International Business and Management MSc

Program Overview

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International Business and Management MSc

Overview

The MSc International Business and Management course allows learners to dive into global business right in the heart of vibrant London. The course is tailored for both recent management graduates and ambitious early career professionals without a degree in management. Learners in the course gain essential skills in managing operations, strategy and more within international settings. Our diverse curriculum covers economics, finance, trade, branding, CSR, marketing, leadership, and digital communication, with a strong focus on real-world application through case studies, business simulations, and interactions with experts.

Top reasons to study with us

• Wide range of topics covered will greatly enhance your employment opportunities in the global job market
• Engaging delivery methods, including action-based practical activities and challenges, which may be set by businesses and enterprises, a community or other appropriate partner
• A truly international business course, with more than three-quarters of participants from outside the UK and European Union
• Become business-ready through practical experiences
• Study in central London, one of the world’s major cities and international business hubs

Course structure

Course content reflects the main functional areas of business and management. During the course, you'll take nine core modules, with 180 credits in total.

Semester 1

We’ll consider the rationale for international trade and legal, financial and political factors encountered. You will gain a deeper insight into the implications of managing in a global context.

Semester 2

As the course develops, we’ll consider the practicalities of international trade, using live projects to explore strategy options, which may include expansion, diversification, technology or targeted marketing, for example. MSc projects are expected to centre on economics, finance, marketing research or leadership, while on the MA, the focus is more likely to be human resource management (HRM), marketing communications or project management.

Core modules

Business Research Methods

This module aims to develop your knowledge and competence of the research process and the application of research methods in the area of Business and Management. It consists of an overview of methodology, literature review, qualitative and quantitative research methods and considers the contexts within which different methods are useful and how they should be applied in practice. The focus is on research design, data collection and analysis, and the presentation of findings.

Creativity and Innovation Management

This module introduces the student to the concepts and role of creativity in innovation. It explores creative techniques to develop creative and thinking skills with a view to make students better learners, through practical application and activities, both individually and in teams. The module shows students the importance of team engagement and individuals’ contribution to successful team creativity and innovation within an organisation. The unique value added for this module is to introduce experiential team learning philosophy into a unique disruptive model of creativity enhancement, that weaves together hands-on learning through real world problem solving through business challenges in collaboration with entrepreneurs. Team entrepreneurship is central to this module, creating a powerful learning journey that transforms individuals into collaborative entrepreneurs and team innovators.

Cross-Cultural Marketing and Communications

In today's interconnected world, successful marketing strategies must transcend cultural boundaries to effectively reach diverse audiences. This module explores the complexities and nuances of marketing in a global context. The module emphasises crafting inclusive minimum viable brands (MVBs) for international branding and communications contexts. Uncovering international audiences and translating customer research insights into validated ideas for international brands, campaigns, and products. It critiques debates on diversity (EDI), ethics, and legal issues, especially relevant to global South entrepreneurship. It also discusses AI, UX/UI, VR, and AR in a digital context. By the end of the module, students gain a comprehensive understanding of how to navigate cultural differences and leverage them to create effective marketing strategies that resonate with global audiences. They emerge with the skills and mindset necessary to excel in today's multicultural marketplace.

Global Business Sustainability

Sustainability is a broad concept that goes beyond considering the environmental impact of business to include economic and social issues such as inclusivity and diversity. The focus of sustainability is the creation of a good quality of life for current and future generations by achieving a balance between economic prosperity, ecosystem viability and social justice.

This module explores the challenges and opportunities that societal and environmental issues create for organisations. Students will explore sustainable management in all its dimensions, learning from real-life examples, examining key problems and developing solutions to lead their organisations towards sustainable change that aligns businesses' long-term goals with the broader expectations of society in a globalised, connected world.

To help students understand the systematic and organisational role of sustainability in any organisation, the module will give an overview of major sustainability issues and practices according to the following 3 dimensions: environmental, social and financial.

