Business Administration

This qualification will enable you to make a real difference within your management practice through active use of frameworks, theories and tools. It will help you to develop a good grounding in the theory and practice of managing and leading, covering the core functions and disciplines of management and helping you make the connections between them. It also provides a framework for a year-long process of professional development. You'll be challenged to actively engage with a wide variety of ideas and develop a repertoire of techniques and approaches best suited to your own situation and management context.

Key features of the course
• Helps you select and adapt techniques and approaches appropriate to your own situation, and to reflect critically on your own and others’ practice
• Explores diverse perspectives and approaches in different organisational, cultural and global contexts
• Increases your ability to work confidently across sectoral and national boundaries
• Enhances your ability to plan and implement change which will have real impact within your own organisational context.

This certificate is the first stage of our triple-accredited MBA qualification.

How long it takes
The minimum time to complete this qualification is six months by studying both 30-credit modules at the same time. Please note to complete within six months, you will need to be able to devote 24–28 hours a week to your studies. Most students study this qualification in one year. To achieve this you should expect to devote 12–14 hours each week to your studies.

Modules
To gain this qualification, you need 60 credits from the following:
Compulsory modules
• Managing in a changing world (B870) 30 Credits
• Creating and sustaining value (B872) 30 Credits

You should note that the University’s unique study rule applies to this qualification. This means that you must include at least 20 credits from OU modules that have not been counted in any other OU qualification that has previously been awarded to you.

For module details please see "Course Web Page".

Entry requirements
You’ll be eligible for this postgraduate certificate by satisfying the following academic, work experience and language requirements.

The modules that you study for this certificate are also compulsory modules in both the MBA (F61) and Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration (E80). It is possible to claim the certificate, the diploma and the MBA.

Academic requirements
There are three ways to meet the academic requirements:
1: Bachelors degree with honours
You'll need to have a bachelors degree with honours awarded by a UK university or equivalent.

2: Bachelors degree without honours
You'll need to have a bachelors degree without honours awarded by a UK university or equivalent and you'll need to have completed one of the following:
• the discontinued OU module Managing 1: organisations and people (B628)
• three of our undergraduate-level Business Management microcredentials*
• the GMAT examination and achieved a result of 640 or higher.

3: No Bachelors degree
If you don’t have a bachelors degree you'll need to have completed one of the following:
• the discontinued OU Professional Certificate in Management (S01)
• six of our undergraduate-level Business Management microcredentials*
*See our Microcredentials page for further information.

Work experience requirement
You’ll need to have gained a minimum of three years’ experience in a managerial, technical or professional role, so that you have a practical business base on which to build your learning.

Language requirement
Your spoken and written English must be of an adequate standard for postgraduate study. If English is not your first language, we recommend that you will need a minimum score of 6.5 under the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Please see their website for details.

Acceptance onto the programme
You’ll be required to show how you meet these requirements. You will be asked to submit your CV and proof of qualifications, including English translations of non-UK degrees. Evaluation of the evidence will take place before you’re accepted onto the programme.

60 credits

6 - 12 months

See Course Web Page link for next start date.

Career relevance
The Open University Business School is one of an elite group of schools worldwide accredited by the three leading international accrediting bodies – AACSB, AMBA, EQUIS – hallmarks of quality of teaching, learning materials and qualification impact. It is home to more than 28,000 successful MBA graduates representing 120 countries.

This certificate is designed for professionals from a wide range of contexts and backgrounds who need actively to engage with the challenges of twenty-first century management. It will enable you to develop your management skills and knowledge of management frameworks, theories and tools and to use these appropriately in order to make a real difference in your own practice.