MSc International Business Management
The process of internationalisation, together with continuous technology improvements, especially in the last three decades, have brought unprecedented flows of goods, services, labour and capital across national boundaries. World trade has become increasingly important, foreign direct investment is growing, and the competitive pressures on many industries and firms have intensified.
There are big challenges for companies which operate internationally. They are becoming engaged in modes of business that are different from those they are accustomed to domestically. Therefore, it is important to develop a better understanding of how these multinational firms are managed and controlled.
This programme will enable you to understand how firms become and remain international in scope. You will learn to apply management theories and techniques important in an increasingly multinational business environment. New research findings, case studies and comparative perspectives on the management of internationally operating firms will help you to understand these issues in more detail, and that the local adaptation of business and management concepts developed elsewhere is crucial.
This programme consists of seven compulsory modules. You can also select one module from a list of optional modules, and must write a final 20,000–word dissertation.
Entry standards
Applicants should usually hold a Bachelors degree (UK Lower Second/2.2 or above), or equivalent qualification from a recognised British/overseas university. However, every applicant is assessed individually on their own merit. Higher level professional qualifications may also be accepted. Relevant work experience could be an additional benefit where applicants have not reached the standard entry requirements, although it is not an admissions requirement for this particular degree programme.
As a result of their high popularity, we have successfully secured further places for our postgraduate programmes in this area. We are therefore extending our deadline for submission of applications to 31 May 2012. Applications received after this date will only be considered subject to availability of places.
English language requirements
Non-native speakers of English will normally be required to have IELTS 6.5 or above, with a minimum of 6.0 in each component (or equivalent).
Please note that the University of Surrey offers English language programmes and is also an IELTS Test Centre.
MSc International Business Management - structure and modules
Module Titles
Compulsory Modules
- Financial Management
- International Business Management
- International Trade
- Managing Human Resources
- Marketing
- Strategy
- Research Methods
- Dissertation
Module Overview
This module consists of seven compulsory modules, one module from a range of optional modules, plus a dissertation.
Compulsory Modules
Financial Management
The financial management module introduces you to a range of finance systems and processes. The topics covered include profit and loss account, balance sheet, cash flow statement, financial analysis, and trend and ratio analysis.
International Business Management
This module gives an overview of key topics in the areas of international business and international management. It pays special attention to issues such as globalisation, FDI theory and patterns, the role and importance of the multinational company (MNC), managing human resources within the MNC, and comparative studies of cultural and institutional influences on the management of MNCs.
International Trade
This module considers issues of international trade from the theory and policy perspective. In particular the module considers how these issues affect the behaviour of firms and the relationship between theory, practice and policy.
Managing Human Resources
This module provides a firm basic grounding in the ‘people management’ aspects of managerial roles. It draws on literature and theory from the fields of psychology, sociology, economics and political science. It provides a sound conceptual framework for the management of human resources within the organisation.
Marketing
This module provides a comprehensive framework for understanding marketing at both strategic and operational levels within various contexts.
Strategy
This module provides a holistic understanding of the most relevant theoretical approaches to strategy formulation, implementation and control, either in the context of a single-business or a multi–business organisation.
Research Methods
Introducing the process of research project formulation and the key elements of research design, this module should prepare you to execute your research study for your dissertation in a systematic and scientific manner.
Optional Modules
Consumer Behaviour
This module develops an understanding of the many variables that, through complex interaction, determine consumer choice behaviour.
E-business
This module identifies contextual influences and industry developments in e-business, as well as mapping various business models and analysing how the electronic platform can transform businesses.
International Human Resource Management
This module provides an understanding of the management of human resources (HR) in an international context, examining the political and economic factors which influence the decision-making processes of multinational organisations, and the way these affect HR strategies and policies.