International Business Strategy

This module involves strategic thinking that draws together all aspects of business & management. It applies strategic concepts and systems thinking to help students to understand how to manage businesses in a complex global business environment. The module content also apply contemporary strategic management theory and concepts to the critical appraisal of international business scenarios and cases. Students will learn how to develop sustainable business models and solutions in a complex and changing world and to think like business analysts, management consultants & executive decision-makers.

International Economics and Financial Markets

This module is concerned with both practice and theories of International trade and finance. It is related to issues such as classical and neo-classical trade theories, intra industry trade, factor input mobility, trade policies, infant industry protection, economic integration, foreign investments, balance of payments, exchange rate regimes and their implications. It is designed to provide an in-depth understanding of the underlying reasons for trade, shortcomings of the classical trade theories and some of the more modern trade theories.

International Trade Policy

Global supply chains make trade a critical engine for economic growth. With products being assembled in a large number of countries and services delivered digitally, even small changes to trade policies can have a major impact. This module aims to provide students with an in-depth understanding of current issues and theoretical debates in international trade, together with their policy implications. Specific attention will be paid to examining the process of globalisation in trade in goods and services through applying real-world data and considering the extent to which barriers have been eroded through regional and multilateral agreements. On completion of the module students will be able to comprehend the process of international trade policy formulation and critically evaluate trade issues.

Leading and Managing in a Global Context

This module explores the development of leaders and managers from a multi-disciplinary perspective in a global context. It takes a multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural approach to leadership and management development. In our complex and interconnected world one needs to be open minded and ready to learn from all regardless of cultural, religious or social backgrounds. It also draws from historic examples and from the wisdom of Eastern and Western traditions. Further it provides a historic and a critical, research based perspective on leadership. Participants are invited to review their personal views and experiences of leading and managing and explore new concepts and skills to develop appropriate personal competencies.

Project (MSc IBM)

It is expected that the majority of the MSc projects will adopt a focus in Economics, Finance, Marketing Research or Leadership, and be more likely to apply quantitative or mixed methods and involve analysis of ‘hard’ and/or primary data. However, students are not prevented from applying qualitative data approaches and secondary sources to triangulate their findings. Also, other types of project are possible, subject to approval, such as a consultancy project. In all cases, the project must demonstrate sufficient knowledge of the appropriate methodology.

Professional accreditation

This course maps directly to CMI - Chartered Management Institute modules, giving you an insight into what good management and leadership looks like during your time at University. These skills give you a clear career differentiator on graduation and boost your employability. The Chartered Management Institute are dedicated to increasing the number of professionally qualified managers and leaders. They work with education providers to inspire students to unleash their potential and become skilled, confident and successful managers and leaders identified by their Chartered status.

Entry Requirements

• A minimum of a lower second class honours degree (2:2).
• Relevant degree disciplines include business studies, economics, geography, management, and operations research. However, students with qualifications in other disciplines, such as engineering, environmental sciences, the humanities and languages, are also encouraged to apply.
• If your first language is not English you should have an IELTS 6.5 overall with 6.0 in each component.

Fees and Funding

UK

• UK tuition fee: £16,700 (Price per academic year)
• When you have enrolled with us, your annual tuition fees will remain the same throughout your studies with us. We do not increase your tuition fees each year.
• Find out how we set our tuition fees.
• Paying your fees: If you don't wish to pay the whole amount of your fees at once, you may be able to pay by instalments. This opportunity is available if you have a personal tuition fee liability of £2,000 or more and if you are self-funded or funded by the Student Loans Company.
• Alumni discount: This course is eligible for an alumni discount. Find out if you are eligible and how to apply by visiting our Alumni discounts page.
• Funding: There is a range of funding available that may help you fund your studies, including Student Finance England (SFE).
• Scholarships: The University is dedicated to supporting ambitious and outstanding students and we offer a variety of scholarships to eligible postgraduate students.

