Course options
Key information
Duration: 1 year full time
Institution code: R72
Campus: Egham
UK fees*: £14,100
International/EU fees**: £22,800
The course
International Business Management (MSc)
The Royal Holloway International Business Management MSc is a rigorous - and rewarding - programme aimed at ambitious and self-motivated individuals at the outset of their professional working life. It is ideal for those who wish to pursue a postgraduate degree in general management with an international orientation and will prepare you to enter the globalised world of work on a competitive footing, maximising your potential and widening your choices.
On graduating you will have a comprehensive and integrated knowledge and understanding of organisations, their management and the environment in which they operate. As part of this, you will have examined accounting and finance from a manager's point of view and evaluated the impact of internal and external factors on the kinds of human resource strategies drawn up by international organisations. The course will provide an understanding of how international management fits into the organisation and running of a company or multi-company corporation.
As a member of the School of Business and Management you will join an intellectually stimulating, friendly and supportive research environment and, through working closely with our expert and experienced academic staff, you will be in a position to realise your full potential.
- Career management and employability skills to make competitive applications to multinational enterprises, non-governmental organisations or as a platform to pursue additional qualifications (such as in accounting or Marketing).
- Conversion course so therefore particularly relevant if you did not study management as part of your undergraduate degree or have less than two years full-time work experience. It is also applicable to graduates who are involved in family-owned and own businesses.
- Inspiring international community; approximately 60% of our Management students come from overseas, with over 130 countries represented across the University.
Course structure
Core Modules
This year we will be running the following insightful modules which are all mandatory:
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This module provides you with an understanding of the substantial issues a firm and its managers have to deal with. It contains two halves. The first half of the module introduces you to (a) the strategic decisions a manager must make in order to survive and compete in the marketplace, and (b) the resource allocation problems between and within firms, their consumers, and how to address them. The decisions to address these ‘big issues’ are discussed in the context of varying economic characteristics of a firm and the competitiveness of its environment. The second half of the module aims to give a fundamental understanding of key accounting and finance techniques and practices; provide awareness of the impact of contexts (different countries, industries, markets, and regulatory regimes) on accounting and finance ideas and practices; and develop an awareness of the analytical usefulness of accounting and finance data, in a manner that emphasises the importance of a wider business understanding for such analysis and the limitations as well as the strengths of the data.
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In this module you will develop an understanding of how international strategy and entrepreneurship fit into the organisation and running of a commercial entity. You will look at the ways in which a firm can achieve sustainable competitive advantage through strategy and entrepreneurship, evaluating the processes that firms use to develop, renew and reconfigure these. You will also examine the theoretical frameworks of strategy and entrepreneurship in the real business world.
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This module provides you with an understanding of people management and organisational issues that a firm and its managers have to deal with. The aim of the module is twofold: a) to enable you to consider the impact of globalisation, culture and communication on people and organisation; and b) to enable you to examine managing people in the context of modern geopolitics and employment relations.
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This module provides you with an understanding of the substantial issues a firm and its managers must deal with. It contains two halves. The first half of the module introduces you to some key issues concerning digitalisation in today’s global business environment. Starting with the use of information systems and digital technologies for attaining competitive advantage, the module will address organisational and managerial concerns in the effective implementation and use of information systems. Emphasis will be placed on recent developments such as big data, digital business transformation, and the opportunities and challenges these create for organisations. A variety of case studies will help make explicit the problems involved in the management of technological change in organisations as well as the impact of information systems on organisational culture and context. The second half of the module explores how marketing practice fits into the organisation and running of a global corporation. After an introduction of key marketing concepts, this exploration is guided by a series of contemporary topics, ranging from the global marketing environment and the evaluation of standardisation and adaptation strategies to a discussion of cultural forces and their influence on consumer behaviour. The module concludes with a reflection on common criticisms of marketing practice and discusses typical responses from marketers.
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In this module you will develop an understanding of effective business communication, including public speaking in English, giving feedback and communicating in teams. You will consider the actions and attitudes that comprise professional conduct in the business environment and will look at typical recruitment processes. You will be introduced to a range of quantitative and qualitative research methods commonly used in management studies.
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The aim of the module is to introduce you to some of the main topics in the important field of operations management. Operations management is concerned with the design, planning and control of operating systems for the provision of goods and services. This module provides you with an insight into the tools and techniques used in the management of operational systems and into the factors that affect the choice of operating methods. The module also provides you with a sound understanding of the essentials of modern operations practices and introduces principles of supply chain management, logistics and transportation required to support global supply chains.