Other optional modules include:
- Innovation Management
- International Business Investigations
Programme Structure and Modules
| Compulsory Modules | Credits |
| Management of Human Resources | 15 |
| Research Methods | 15 |
| International Business Management | 15 |
| Marketing | 15 |
| Financial Management | 15 |
| International Trade | 15 |
| Strategy | 15 |
| Optional Modules | Credits |
| E-business | 15 |
| International Human Resource Management | 15 |
| Innovation Management | 15 |
| International Business Investigations | 15 |
| Compulsory Module | Credits |
| Dissertation | 60 |
MSc International Business Management - entry standards
Entry standards
Applicants should usually hold a Bachelors degree (UK Lower Second/2.2 or above), or equivalent qualification from a recognised British/overseas university. However, every applicant is assessed individually on their own merit. Higher level professional qualifications may also be accepted. Relevant work experience could be an additional benefit where applicants have not reached the standard entry requirements, although it is not an admissions requirement for this particular degree programme.
As a result of their high popularity, we have successfully secured further places for our postgraduate programmes in this area. We are therefore extending our deadline for submission of applications to 31 May 2012. Applications received after this date will only be considered subject to availability of places.
English language requirements
Non-native speakers of English will normally be required to have IELTS 6.5 or above, with a minimum of 6.0 in each component (or equivalent).
Please note that the University of Surrey offers English language programmes and is also an IELTS Test Centre.
Planned intake
Up to 100
Start date
SeptemberProgramme Leader
MSc International Business Management - fees and funding
Fees
International Business Management (full time):
UK/EU - £9,190
Overseas - £14,830
MSc International Business Management - professional context
Professional recognition
The Surrey Business School is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).
MSc International Business Management - teaching
Teaching
Teaching and learning in the Surrey Business School is a partnership between our students, our academic staff, our support staff and all our other stakeholders. Through this partnership, our intention is to create graduates who are professional, employable and effective members of society, whose education provides them with options and choices about how they develop themselves further, both professionally and personally.
We trust that, through engagement with your studies, you will be inspired and motivated to become an effective and independent learner who is able to realise your potential. Through our partnership, you will be given opportunities to show initiative and take responsibility for your own learning and self-development.
In taking advantage of these opportunities, you will become an articulate critical thinker who is adaptable and flexible.
Staff perspective
After I gained my PhD from the University of Bath I decided to move to work at the School of Management at Surrey.
Our School of Management offers a vibrant learning environment which hosts experts that are excellent in teaching and involved in cutting-edge research. Our MSc programme is especially suitable for students interested in international trade, international business and management, crossnational international comparisons of management and organisations across the world, international human resource management and marketing.
You will have a unique learning experience when studying at Surrey, situated just outside of London where many leading multinationals are based and some of them have their headquarters.
Our programme aims to prepare you for careers requiring global business awareness and to develop skills required to work in internationally operating companies and organisations. Our one-year programme will provide you with many opportunities, both to apply the theoretical knowledge acquired during the modules, and to develop a more in-depth understanding of common problems emerging in an international business environment.
MSc International Business Management - learning
Facilities
The Surrey Business School prides itself on its high teaching standards, research excellence, employment record, international reputation and flexible teaching methods.
Throughout your time at Surrey you will have access to a range of services and support. The School is committed to developing students’ study skills through a variety of different teaching methods and tutorials. In addition, the School boasts learning resources which are second to none.
The School is housed within the new state-ofthe- art School of Management building which is wireless networked and benefits from wellequipped computer laboratories, dedicated highquality seminar rooms and a 400-seat auditorium.
When students wish to relax and meet friends, the School offers a purpose-built student common room, its own coffee shop and the Lakeside Restaurant which, as well as operating as a professional fully functioning business, is utilised as a fundamental part of the School’s Hospitality Management programmes.
MSc International Business Management - graduate profile
Student Profile: Fred Dubee
MSc International Business Management
I arrived at Surrey as a rather mature student with a liberal arts background, with over three decades of international business experience and a demanding assignment at the United Nations.
The year at Surrey imposed balancing full-time studies and a fair amount of research with a rather heavy agenda of international commitments which filled most short and long breaks – so there was a great deal of learning to deal with priorities while ensuring full participation in classes, the quality of academic work and the on-time submission of assignments.