International

• International tuition fee: £17,500 (Price per academic year)
• When you have enrolled with us, your annual tuition fees will remain the same throughout your studies with us. We do not increase your tuition fees each year.
• Find out how we set our tuition fees.
• Paying your fees: If you don't wish to pay the whole amount of your fees at once, you may be able to pay by instalments. This opportunity is available if you have a personal tuition fee liability of £2,000 or more and if you are self-funded or funded by the Student Loans Company.
• Alumni discount: This course is eligible for an alumni discount. Find out if you are eligible and how to apply by visiting our Alumni discounts page.
• Funding: There are a number of funding schemes available to help you fund your studies with us.
• Scholarships: The University is dedicated to supporting ambitious and outstanding students and we offer a variety of scholarships to eligible postgraduate students.

Careers

This Master’s programme prepares you for diverse management roles across industries and globally. Our Alumni have developed their careers in a wide range of organisations, including multinational corporations, consulting organisations, financial services, government institutions, start-ups, and family businesses around the world. Our graduates tend to work on marketing, strategy, sustainability, and international trade, where they demonstrate cross-cultural competence, collaboration, and interpersonal skills.

Course Leaders

• Gayani Fernando
  • Lecturer
  • After a successful global career in financial services, Gayani transitioned to the UK higher education sector in 2010. Since then, she has lectured and led business management programs at various West London universities, joining the University of Westminster in 2022.
  • Gayani holds an MBA and a Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching, and she is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA). She also has industry qualifications in Advanced Investment Management, Global Benefits Management, and Retirement Plans.
  • As a Professional Development Expert in Executive Education, Gayani mentors senior leaders from prominent organizations across sectors such as investment banking, insurance, renewable energy, and healthcare.
• Dr Mohamed Shaaban
  • Lecturer
  • Dr Mohamed Shaaban is a Lecturer in Management and Course Leader for MSc International Business and Management at Westminster Business School, specialising in International Human Resource Management (IHRM) and Organisational Behaviour (OB). He has an extensive academic experience in teaching a variety of business management modules at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, involving IHRM, Employee Relations, Leading and Managing in a Global Context, Organisational Behaviour, International Business Practice, and Business Strategy. He is an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA) and a member of the Chartered Management Institute (CMI). He also supervises students' dissertations at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. His research interests primarily focused on expatriate management, thriving at the workplace, knowledge-sharing, HRM, leadership and employee outcomes. He is interested in supervising research students working in these areas. He has presented his work at renowned conferences such as the International Human Resource Management conference.

Teaching and assessment

Your learning experience is designed to provide both a practical and theoretical understanding of people management approaches and their impact on organisational behaviour.

To assist the learning experience, we provide reading lists, lecture and seminar materials in advance via Blackboard, our virtual learning environment. Where possible, lectures are recorded using specialist software and similar tools to make sure you can really listen to what is said in class and don’t miss a thing.

How you’ll be taught

Through a variety of teaching methods – from lectures and seminars to case study analysis, business simulations and projects – we encourage active, experiential and reflective learning. You will demonstrate independent learning, critical evaluation, reflection, discussion and debate, as well as the opportunity through the project to research, in significant depth, a relevant business issue.

The emphasis in the classroom is on problem-based learning, blending theory and practice, problem diagnosis and the selection of managerial tools to provide the best fit with the situation. Gaining real-life experience of actual business problems is key. In the past, students have created and marketed their own confectionary products, worked with companies on the redesign and repositioning of products such as organic fruit juices and protein supplements, and worked with companies on specific marketing and branding problems.

You will develop practical knowledge, expertise and valuable insights from visiting professionals from a wide range of industries. For example, students recently heard about sustainability and the challenges of ‘green’ marketing from the founder and owner of Alara Wholefoods, one of the world’s most sustainable suppliers of breakfast cereals, the first cereal company to be certified organic and the first to be licensed by Coeliac UK.

How you’ll be assessed

Using a wide range of techniques, you can expect to be assessed on the learning outcomes of your course in core modules through coursework in the form of essays, reports, presentations, case studies as well as time-constrained in-class tests and exams. We try to make assessments as practical and relevant as possible, incorporating the type of work required by future employers.