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MBA Essentials

Build in-demand MBA skills to advance your career.

Develop your management and business skillset to confidently lead teams, deliver successful projects and drive organisational culture and strategy.

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Key programme information

The world and workplace are evolving rapidly, and professionals must upskill quickly to stay ahead. Drawing on our respected and globally recognised MBA, the fully online MBA Essentials allows you to rapidly enhance your business and leadership skillset while you work. You’ll be empowered to apply what you learn immediately in your role and set yourself apart as a leader.

Study mode:

100% online. Learn from anywhere, at any time.

Duration:

Fully flexible. Design your studies around your schedule.

Start date:

Enrol at any time. Start when it suits you best.

Fees:

£3,855 total. Payment plans and funding available.

Online learning designed for you

Edinburgh Business School at Heriot-Watt University is a UK leader in online learning, having provided high-quality distance education for more than 20 years. The MBA Essentials programme builds on this to deliver a truly customisable, contemporary, and relevant learning experience for modern professionals.

Career focused

This programme is purposefully designed to help you develop practical, career-ready MBA skills sought by today’s employers. Apply your learning in real-time in your own working environment.

Fully flexible

You are free to choose when you start each course, and you control the pace of your study. Course materials are available on demand, so you can structure your studies to fit around your life.

Truly global

Available to study from anywhere in the world, from any device. This 100% online programme is truly borderless, allowing you to build an international and diverse professional network.

Accessible

Open and available to you, regardless of your educational background, professional experience or location. We are proud to extend access to transformative, lifelong learning experiences.

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Build towards a full MBA

Interested in studying an MBA?

The MBA Essentials is the perfect way to start your journey. Not only will you build your capabilities in core MBA areas which you can apply immediately in your current role, you’ll also be taking steps towards achieving an MBA qualification.

Upon successful completion of the MBA Essentials programme, you will earn 60 credits that can be applied towards pursuing a full MBA with Edinburgh Business School. This means that by completing the MBA Essentials, you would already be one-third of the way to earning your MBA! You can also opt to receive a Postgraduate Certificate upon completion of the MBA Essentials programme.

What you'll learn

In the MBA Essentials programme, you’ll progress through three 20 credit courses purposefully selected to help you build your management toolkit. The duration of the programme is completely flexible to suit you, but the programme can be completed in one year or less.

During the programme, you’ll build your strategic and critical thinking capabilities to make better, more informed decisions in business and beyond. You’ll learn to lead in a range of diverse settings and contexts, positively impacting individual, team and organisational performance.

People, Work and Organisations

Gain an understanding of the factors influencing how people behave at work and how these link to performance. Investigate differences between individuals, how organisational factors affect individual behaviour and, how these differences affect group dynamics. You’ll walk away with the skills and knowledge to positively impact on individual, team and organisational performance in a variety of dynamic organisational contexts.
Leadership Theory and Practice

Explore key developments in leadership theories and how they apply to modern organisations. Grow your awareness of alternative approaches to leading in a variety of contexts, and better understand the role of leadership in setting and shaping organisational strategy. Discuss contemporary issues of gender, culture and ethics in the context of leadership. You’ll walk away with the knowledge and tools you need to develop yourself as an effective leader in a variety of contexts.
Delivering Successful Projects

Understand, analyse and learn to apply project management skills to address issues and conflicts, enable change and drive innovation. Become empowered to lead projects and teams with the key skills to manage multidisciplinary stakeholders and complex scenarios under conditions of risk, uncertainty and change.

People with laptops gathered round a table working on a project

How you’ll learn

All courses are offered fully online to accommodate your preferred study schedule and location. With no set times to study and no deadlines, you can study independently, when it works best for you. Access your course materials on demand, from mobile or desktop.

Online campus: Our Virtual Learning Environment acts as your digital campus, and it houses a variety of engaging course materials for you to work through in your own time. Throughout your programme, you will benefit from the opportunity to connect and collaborate with a global network of peers on course forums.

Duration: On average it takes around 200 hours to complete each course. You can complete your programme in under a year, or as long as it takes you! Choose your own pace by scheduling your studies when it best suits you.

Assessment: For each of the three courses, you will be provided with timed online coursework that can be completed within a 24-hour timeframe. You will have three assessment opportunities per year, and you can register to sit your assessment when you’re ready.

How will the MBA Essentials benefit you?

Take the next step in your career

Pursue in-demand roles - including those in consultancy, operations, human resources and analytics - across a range of industries, or apply what you’ve learnt to start or advance your own business.

Increase your professional value

Build a comprehensive set of transferable MBA skills while you work and stand out to current and future employers.

Build your global business network

Tap into the same influential network, valuable insights and connections enjoyed by our MBA students.

Start your MBA journey

Complete the MBA Essentials and you’ll be one-third of the way through your MBA - just build on 6 more courses to graduate with a full MBA.

Get in touch

Get in touch with us today to request your prospectus and learn more about this exciting programme.