The Surrey MSc in International Business Management, the rigours of academic research and the chance to work and learn with an eclectic array of professors and students have been invaluable in shaping my abilities to contribute more effectively as I continue to work with the United Nations Global Compact.
The discipline and skills learned at Surrey have permitted me to present, lecture and publish. I have been invited by the University of Shanghai to teach a compulsory course on Business and Society in its MBA programme.
Student Profile: Eva Papachristopoulou
MSc International Business Management
I was initially attracted to the University of Surrey for many reasons. Firstly, because of its impressive reputation in Greece, among students and scientists. Secondly, my manager at my former workplace, who held a University of Surrey postgraduate degree, encouraged me to apply and was very enthusiastic about the effectiveness of the University’s courses. Another reason was that the University has a very high employment rate and could enable me to achieve my goals and expectations.
My experience at Surrey has been one of the most amazing of my life! Most of all, I was impressed by the kindness and willingness of my lecturers to help me and other students with any queries we might have had. Moreover, I enjoyed the teamwork and projects which I found extremely educational and challenging. I also enjoyed living here, as the campus is fantastic. It offers a variety of activities and all the people are very friendly.
The University has opened up many opportunities for me. I believe it has given me all I need to become a successful international business manager.
MSc International Business Management - more
Partner Institution
This programme is available to study, in full or part, at the Surrey International Institute (SII), based at DUFE, China.
A Vital International Perspective for Managers
Why should you study International Business Management? In his 1996 book The Future of Capitalism, Lester Thurow argued that we are living in an era where ‘anything can be made anywhere and everything can be sold everywhere’.
There has never been a better time for you to acquire the global awareness needed to operate in such a world.
This programme helps you develop that global awareness through its examination of a number of key issues such as:
- The key changes that have taken place, that are taking place and that will take place in the international business environment
- The nature of international firms and the challenges of managing them
- The role of national, cultural and institutional differences and transnational institutions (such as labour, environmental and social responsibility standards) for doing business internationally
This is a programme which you will find both challenging and rewarding. Rosabeth Moss Kanter suggests that currently practising managers and the managers of the future will face ‘sweeping changes in the competitive landscape’ and only those managers with the necessary skills, competencies and knowledge will be able to consistently add value to the organisations which will operate in this environment. This programme will make a contribution to your self-development along these lines.
Leading-edge Research
The Surrey Business School at the University of Surrey is a highly recognised research institution, with the Research Centre for Comparative Studies on Organisational Learning in International Settings (COLIS) conducting leading-edge research in key areas intersecting organisation studies and international management to advance theory and to provide practical insights into learning in international settings.
The Centre is an interdisciplinary research group, incorporating scholars specialised in international management, international human resource management, organisational sociology, strategic management and industrial relations. The aim of the Centre is to facilitate the development of world-class, distinctive, highly relevant, interdisciplinary and comparative research based on theories of international management, organisational learning and institutionalism.
The Centre is currently focused on four areas of research: decentralisation and control in multinational corporations; the impact of international strategy and host-country effects on learning within multinational corporations in the chemical sector; core work standards and new modes of regulation in multinational corporations and their national competitors in the European supermarket sector; and crossnational comparisons of the role of business models in health care.
MSc International Business Management - apply
You can apply for this programme online using the link(s) below. We recommend making an application as soon as you can, even if you do not have all the necessary supporting information ready at that time.
As part of the application process, you will be asked to enter a username and password. If you've used our application system before, please enter your details or click the forgotten password link.
If you are a new user, you will need to create a username and password by clicking the New User button.
Start date
SeptemberProgramme length
12 months full-time
Programme Leader
For general enquiries
T: 0800 980 3200 or
+44 (0)1483 681681
E: pg-enquiries@surrey.ac.uk
For admissions enquiries
T: +44 (0) 1483 686300
E: somadmissions@surrey.ac.uk