
• Wellbeing and mental health support
• Disability advice and additional support
• Support with English

How to Apply

Unlike undergraduate applications, which go through UCAS, applications for this Master's course are made directly to us.

There's no deadline for applications to this course. We accept applications right up until the start dates in September and January, as long as there are places available. If you wait until your start month to apply, you may find that the course is full.

If you're applying as an international student, remember that you'll need to leave plenty of time to get your visa organised.

You can find more advice about applying in our Master's application checklist. International students and current students and recent graduates of the University of Portsmouth also have some different application options, which are detailed below.