Business Courses

The Master of Business Administration program is an advanced degree that gives students the chance to work in a variety of industries. The program takes 33 credit hours, which are completed by taking eight different core courses and three additional elective courses. As a result, students can expect to complete the program in about a year and a half. Students are now able to complete their MBA degrees online, so they never have to attend a class and can finish all of their coursework from home. Keep in mind that some specialized MBA programs require students to complete an internship before graduation.

To get a place on most MBAs it is highly competitive and you must have a good honors (undergraduate) degree or your home country's equivalent. You must also have a good English language proficiency, generally of at least 7 in IELTS, or 620 on paper or 105 on the internet in TOEFL (if you are not sure what this means, then check out our guide to English language requirements).

Some Business Schools also like you to have a few years experience in a business environment, though this is not the case for all of them.  

For MBAs in the UK, all students should apply directly to the institution they are interested in, most commonly through an application form found on their websites.  

After you have sent your application form, most institutions interview prospective students before they accept anyone on to the course, though many offer phone interviews for students living abroad.

The length of MBA courses varies depending on where you study. If studying full time, the majority of institutions offer one year courses, whilst a number of others have longer courses (usually between 18 months and 2 years). Whilst studying full time, foreign students can expect to have very busy weeks, often with at least 45 contact hours (time spent with tutors in seminars or lectures) each week. The academic year for MBA courses usually starts in October and ends in September the following year.

A number of institutions offer part time MBA courses which usually take 3 years. These are structured in the form of teaching 'blocks'. This means that the teaching for the course is done at a full time level but in a number of short periods of time. For example, a part time student would be taught full time for a set number of five day periods.

MBAs are very expensive for both Home/EU students and non-EU students. In most places everyone pays the same fees for MBAs, but these can range from anything between £20,000 and £50,000.

Due to the high costs of MBAs, there are a number of ways that international students can get help with the fees. You can get scholarships from three main places for MBAs:  

              - directly from the institution

              - from outside institutions (the British Council for example)

- from your current employer (if you have one) to take the course

Undergraduate business courses are offered at most universities and colleges in the UK. However, there are a number of Business Schools in the UK that focus specifically on business courses and are highly respected. Sometimes these are associated with universities (Warwick Business School for example), whilst many are independent (such as London School of Business and Finance).

MBAs offered at these business schools are some of the most respected in the world and provide students with amazing career prospects after they have completed them.