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This module will describe the key principles of academic integrity, focusing on university assignments. Plagiarism, collusion and commissioning will be described as activities that undermine academic integrity, and the possible consequences of engaging in such activities will be described. Activities, with feedback, will provide you with opportunities to reflect and develop your understanding of academic integrity principles.
Optional Modules
There are a number of optional course modules available during your degree studies. The following is a selection of optional course modules that are likely to be available. Please note that although the College will keep changes to a minimum, new modules may be offered or existing modules may be withdrawn, for example, in response to a change in staff. Applicants will be informed if any significant changes need to be made.
Year 1-
This module provides you with the opportunity to investigate, analyse and make recommendations for a business project related to general management areas, developing the skills to critically evaluate and select the appropriate method to conduct the project. Analysis will then be communicated in the form of a project brief and 10,000-word report.
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The module will provide you with direct access to varied industry professionals and management practices in a cross-cultural, international setting. The aim of the module is to provide a variety of opportunities for experiential learning such as company visits, presentations by and discussions with business leaders, and in-class workshops. The study trip will provide you with the opportunity to learn from the business models and practices of major domestic and global businesses operating in the destination country or countries chosen for the field trip each year. An important learning outcome is to enhance your appreciation of the significant cultural challenges entailed in managing business operations in a global context. You will be required to engage in pre-trip preparatory work as well as post-trip reflection activities in-class in groups in order to embed the experiential learning gained through the study trip. You will also be required to submit an assignment that will challenge you to reflect on your study trip while addressing specific questions relating to one of the companies visited.
Teaching & assessment
Assessment is carried out by a variety of methods including written assignments, closed-book examinations, in-class tests, oral presentations, group work and independent research.
Entry requirements
2:2
Degree must be in a non-management subject.
Normally, we require a UK 2:2 (Honours) or equivalent in a non-management subject and less than three years of work experience.
International & EU requirements
English language requirements
All teaching at Royal Holloway is in English. You will therefore need to have good enough written and spoken English to cope with your studies right from the start. Find out what scores we require.
Country-specific requirements
For more information about country-specific entry requirements for your country please see here.
Your future career
On graduating with a MSc in International Business Management from Royal Holloway you will be in a position to take a variety of different career paths. You may choose to combine this qualification with your first degree studies to indicate a market sector or a functional specialism. Important skills are gained for those entering fields such as finance, accountancy and regulatory bodies; we also recognise the role of family and closely held business enterprises for some.
We will help students to recognise their own strengths, skills and abilities so that they can make strong applications for their chosen job or further study.
- Graduates have entered many different international management-related areas, including Senior Associate at Bank of China International, Reporter at Xinhua News Agency, Senior Associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers, Finance Officer at Ealing Borough Council and Relationship Manager Investments) at Barclays Bank.
Fees, funding & scholarships
Home (UK) students tuition fee per year*: £14,100
EU and international students tuition fee per year**: £22,800
Other essential costs***: There are no single associated costs greater than £50 per item on this course
How do I pay for it? Find out more about funding options, including loans, grants, scholarships and bursaries.
* and ** These tuition fees apply to students enrolled on a full-time basis. Students studying on the standard part-time course structure over two years are charged 50% of the full-time applicable fee for each study year.
All postgraduate fees are subject to inflationary increases. This means that the overall cost of studying the course via part-time mode is slightly higher than studying it full-time in one year. Royal Holloway's policy is that any increases in fees will not exceed 5% for continuing students. For further information, please see our terms and conditions. Please note that for research courses, we adopt the minimum fee level recommended by the UK Research Councils for the Home tuition fee. Each year, the fee level is adjusted in line with inflation (currently, the measure used is the Treasury GDP deflator). Fees displayed here are therefore subject to change and are usually confirmed in the spring of the year of entry. For more information on the Research Council Indicative Fee please see the RCUK website.
** The UK Government has confirmed that EU nationals are no longer eligible to pay the same fees as UK students, nor be eligible for funding from the Student Loans Company. This means you will be classified as an international student. At Royal Holloway, we wish to support those students affected by this change in status through this transition. For eligible EU students starting their course with us during the academic year 2023/24, we will award a fee reduction scholarship equivalent to 30% of the difference between the UK and international fee for your course. This will apply for the duration of your course. Find out more
*** These estimated costs relate to studying this particular degree at Royal Holloway during the 2022/23 academic year, and are included as a guide. Costs, such as accommodation, food, books and other learning materials and printing, have not been included.
