Business Administration

This innovative course is designed to develop a wide range of interdisciplinary skills that you can apply in your own workplace as you develop. You will gain a solid foundation in core management disciplines, including human resource management, organisational behaviour, accounting and finance, marketing and operations – learning to apply your knowledge to analyse, synthesise and evaluate a wide range of situations. You will explore economic, environmental, social and technological change issues; corporate governance; markets and customers; managing resources and operations; financing organisations; management and development of people; developing information technologies for application in business and management within a global knowledge-based economy, and development of appropriate business policies and strategies within a changing context to meet stakeholder interests.

There are now two routes to gaining this qualification depending on when you start your postgraduate diploma.



For module details please see "Course Web Page".

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



The compulsory modules B870 and B872, that you study for this diploma, are also compulsory in the MBA (F61) and Postgraduate Certificate in Business Administration (C66). 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 Counting microcredentials towards OU qualifications 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.

2 years part-time study



How long it takes

Most students study the Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration part-time, completing 60 credits a year over two years. Typically, this means 12–14 study hours each week. The minimum time to complete this qualification is 12 months.



You must complete the Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration within five years. Please note, however, that if your goal is the MBA, (which must be completed within seven years) if you extend your diploma studies to five years you will need to complete the further 60 credits required for the MBA over a two year period.

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.



Employers value postgraduate business qualifications as an indication of high level business and management skills. These skills are in demand, increasingly so in times of economic uncertainty, and employers want practical experience, a thorough grasp of business, and the ability to lead at a strategic level. Careers surveys shows that students studying postgraduate business qualifications can expect their salary to increase, and have a positive impact on their career progression, as well as bring improvements to their organisation or business.